The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-16
AST0R ESTATE
 IN NEW YORK
 GOES TO SONS
Viscount Transfers All His Property Assessed At
 $5O,2OO,OOO.

New York. Aug. 16.---Deeds of trust
 were filed yesterday in the Registers
 office on behalf of William Waldorf
 Astor conveying all of his real estate
 in New York City or elsewhere to the
 Farmers Loan & Trust Company as
 trustees in trust for his two sons, Waldorf Astor and Captain John Ja-
 cob Astor. No detailed division of the properties was mentioned, the deeds merely specifying that one-half Of Viscount Astor's realty had been con veyed in trust to each of his sons. The Manhattan realty, which thus becomes virtually the possession of Waldorf and Captain John Jacob As tor, is valued at more than $50, ,OGO,O 600. The assessed value of the William Waldorf Astor holdings in New York City was placed a short time ago at $50, 200. 900. No statement could be o'b-
 tained from vfscount Astor's lawyers as to the cause for this big transfer,
 but it was evidently in keeping with the policy he started in 1911 when he
 filed his first deed of trust to the FarmerS Loan & Trust Company as trustees for Waldorf Astor, convey ing all of the Waldorf section of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, being the
 Fifth avenue and Thirty-third street portion of the hostelry, and, in addi- ton. the Astor Court building. these two parcels being worth about T,- O0O.O 900.
 The statement was made at that time that the transfer was due to the desire on the part of VisCount Astor , to escape a heavy inherita nee tax law which is per cent. on bequests over s1, 100000. Under the transfer in trust of land and buildings valued at more than s5O,OOO,OOO, this would mean a saving to the estate of g. 5OO, 900 in in heritanCe taxation.
 Four years ago Viscount Astor ! deeded outright to his youngest son, ! John Jacob Astor, the most valuable | of his downtown holdings, including ! the northern portion of the old Astor | House, with additional land on Bar ! clay street, the History Exchange | Court building at the southeast corner | of Broadway and Exchange Place, | and the eight-story Astor building at | 10 and 12 Wall street. extending ' through to Pine street. The deed to 1 these parcels was recorded in July, 1917. and they were then assessed at | S7.2OO,OO with the buildings, the | land value being more than s6,OOO.- ! 900
 Last month Captain John Jacob | Astor, who was wounded in the war, i sold the Wall Street building to the | Bankers Trust Company at a price | said to exceed S2,e0O,OOO, and on the
 site the Bankers Trust Company is 1 planning a large addition to it's build | ing on the corner of Wall and Nassau | streets. It was the largest portion ot l the William Waldorf Astor holdings | in the city that had ever been sold | since it came into the latter's poses | sion.
 Among the more valuable of Wis | count Astor's properties now trans | ferred are the Hotel Astor. assessed | at S4.O5O,OOO; the Astor Theatre, as- 1 sessed at s1,OO2,O 900; the Astor Apart | ments on the west side of Broa dway ] between 75th and 76th streets, as- l sessed at $1.525, 900; the west side
 l of Madison avenue. between 35th and
 l 36th streets. assessed at more thar
 | s1.O0O,00O. and the Eigth avenue block fronts on the east side, be-
 tween 44th and 46th streets, with
 l large holdings on the street fronts.
 Waldorf Astor visited America g
 1 few years ago to look after the family
 l real estate interests. Mir. Astor has
 since been a member of the British
 l Parliament and has taken an active
 1 part in political activities.
 John Jacob Astor was a captain ir
 | Kings First Life Guards. Captain
 Astor and his wife visited America
 last February and spent some ime a-
 Palm Beach. Both are cousins ot
 l Vincent Astor.