The New York herald., 1920-01-18
Miss Watts and Miss Hogeboom Take Look at the Scheme
for Making Over Very Famous Section, and the
Result Is Sort of an Operetta

4 of view of a real estate promoter who
loves humanity and the picturesque. This
is the point of view OF Mr.. Pepe.
His eyes glow as he looks down the
vista of Minetta street at the beautiful
church of Maria della Pompeii on Bleecker
street. which is directly opposite the Min
eta street outlet.
The church adds greatly to the charm of
the neighborhood, its future vizualized
charm; so do the odd angles of the build
ings, the old Colonial doorways, intact
here and there, the odd triangle of Minetta
court, the unbuilt backyards and wide
spaces of Minetta place.
Here we will have duplex studios" said
Mr.. Pepe, waving a magician's hand over
Minetta place." there the dormer roofs
will be lifted up to make the top rooms OF
these old houses sufficiently high ceiled,
but the general effect will be retained. |
never believe in changing the old Colonial
architecture and introducing styles for
eign TO the district. 1t won't be fussy and
it will be just as much like the old days
as possible but there will be plumbing"
Before the days OF the rag pickers, coll
ored people mostly inhabited the Minettas.
They were not generally speaking of the
law abiding variety. In fact, 1t was re-
garded as somewhat dangerous for visit
ing stranger to stroll into the Minettas
unless he wore a complete suit of armor
underneath hiS business suit Then Mr..
Pepe arrived and gradually replaced the
negro tenants with his own compatriots,
and bit by bit the Minettas became the
centre of New York's rag and bottle in
dustry.
The other Tenants.
But before the colored tenants, and even
before Mr.. pepe, there were other tenants.
They were dignified folk who built the
lCo1nnfaI and the haantif1I1
Colonial doors as shining and clean as their
own respectability. They We're not as
splendid as their friends and relatives who
resided in Bleecker street and mad larger
houses and grander doorways. But they
were very comfortable and their section of
town was described by Mr.. Pepes of those
days az highly desirable residential
property"
Before the houses came the neighbor-
hood was even more interesting. Ma
lnatta water, later to become Minetta
creek, flowed underneath it, rising
just about Twentieth street and Fifth
avenue. flowing TO the southern bor-
der Of Union square, then down under
Washington square, along the line of Min
street to tho North River. into which it
emptied at n point between Charlton and
Houston streets.
The name "Minetta" Is supposed TO have
come from the Dutch and means little
one, to distinguish this stream from larger
ones nearby. il was also known as Besta-
wars kill in the early days of the Dutch
settlers, when this part of the city was
the first TO be built up, after the section
in the vicinity OF the fort. The creek
formed tho lower boundary ot tho Bossen
Bouwerie, which Governor Kieft set aside
as farm for the Dutch West indian Com
pany.
with an even greater personal astute-
ness" says Thomas Janvier. speaking of
the fertile quality OF the farm and the
good hunting and fishing in tho neighbor-
hood, "the second Dutch governor. Wouter
Van Twiller. having n most unbecoming
regard for his own strictly individual in
terests. made himself at onco grantor and
grantee OF this property and SO appropri-
ated the conpanys Farm No. 3 Cthe Bos-
sen Bouworie) az his own private tobacco
plantation
mot only was there good fishing in
Minotta creek and good hunting along its
banks. but il also afforded delightful win
ter sports. Janver tells how the little