New-York tribune., 1920-06-27
Future Of the
knickerbocker
Still Undecided
Proposals Made for w.n
Known Broadway saa
42d Street Stru......s ..s
Are Being Consider,ss
No Place for Hotel
Nicholas Biddle Saws n.
for Such Development !.
That Street Has Pas..d

Although the Knickerbocker \.
ceased as q hotel conducted by y.n..
B. Regan the future of the well.kr,~-
Broadway and Forty-second S.,,..
structure has not been decided. Sey.,.,
proposals have been made to Nicho,..
Blddie, manager Of Vincent As,.,,.
big estate and owner of the pron.,,s
He may accept one of these and !.
may turn them sll aside and prc..as -
with the plans which Mr.. Astor snJ ~
have worked out for that property NJ
Biddle is now studying the mersfa ~
each proposal and should one Of .th.ss
be found very attractive the hn,sl
structure may be turned over to othe,.
Mr.. Biddle will decide between r,.
and July Is. NV
If he concludes that it is best 1,
view of the proposals made, that M,
Astor hold the property. steps will hs
taken on July Is toward changing tls
massive structure for use as an sfirs
building.
Mr.. Biddle is of the belief ths.
Forty-second Street is no longer ira
proper location for hotels. He holds
the street has grown beyond that char
acter of development, it is now bir
business center. The transitory period
in the growth of the thoroughfare il
over and 1T is now an established locs.
tion Of the highest class Of busines.
tenantry. He intimated that the change
in Forty y-second Streets character had
been violent, for there WAS nothing ,ts'
indicate when the Knickerbocker wss
erected for Mr.. Regan, that before thu
end of his lease the demand of ths
section would make this fine structurs
obsolete for the purpose it was in.
tended.
Although Mr.. Regan has many
interests other than hotels, he was no.
just exactly eager, MIR. Biddle said, to
part with the Knickerbocker, because il
was good income producer. Bu.
though he was not eager he was not
entirely opposed 10 the proposal
offered by Mr.. Biddle, who apparently
had seen the end OF hotels in Forty
second Street for long time back.
He said that the plan for the change
of the Knickerboker from hotel to
an Office building came TO him six
months ago. and that as an Office
building the structure would producs
greater income than as a hotel.
The small buildings now on Forty.
second Street also are doomed because
Mr.. Biddle says tina: it is his opinion
that the street will be lined VITA
Office structures of the highest char
acter. Buildings on Forty-second
Street. with some exceptions, are relics
of former days, days when the stree.
was essentially residential. They were
altered to meet the changes that came
in the character of the street To-day
the value of these structures does not
extend above the street floor. The
buildings are nothing more than make
shifts to tide over a period of tran
sition, which, in the opinion of Mr.
Biddle, has ended.
The layout Of the KnicAerbocker
leads itself easily &c a change from
a public home to business Offices. The
alterations, too, call for destruction
rather than constructive7-that is, 8
ripping out of much that is there.
The first two floors of the building
will be treated aomewnat like the As
tor Building, erected on the site OF the
old Astor House, near St. Pauls
Church. This space will be devoted 70
stores. There may be ten stores, snc
perhaps not SO many Applications for
large and small stores have been re-
ceivcd at the Astoc Office from concerns
of international reputation. Mr.. BID.
die intimated that the question o.
large or small stores was still open.
The space above, for several stories
will be planned for the accommooatIon
of concerns wanting large space. There
are a number of concerns located in the
lower city and IN other cities when
have expressed desire for such &C,
comm odations. There will be floors o.
small Offices, also. Special effort wiz
be made for a tenantry Of the highess
character.
If Mr.. Astor retains the hotel sss
alteration of the structure will be macs
in the name of the knickerbocke,-
Forty-second Street Company, wh'es
was ihcorporstedy with capital Q,
100000 by Mr.. Astor, Mr. Bidde ana
S. B. Thorn.