New-York tribune., 1922-02-12

~ before the close of the last cen
tury Madison Square was the un-
disputed center. While Twenty
third Street diverted the crowd
to The westward
Scarcely moro than decade ago the crowds
passed up and down Broadway day and night.
although the movement was largely checked
at Thirty fourth Street. Almost overnight
the crowd suddenly shifted to Fifth Avenue
and swept northward TO Forty-second Street
and beyond. 1t is believed that the two great
railroad terminals will hold The crowd in III.
general region which lies between them for
many years To-day the crowd moves back
and forth along Fifth Avenue, between the
rhirties and the Fifties.
The center Of retail business has closely
followed the progress of the social center for
more than century. 1t has been marked hv
the rise in favor of some crosstown street foY
shopping purposes In the carly DAYS, moro
than a century since, the shops were found
cast Of Broadway. Petticoat Lane, which
gained its name from its popularity among
ladies shopping street. ran parallel to
Beaver Street, and its site is marked by the
present line of Marketield Street The streets
running into Hanover Square gradually be-
came lined with shops. The retail section
moved slowly northward along the line of
Hroadway. finally rausing at Canal Street for
many years.
The next jump made to Grand Street
which soon became the great shopping center
AS the residential section in this region was
transformed into business buildings the retail
center moved to Union Square and Fourteenth
trao How H.,
many firms which are still household words
Next in turn came Madison Square, then
Thirty fourth Street and Fortv-second Street.
With the pressure exerted by the growth Of
thc wholesale and OTHER sections from -.
south and the gradual removal Of the resi-
Dental sections, it would seem that these crosx~
town streets may ultimately lose their pcsu-
larity. Many believe that Fifty-scventh St-cct
is to become in the near future tie creav
cross-town artery of trade With the grovtr
OF population on Long Island and in New ser
scy and The building Of the proposed Hudson
River bridge we'll up toNr.. it is argued that the
retail center is destined to maxi another
radical move northward The presence O.
Central Park would seem to check n.orcmert
beyond Fifty-nnth Street
The hotel and amusement ccDters closely
follow the movement of the social and rets;'
business centers. The first New York thoaters
in John Street and On Park Row were sradu-
ally replaced by others along Broa Iway and
the Bowery, whose very names have now been
forgotten TIE famous hotels of early New
York on lower Broadway and the cross streets
were closed for the most part and moved up
town at about tho same period Just previous
hn JI,H A.,, h.
Madison Square was the unuuestioned ho,ei
and theater section. Fifty years passed before
it was definitely changed when the present
astonishing development came in the general
region of the Forties along Broadway where
the hotels and theaters seem established for an
indefinite period.
The growth of the wholesale business Sec
ton of New York gradually forced the resi-
DENTAL and retail regions before it until
1t occupies much of the island south of Madison
Square. Broadway. which was first resi-
dental street and next a retail thoroughfare,
is now given over largely throughout this Sec
ton to office buildings and manufacturing
plants. The outposts of this section have al
ready advanced we'll toward Forty-second
Street. The pressure of this section has proved
irresistible in the past and promises to con-
tinuc. II. the last few years Fifth Avenue
from Fourteenth Street to Madison Square
has been completely transformed from ex
elusive residential street to busy thorough
fare lined with Office buildings and factories.
The residential and retail neighborhoods have
seldom been able in the past to resist its en-
croachment. Some prophets see all Of lower
Manhattan Island ultimately given over to such
interests.
The great financial section seems afone to
have remained unchanged From the early
days, when Wall Street S:as the city's banking
center, financial interests have been carried
on here. The residertls.- gtreets which once
surrounded it have long since disappeare-s
The hotels and retail stores have moved far to
the north. Within the last few years, however,
there has been significant movement north
ward The banks and other houses have estab-
lished branches in the great office buildings
up town. The great tides of travel which
sweep across this section of Manhattan be-
tween the two great stations threaten to iso-
late down. town New York.