The Coolidge examiner., 1938-10-20
By L. l.. STEVENSON

Original plans Tor HocKe1eller
Center included a new building for
the Metropolitan Grand Opera COM
pany The old structure on Broad
way between Thirty-ninth and For
tieth streets, was admittedly mad
equate to hold audiences who de-
sired to listen to the tops OF the
musical world. 1t was out of date
and out of repair. Traffic condl-
tons were bad for occupants OF the
golden horseshoe who came to their
music in limouSines. The Rookie
teller Center site had many advan-
tages. Nevertheless, grand opera
remained on Broadway and the site
set aside for it in Rockefeller Gen.
ter remained vacant. It hasn't been
idle. however Since the opening OF
the development on which more
than 500, 100000 has been spent, it
has served as parking lot.
A recent announcement was that
the costly site, lying between Forty
eighth and Forty-ninth streets and
the Center theater and the Plaza.
where tourists stop to look at the
fountain popularly known as "the
man on the flying trapeze," is to
go to work in earnest. Instead Of
an opera house there is to be a
garage, one Is stories in height and
in no way resembling usual storage
houses for motor cars. Six stories
will be devoted to that purpose,
three Of them underground. Around
the storage space will be stores on
the street level and above them
business places and Offices. The
architecture is to be in keeping with
the rest Of the Center. The new
garage will be different from all
others in Manhattan also. The
estimated cost is S3,OO0,00O
Another and vastly more impor-
tant building project. which got
under way recently, is over in the
Red Hook section of Brooklyn.
There one of the worst slums in the
city is to be cleared away and in
its place are to be erected modern
homes for 5000 families. They will
be six stories in height and equipped
with elevators. The construction
will be in the form of LIS, T's and
crosses, thus affording a maximum
Of light and air. BY the use Of
glazed tile, new pipe and cable in
stallations, arrangements of lighting
fixtures and other construction econ
o1nies, the builders hope to provide
homes which will rent for S5.25 a
room a month. The enterprise is
$33, 100000 project sponsored by
the city and the federal government
and the rentals are to be lower than
the Williamsburg and Harlem
houses, earlier low-cost housing
projects.
In addition to modern conven-
fences, practically unknown in the
Red Hook section in the past, the
houses are to have clinics, isolation
rooms, health centers, recreation
rooms for adults as well as nursery
rooms and schools And all that's
a mighty far cry from the Red Hook
Of the past, my impression of
which are battle-ground for vari-
Gus gangs of longshoremen, led by
Peg Leg Lornegan and others long
since gone to whatever rewards
they may have had coming.
Stf1l another housing project of
importance-this one financed by
life insurance company funds-is up
in the Bronx where modern dwell
ings are to be built on 100 acres Of
land. One thing that strikes me as
significant is the fact that the build
ings will occupy only 26 per cent of
the land area. Then too. house
wives who dwell in the apartments
won't have far to go to do their
shopping. In each block there will
be commissaries where various
necessities and even some luxuries
may be purchased.
Times Square eavesdropping:
Hes the kind Of wise guy who'll
wear out quarters worth of shoes
walking to save five cents subway
fare"
@ Bell Syndicate.-WNU Service.