The Wilmington morning star., 1944-10-09
GREAT BUILDING
BOOM EXPECTED
By DAVID G. BAREUTHER

NEW YORK, Oct. g. Up Con
struction plans are rolling from the
drawing boards of architects and
engineers in volume that heralds
a national postwar building boom.
More than one-and-a-quarter bill
lion dollars worth of projects in
New York City alone is awaiting
the go-ahead signal.
Since D-day more than $8O,0O0,-
600 in new skyscrapers, arg e
apartment buildings and other
structures have been planned for
Manhattan island. This privately
sponsored construction together
with previously announced plans
and pending public works 6 iv S
New York a job-creating budget
that typifies Americas drive to get
back to normal work as soon as
the war is ended.
It is the most extensive construc-
ton program in the history of the
nations largest city.
Indicative of the nation wide
postwar role to be filled by this
basic industry, which has only
slight reconversion problems, is
the fact that the New York outlay
is entirely exclusive of plans for
the popular and important small
house field.
Preparations for peacetime con-
Structlon have increased in direct
relation to encouraging war news.
In conStrast to a year ago, when
two months passed without a sin
gle new building of any type plan
ned for Manhattan, projects filed
this year mount steadily from
three projects costing $10,50O in
April to the 81 projects. to- cost
$50, 746, 900 in August.
Among Manhattan projects filed
since D-day are 80 large apart
ment buildings to cost 100000
have been planned for the Bronx
and four to cost 1928, 900 are on
file in the borough of Queens.
The city planning commission
reports total Of $1,270,0oO,OOO in
public and semi-public projects al
ready in the contract stage. Land
acquisition totals $129, 900, 900, the
remainder is construction cost.
Included are 1854, 367, 848 for new
public school buildings, SIZE, 200, 900
for slum clearance housing, $685.
100000 to finish the Battery-Brook-
lyn tunnel, $78,O00,OoO for park
ways and highway work. New pris-
ons, new fire department and po-
lice department buildings, hospi-
tails, libaries, museums, airports,
and variety of other structures
are Eiuepiinted.
Greatest of all privately planned
postwar jobs will be IS big apart
ment buildings in ore group, eaca
l3 stories high, and spaced in a
parklike community of rs acres
Is Manhattan blocks.
This will be Stuyvesant town, a
$50,000,000 undertaking. It will in
clude 9,042 apartments housing an
estimated population of 24,315. It
viii be built by the Metropolitan
Life Insurance company which, be-
foe tn war. created Parkchester,
the Rockefeller Center of the
residential field, where $4,000 per-
sons now live in 1922 apartments.
Another insurance company in
vestment, Clinic Hill in the Navy
yard section of Brooklyn, has been
going forward during the war I'M
der the sanction of essential hous-
ing. This is 100000 project
sponsored by the Equitable Life
Assurance society and will COM
prise 1000 apartments. The first
three of eleven buildings, ranging
IL and IA stories high, have been
fin shed.
The mansion of the late Brig.
Gen. Cornelius Vanderbilt on Fifth
Avenue is to be demolished soon
for IA story $1,062,0OO office
The old Union club, d.
agonally oppiste Rockefeller Cen
ter and north of St. Patrick's cath
edral, is being RACED to make way
for history department store to
cost $2,940, 1000.
Some skyscrapers have been ,:
planned that would change the IA
NOUS profile of Manhattan Island.
A 51-story tower to rise 574 feet
and to cost $5,0O0,000 is proposed