Year: 1869

posed improvements.


Projects for widening Broadway are no novelty
20 the citizens OF New York. The widening mania.
however, appeared to spend itself erectually with
the last proposal to extend the width OF this famous
thoroughfare twenty-five feet above Seventeenth
street to the Park. The orgnators OF this idea met
with so prompt and emphatic rebuke that they
withdrew from the agitation OF the subject-not ex-
actlY In despair. but with hope that modid-
cation OF the proposition would be accept
able and successful. We have this proposition now
IN the plan to widen Broadway from Thrty-fourth to
Fif,y-ninth street, passed at Albany towards the
close OF the session. without any public ntimation OF
Its scope and character.


Governor Hoffman has been given credit for ex-
ercising unusual vigilance and extreme cauuon in
endorsing the acts OF State Legislature. An act
incorporating the Bungtown pike road or some
other such outlying enterprise in the half-setted
sections o the State has been quickly vetoed by the
Governor and no doubt for all good and sufficient
reasons but this proposal to benefit the interests
OF some real estate spectators, while at the
same time its effect would be to mutilate
the original proportions OF an avenue Of trade and
travel dear New Workers from the very unqueness
OF its struggling outline and known the world
over as Broadway, finds endorsement and approval
from Governor Hoffman. ANY one who takes the
trouble to study the peculiar nature OF Broadway
maysee that the in slant it enters Union square 1t
comes into competition with the avenues at either
side, and loses IN breadth and convenience by com.
parison with the neghbOring thor0ughfareS. Travel
becomes diffused In the vicinity OF Union square.
Fourth avenue takes q share at one side ana
Fifth avenue at the other The close and compact
tide Of traffic below Union square has no counter
part In the portion OF Broadway above 1t, and 1t
safely fix Its limit at Thirty-fourth street. Here
Sixth avenue comes IN. with its splendid width OF
street and sidewalks ana takes from Broadway one
half OF its wayfarers. III Broadway happens to be
sufficiently wide for all the traffic that Datronizes
1t at any point between Madison square aud Thirty
% modatioa G necessary from the latter point to the
Park. Broadway Is wider from Thirty-fourth
to Fifty-ninth street than 1t is anywhere
mand no greater extension Of carriage way than
street in YOrkville or Harlem But then the advO-
Gates Of extension say that nve, six or or ten years
crowded as the lower. This Is falacy. II William
B. Astor entertained this opinion OF the future that
awaits upper Broadway he would certainly have
built upon 1t. in place OF taking the adjacent Sew
enth avenue upon which to erect TWO blocks Of as
handsome dwelling houses as any In the CITY,
Supervisor Tweed and Peter b. Sweeny receive the
credit OF having engineered this bill through
deeply @ Interested IN having Re value vail Of some real
estate OF his near Thirtyfourth street enhanced by
the contemplated extension, and that Mr.. Sweeny
p ss5 p S
payers Of New York city feel disposed to accommo.
date these gentlemen and the rest OF the real estate
owners the street by voting an expenditure Of
$lOOO0,000 or more remains to be seen. There is
point beyond which Broadway can never
peS Is Grty snsa' see yss
here that this widening process Is designed to
be inliiatea tts glory and greatness greatness really
the Fifth Avenue Hotel Here the avenues leave
Broadway a shadow OF what 1t looks like further
down. Fifth avenue for instance, takes all the dry-


.lntrl l.fnIIv kAny fha anh nf rm0
Ii has no horse car railroad on Its surface and Is
certainly o more attractive drive than the other.
Madison Avenue and over ~ e th s1d TO e ne
the island, and must always be serious COM
petltors with Broadway. The latter has
cry, which is q street OF another complexion,
and attracting peculiar class OF patrons. ON the
whole there seems TO ns no valid ~ moMve o ior plng
portion Of q street that needs no widening. The
best evidence that any one need have OF the unneces
sary character or this project Is look for moment
at the contrast between the houses on the two ave-
nues--Slxth and Seventh-and those on upper
a tSoronghfare a better class Of buildings would
long since have taken possession OF the
present sites, whereon wretched frame shanties s
Neither on Seventh nor Sixth avenues are any such
erectIons as what you find on Broadway
between Thirty fourth street and the Park aud yet
the street Is wider than where Arnold 4 Constable
have their marble palace, between Eighteenth and
Nineteenth streets.



way route anticipate time will yet come when this
property will reach fabulous rate OF value. To
them project OF this kind s especially dlstasteiul
the appraisers price to make up the required width
demanded would In case no such widening as Is con-
tempated took place, bring Its weight In gold.


While the bill was secretly pending in the Legisla-
ture remonstrance was got up by property owners
on the street, but no good seems TO have come OF IT,
for the bill went through and duly became law by
Governor Ho1man's endorsement. There is good
deal OF indignation felt now that those most inter-
estate speculators, whose real object was the en-
hancement OF such property as they own In the
neghbornood and not for the purpose OF adding con-
I''u bill authorizes the a''' Commissioners % 81 tho
Park to have the street surveyed and
report furnished upon which they may base a de.
cison to which side of the street II is most desi
rabe to pull to pieces, and what line the widening
towards the Park shall follow. Messrs Holmes i
expect to be ready with their report between the
4th Of July and the 1st OF August. The expected
alterations WILL as far as can be ascertaned, pursue
the following course:-Commencing at Thirty .hfth
street. on the east side, twenty-five feet OF
the red brick block forming the triangle at
the junction oS Of sixth rhs @ and ray
size OF the block about one-third, and will
cut through the Sixth National Bank, real estate
oice the armory OF the Thirty seventh regiment,
Jewish synagogue and several chinaware stores adj
joining The expense Is estimated at $50, 600. The
widening Will continue through all the other blocks
on the east slde rs far up as F0rty-ninth street.
Between Thirtysxth and 1hirty-seventh streets two
carriage factories, q shovel making concern and a
carpet beating establishment VIII be knocked into
"pi" These buildings being Of shallow dimensions,
Will he wiped out Of existence. Between Thirty
seventh and Tbirty-eighth streets five three
story brick residences, two story car
riage painting establishment, window
shade factory and liquor store go by the
board. Between Thirty-eighth and Thirty ninth
streets three franc buildings Will be sacrificed. and
on the next block above two substantial brick car
rage factories, riding school and few frame
buildings Will suffer demolition. Between Fortietn
and Forty first streets two three story brick bund-
ings, two cigar stores marble yard, liquor store.
butchers shop grocery. paint establishment, stable
and milk depot. will be almost wholly wiped 0n the
face Of the earth. On the next block. both on tho
east and west sides OF the street, are few
excellent buildings the Broadway and st.
Cloud hotels Tue latter is q recent erection, and
towers up to considerably higher altitude
than any structure on the street. IL stands on the
corner VI Forty-second street, upon which n has .
frontage OF about 100 feet The widening Will leave
portion Of this concern intact but It's proportions
will be sadly impaired In the process Its estimated
value ground lot included, II 100000. IL seems .
very great outrage TO pull down the front Of this
handsome building where the street is GER
tainly wide enough for all the practical pur-
poses II Will ever be called upon TO serve.
The next block Will be curtailed but O trine,