Year: 1872




Tho Now Iron Building ON Nassau
| Street.-The improvements Round tho
| New Post Omcc.


The progress and prosperity Of the city Of
New York within the last decade have been
marked as significantly by the Improvements
in the business localities below Canal street as
by the settlement Of tho upper part of the
island and the stretching out Of the popula-
ton into Westchester county. Without emu
merating the many splendid blocks that have
sprung up between Chambers and Canal
streets on Broadway and back to and upon
Church street. we find Stewards building on
Chambers street. the new Stats Zeitang estab-
lishment the graceful Times Building, the
HERALD Building and the Park Bank adjoin-
ing, the Equitable Insurance Building, the
Drexel Building, besides many others. and
lastly the new building ON the site of the old
HERALD Office. on Nassau, Fulton and Ann
streets. standing as landmarks to point out
the new era of architecture which is
fast pushing aside the combustible piles
of the old city and filling their places
with erections wholly or in part proof against
fire. We are still. however, only entering
on tho threshold of the revolution which must
before long sweep over the great business
centre of the metropolis. The completion of
the new Post Office building will mako the
locality of Park row, Ann, Nassau. Fulton,
Spruce and tho adjacent streets the most
valuable property, not in New York alone.
but in any city in the world Yet all this
wretched, insecure, worthless buildings.
Here and there the front streets present fine
appearance, with their substantial buildings,
such as those we have named but, like
goodly apple rotten at the core, the rears are
choked up with rookeries which occupy
ground as precious as virgin gold, and are a
disgrace as well as danger to the city


The new iron freproof building on Mas
sau street, running from Fulton to Ann
street. we claim to be the pioneer in the
new movement of downtown improvements,
invited by the near completion of the
Post Office. It has swept away one Of the
Objectionable piles at single swoop, and has
given an increased width to that important
section of Nassau street Its erection will
compel the widening of Ann street, at least
from the corner Of Park row to Nassau street,
thus relieving the overcrowded space between
the Park and Fulton street on Broadway by
opening channel down Ann street, Nassau
and Fulton to the ferry. The HERALD and
Park Bank buildings were erected indepen-
IDENTIFY Of the Post Office but the new
Nassau street building marks the commence
ment of improvements clustering about the
Post Office and with its completion
it will be impossible to keep Ann
street long in its present condition. If
the owners Of the property on the north side
of that street have not the spirit to avail them
selves Of the splendid opportunity before
them, they should sell out to those who are
willing to keep pace with the progress Of the
city. Park row, from Beekman street to
Ann, both sides of Ann street and Mas
sau street, from the Park to the old Post
Office, should be covered with buildings equal
to the new iron structure on Nassau street,
and it is to be hoped that the fine design of
the architect, Mr. Arthur Gilman may be ac-
cepted as the model for all the new buildings
in that locality. We shall then have an i'm
portant business district, not only presenting
the handsomest buildings in any city in the
world, but entirely secure against fire.


The design Of Homer Morgan, the agent
for the new building, is to conine the tenancy
to banks, insurance offices and law Offices, all
of which will naturally cluster around the new
Post Office. The advantages Of thus Gen.
tralizing particular classes of business ore
unquestionable, and with that idea in view
Mr.. Morgan has refused admirable offers for
some of the best Offices in the building for
other purposes He has already made leases
for some Of the highest Offices to prominent
legal firms, and it is evident from the demand
that many similar buildings would find no
difficulty in filing up with the same class of
tenants. The new improvements in elevators
and other accommodations make the upper
floors almost as accessible as the ground floor,
and the height brings the valuable advantages
of good light and pure air. When to these
benefits are added perfect security against fire
it is not surprising that the demand for accom-
mediation in the new Nassau street iron build
ing should exceed the expectations of the
agent, and afford strong argument in favor
of a multiplication of such buildings in the
same locality as a profitable investment for
capitalists.


The Italian Government and the Jcsuits
I'm Rome.


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Since the 0ccllnatinn Of Rome hu tha Italian