Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 55

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360

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H. S. Lansdell

.328 9th street.

E. B. Litehfield 180 Congress street.

D. W. LaFetra. . 219 Montague street.

B. T. Lyneh 16 Court street.

Miller & Molloy East New York.

Charles R. Miller

17 Willoughby street.

Richard Marx

16 Court street.

Wm. Maekey

456 Fulton street.

John B. Morgan

85 Broadway, E. D.

George Powers

. 540 State street.

George W. Palmer New Lots.

Franeis P. Pike

167 Stirling place.

George H. Pendleton

316 Cumberland street.

Henry A. Phillips

843 Willoughby avenue.

Noyes G. Palmer

East New York.

Franeis E. Rogers 480 Grand street.

Wm. Stevenson

196 Fulton street.

Wm. O. Sumner

120 Broadway, E. D.

Theodore Swimm

394 Gates avenue.

Wm. Taylor.

65 Cambridge place.

John Thompson

712 DeKalb avenue.

E. W. Van Voorhees (N. Y.) . 129 East 36th street. E. H. Winchester 82 11th street.

Among the best known Real Estate and Insurance Agents, we may mention the following:

David E. Austin

Now in New York.

Charles A. Bryan

. 349 Atlantie avenue ..

H. Blatehford. 203 Montague street.

Wm. M. Cole.

20 Nassau street.

W. L. Candee 13 Park Row, N. Y.

Stephen Crowell

195 Broadway, N. Y.

Geo. W. Chauneey

207 Montague street.

A. H. Creah .

204 Keap street.

Jas. J. Darling

155 Broadway, N. Y.

Charles Dennis

164 Montagne street.

Edmond Driggs.

279 Washington,

864

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

Gustav Detloff New Lots.

Chas. H. Duteher . Court st. cor. Montague st.

S. K. Fessenden.

204 Montague street.

Daniel F. Fernald.

26 Court street.

Samuel Grierson

10 Clark street.

Alfred Hodges

9 Bedford avenue.

John C. Jacobs 181 Montague street.

Benj. Lewis

181 Montague street.

John K. Oakley . 217 Montagne street.

Willoughby Powell 376 3d street.

J. A. S. Simonson 201 Montague street. Jno. S. Saal 151 Leonard avenne.

A. B. Thorn

202 Montague street.

C. A. Townsend,

137 Remsen street.

E. B. Vanderveer Flatbush.

CHESTER D. BURROWS, JR.

CHESTER D. BURROWS, Jr., is a son of Chester D. Burrows, onee a prominent mason and builder of New York eity. Ile was born in New York, January 1st, 1843, and removed to Williamsburg with his father's family in 1856, and was educated in the publie schools of Brooklyn.

In 1860, Mr. Burrows began his business career as salesman in a grocery store in Williamsburg. He was then only seventeen years of age, but developed an aptitude for the trade which was remarkable in one so young. Two years later, at the age of nineteen, he engaged in business on his own aecount, opening a gro- eery store and embarking in a trade which must have proved sueeessful had he not been so seriously ill at the end of six months that he was obliged to abandon it.

Soon after his recovery, Mr. Burrows engaged with Henry Wood & Son, pork packers, of Jersey city, as a elerk, and was in their employ two years and a half. Returning to Williamsburg he was eonneeted with the firm of Oakley & Co., also in the pork trade, until 1869, and in August of that year he opened a pork packing establishment on his own aeeount at the corner of Tenth and North First streets, Brooklyn, E. D. In October, 1874, he removed to the corner of Manjer and Leonard streets, where he had just erected the large building which he has sinee occupied.

Mr. Burrows began business with little means and largely upon borrowed capital, a hazardous undertaking always, but one in which his more than eommon busi- ness ability rendered him even more than ordinarily successful, and at this time his trade is one of the heaviest in his line in Brooklyn. An account of his early struggles and ultimate sueeess would, if presented in detail, be of much interest to the general reader and serve as an encouragement to young men just embark- ing upon a business career, but such an account is not within the scope of a sketeh like this. Wherever Mr. Burrows is known in the world of eommeree his name is honored and his integrity unquestioned. Ile is a member of the New York Prodnee Exchange and of the Maritime Exchange, and at different times has been more or less prominently identified with various inter- ests and institutions publie in their character.

Mr. Burrows is a republican and an interested though not active politieian. He is a member of the First Reformed Church of Brooklyn, of which Rev. E. S. Porter, D.D., is pastor, and has been superintendent of the Sunday school and Mission sehool connected there- with. He is a Freemason of fifteen years' standing, and a member of Oltman Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 405. He was married November 6th, 1867, to Emily P., daugli- ter of Sehuyler C. Phillips, of Brooklyn.

Chester D Bowed /

THE

JOHNSON STREET FEDERAL BUILDING SITE.

Submitted by Mr. LEONARD MOODY, and accepted by CHARLES J. FOLGER, Secretary of the Treasury.

W HEN it was ascertained that the site suggested for the new Federal Building, on Myrtle avenue, could not be taken, as the appropriation was not sufficiently large to pay for the property, Mr. Leonard Moody, on January 31st, 1884, went to Washington and submitted to Secretary Folger a new site on Washington and Johnson streets. At that time there were nine sites being pressed upon the Secretary for selection ; large poli- tical influence was brought to bear upon him to select the Dutch Church site, and also the one at the corner of Fulton and Flat- bush avenues, both of which were considered undesirable. After fourteen days of hard labor, Mr. Moody succeeded in secur- ing the adoption of the Johnson street site, as will be seen by the following letter :

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 16, 1884.

To LEONARD MOODY,

Real Estate Agent, Brooklyn N. Y .:

SIR, -I have decided to select as a site for the public building to be erected in your city, the property offered by you, at four hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($450,000), consisting of one hundred and ninety-seven (197) feet on Washington street, two hundred and thirty-five (235) feet on Johnson street, and one hundred and ninety-seven (197) feet on Adams street. In approving this location it is upon the unqualified condition that the Government shall receive a clear and perfect title to the property described, at a price not to exceed in any event the amount named above.

Very respectfully yours, CHAS. J. FOLGER, Secretary.

Now that the Federal building controversy is at an end, and the location is as much a certainty as anything can be in a world of uncertainties, the story of a project which hasgiven rise to untold bitterness and exasperation will be read with interest. It might make the record more complete to trace back the enterprise to the days of the Commission, but the leading facts concerning it are still fresh enough in the public mind to make repetition rather dreary. The point at which the project became really interest- ing, and began to arouse many animosities, was reached when the Secretary of the Treasury found himself confronted with a prob- lem very difficult of solution. None of the sites recommended by the Commission came within his financial reach, and the iron- clad phraseology of the law left him no discretion. Secretary Folger was incorruptible, sensitive and well-meaning. He has never been able to straighten out the literal and stereotyped twist which many years upon the Bench gives to the most elastic minds, and he saw nothing in his interpretation of the act but absolute obedience to its letter. Where other men might have detected between the lines a spirit perhaps less arbitrary than the actual reading, he could see nothing but words rigid and precise, and the possibility of impeachment in the presence of any attempt to stretch them. He faced the situation as any lawyer would, threw out of court the Commissioners' recom- mendations, and looked about him for a site which would, in

cost, come well within the half a million which he had to spend. In parenthesis, it may be said here that his purposes were un- diluted in their purity. He meant to do for Brooklyn the best that for the money could be done, and the only men who have criticised either his motives or his actions at this end of the line have been those who had excellent reasons for hostility to the Johnson street selection. That Mr. Folger hesitated and wavered and gave many evidences of indecision, is no more apparent than that in everything he did his intentions were above reproach. Those who think otherwise are either able to see dis- honesty in honor, or are not able to see rectitude in any- thing not a source of profit to themselves. No man went to Washington to say a word against the site which has been chosen, who had not more than an ordinary interest in the sale of some other property.

Leonard Moody, the real estate man, spent fourteen days in Washington in February. He went at a time when Folger was perfectly in the dark, and only with the object of discussing the situation with the Secretary. He had never met Folger in his life, and did not know Bell. Folger soon made up his mind that Moody was the man he wanted. Moody was for any site- and a commission upon its purchase. He talked over the situation generally with the Secretary, and ventured the sugges- tion that, for the money, the Johnson street property was far ahead of competing locations. It was within a stone's throw of one of the sites recommended by the Commission; was almost as much a focus of travel as the City Hall itself, and faced a thor- oughfare destined, he submitted, to be widened, and then to become the greatest artery of the city. With the widening only a very thin slice would divide it from Fulton street, and its ad- vantage over the church site was, that the latter is a little out of the general line of travel, while the Johnson street property is literally in it. Fourteen days of constant hammering brought Secretary Folger to a determination. He told Mr. Moody to go back to Brooklyn, promising him to write to him on the subject as soon as it became apparent that the property could be had for $450,000. Mr. Moody hadn't been home a week before he re- ceived a letter which announced that the Secretary had selected the Johnson street property. It was dated February 16th, and from that moment the matter was virtually settled. Mr. Moody now undertook to hand the ground over to the Government at the stipulated figure, and Bell and Congressman James were let into the secret. It is just as well at this point to say a word for the consolation of those who went to Washington under the delusion that the matter was not disposed of, and that some other site might still be chosen. If the selection had been made known outside of the circle, which included only four men, the value of the Johnson street property would have doubled on the spot. Nothing but inviolable secresy could have prevented an inflation great enough to burst the balloon. Mr. Moody had a big job on his hands, finding himself in a situation which ren- dered it necessary that $450,000 in ready money should be at once available. In his search for a capitalist he naturally turned toward the man who owned the Tillary street end of the block, and who would be, more than any one else, interested in the con -

866a

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

sumumation of the project. There is not the least doubt that Mr. Liebmann's property is really werth a $100,000 more than it was before the Secretary wrote the letter, and as yet he knew noth- ing of what had happened. Mr. Moody applied to the dry goeds man, pointed out the benefits certain to accrue in the event of such a purchase, and asked him if he would sign a contract agrecing to buy the site and hand it over te Mr. Moody for $450,000, no matter at what cost to himself. Mr. Liebmann asked for a day to think it over. On the following morning he announced that he would go ahead. There were eigliteen owners to deal with, and the great point was to keep every one of them in ignorance of the real reason for purchasing their property. Accordingly, every man who was approached was told that Mr. Liebmann simply had some improvements of his own in contemplation. At any moment the secret might leak out, and every hour might be worth a thousand dollars. There was no time for dickering, and yet it would not do to seem to be over anxious. People are hard to deal with under such condi_ tions, and most of them had a weakness for consulting lawyers. With the best manipulation, Federal Building suspicions could not be averted, but there could be no turning back when once the start was made. Some incidents which would bear elabora- tion made the matter lively. At the closing stages the work became more difficult. The friends of one of the owners se- cured some reliable information, and Moody knew it would be communicated without delay and send up the price without ceremony. He jumped into a carriage and told the driver not to spare his horse. It was the telephone and a horse in com- petition, however, and the animal was left very far behind, the superiority of the telephone costing Mr. Liebmann an additional three thousand dollars. In six days the dry goods man and the real estate dealer hurried nervous women and grasping men into bargains good for the seller and better for the buyer, and involv- ing an expenditure of $465,000. This is $15,000 in excess of the price the Government will pay, so that Uncle Sam has noth- ing to complain about. It was an excellently managed affair, in which the courage and judgment of Mr. Liebmann came as prominently to the front as the activity and business capacity of the real estate man. The facts are, that the Secretary wanted a site and was willing to pay $450,000, and that Mr. Moody dis- played his ability to accommodate him, when the talk of other men ended in the intangible. The Government would have had a fine time of it making such a purchase. Mr. Moody was animated by the prospects of a commission, and Liebmann by the certainty of a rise in the price of his property. It needed just such incentives as these to render possible the consum- mation of such a well-devised business enterprise.

Nothing is more natural than that the Inspector and other officials should have wished to be identified with a matter of so much importance in theirown district, and it could not have been otherwise than galling to them to be in ignorance of what was going on, when others claimed to know all about it. The fact is, that they hadn't the remotest idea of what was in the air.

There is not very much more to be told. It is officially de- clared that the matter is closed, so that, of course, it is settled now to all intents and purposes. It was not an agreeable thing to bring rival real estate men here when they hadn't a ghost of a chauce, or to permit delegations to flood the Treasury Building with useless arguments, but there was no alternative to be secret was to be successful. The affair has a comic side, thanks to the opposition parties and the Dutch Church people. The latter slept as peacefully as children while the real work was being done, but when the battle had been lost and won, though they didn't know it, they became delightfully energetic and in- dustrious. The trouble with the Dutch Church people was that they thought they held the key to the situation, and could afford to display a good deal of iudifference. As for the gallant cap- tain, he was the most famous man in Washington. He can in- dulge in more sonorous vituperation to the square inch than a

dezen majer-generals. He was geing te see about this thing. He wouldn't have it. He would have the matter thoroughly in- vestigated and generally shewn up. He would net telcrate it if he knew himself. Some things he might possibly stand, but this never! Se it went en, Mr. Grace taking his revenge in twenty- page communications, remarkable fer nothing but very much bad temper and very little style. It is a fact that but fer Lieb- inann's bold operations and Moody's remarkable adroitness the Federal Building enterprise would have dragged drearily through indefinite years, and the people of the city generally are well satisfied with the choice.

The selection of this site excited the opposition to such an ex- tent that they demanded a Congressional investigation. The history of this is given in the following specch by Hon. Darwin R. James :

" Mr. Speaker,-The question of the selection of a site for a public building at Brooklyn has occupied the attention of this House to some extent this session, because of charges of colln- sion between the sellers of certain pieces of real estate and the officers of the Government, whereby an exorbitant price was te be paid for an undesirable piece of property. These charges were made in writing, were general in character, and were not made by residents of Brooklyn, but originated in this city an l were worked up in the lobby of this House. They were never en- titled to the consideration which they received-in fact, were net entitled to any consideration whatever, and, in my judgment, never would have received any except that a reputable daily paper or two, notably the New York Journal of Commerce, thinking there must be some truth in the reiterated charges, called upen Cen- gress in a leading editorial to investigate. This editorial was sent to members of the House, and resulted in the drafting of a resolution providing for an investigation. These charges were all traceable to this city, where there seemed to be a head- quarters from which scurrilous articles were sent to journals in New York, charging collusion and fraud, and in several in- stances mentioning the names of Congressmen who were said te be aiders and abettors of the thieves. These charges were eut- rageous and slanderous in character, and were put forth by selfish and disappointed persons for selfish ends, and the names of upright and honorable men were held up to the gaze of the public as those of thieves and rogues. Not only were corruption and collusion charged in these newspaper articles, but other arti- cles of a different character got into the journals, giving a pe- litical turn to the matter, so that the 'fraud' in the purchase of the site for the public building at Brooklyn became a matter of national political importance. It affords a remarkable illus- tration of what a few unscrupulous persons can accomplish when they diligently set themselves about it. Having access to certain public journals, they use them to traduce honorable men, creat- ing a public sentiment against them and the work in which they are engaged, and they even force upon this House of Representa- tives an investigation of a Government transaction which was absolutely honest, and entered upon after deliberate and careful consideration. In my remarks upen this floor on April 1sth when the question of an appointment of a committee to investi- gate was under consideration, I said, 'So far as the purchase of the site for the public building at Brooklyn is concerned, I have 110 reason to doubt that every transaction in connection with it has been upright and honest.' To show that my words were founded on reason, I quote from the report of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, as published in the Record, on page 5376: 'Every opportunity was offered for the introduction of evidence to sustain the charges, and we unhesitatingly report that there has not been introduced before us a scintilla of evi- denee which in the slightest degrce reflects upon the integrity of the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the supervising architect, or any other officer of the Government. We therefore recommend the passage of the following:

' Reselved, That the charges of corrupt or collusive actien on

Leonard Maty

867a

THE JOHNSON STREET FEDERAL BUILDING SITE.

he part of the Secretary of the Treasury, or of some of his sub- ordinates, in connection with the selection and purchase of a site 'or a Federal building in the city of Brooklyn, have not been sustained.'

This finding of the committee disposes of the charge of collu- ion and fraud. It was a charge which never should have been nade, for which there never was an occasion, but which, having been made, should never have been considered, because it was not made by responsible parties. The matter of the desirabil- ty of the site, and the price agreed to be paid for the same, tre subjects which are not reported upon by the committee, although evidence was taken under these heads, for the reason ;hat the resolution under which the committee acted did not require it. The House, therefore, on June 5, recommitted the report, with instructions to investigate these matters, and espec- ally the purchase of the plot from William A. Husted. As to ;he desirability of the site selected, there is, of course, a diver- sity of opinion. Both at the first and second hearings before the committee, abundant evidence was forthcoming for and against the choice. Some of the most conscientious and careful citizens testified on either side of the question. My own choice was for the selection of some other site. The other members of the House from Brooklyn preferred another site, the one known as the Dutch Church site. Secretary Folger preferred the Boerum place site, which he himself looked at. The Commis- sioners appointed by the honorable Secretary selected as their choice the corner of Washington street and Myrtle avenue; the citizens who gave consideration to the subject generally ac- cepted the decision of the Commission, although there were many who were locally prejudiced in favor of other sites. The mass of the people, as well as the Brooklyn Congressmen, agreed that the building should be near the City Hall. The question of a suitable place for the Federal Building was under consid- eration as early as 1868, when a commission was appointed to select one. For about sixteen years this matter has been more or less under discussion. Sites which were offered to the Commission at that time-desirable sites fronting on the City Hall square-have in several cases been built upon with sub- stantial edifices, and have long been out of the market. There were left, however, three sites which could be purchased, or procured by condemnation, any one of which would have been acceptable to a large number of people. The Dutch Church property could have been purchased for two hundred and sev- enty-five thousand dollars. This, with the Court street front, would have furnished a site which would have satisfied many; but the Court street front could not have been purchased at less than three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, if it could have been purchased at any price. It might have been condemned, but it is doubtful if it could thereby have been acquired at a lower price. The Secretary construed the law literally, holding that he could only acquire the property through purchase. I consider that the price of this site was $625,000. The Boerum place site, preferred by the Secretary and recommended by Supervising Architect Hill, in all probability would have cost over $800,000. It contained several plots which the owners did not offer and did not wish to sell at any price. On this plot is the Long Island Savings Bank building, for which $140,000 is demanded. The other site alluded to is the one at the corner of Washington and Myrtle avenue, the one selected by the Commission. This site could have been purchased at $600,000 at the time the Commission selected it, as the parties advocating its selection had options for nearly all the plots, the figures ag- gregating about $600,000. At this present time it is doubtful if the property could be purchased at even $850,000. It will thus be seen that the Secretary was shut up to two courses : Either to do nothing, or to accept a site not so desirable as those men- tioned, as the cost of any one of them would have consumed the larger part of the appropriation for site and building. The Sec- retary decided to wait, but the citizens of Brooklyn were urging

action and pressing him to come to some decision. As early as January 9 the Brooklyn members of Congress called in a body upon him and insisted upon something being done. At this in- terview it was arranged that Supervising Architect Bell* and myself should visit Brooklyn to examine the various sites men- tioned, as well as other sites, and report. The visit was made on January 18. Various sites, in addition to those which were gen- erally discussed, were looked at. The Johnson street site was not considered on that day, although it was incidentally noticed in passing. On the following day Mr. Bell examined it alone somewhat carefully, I having returned to Washington the pre- vious night. Nothing definite resulted from the visit except the confirmation of the Secretary in the opinion that the most de- sirable sites were unattainable, and the securing of diagramns of various plots, together with their assessed valuation. The Johnson street property was offered to the Secretary about Feb- ruary 1 by Mr. Leonard Moody, a responsible real estate dealer, at the sum of $450,000, and on February 9 the supervising archi- tect made a written report to the Secretary recommending it as a suitable site. This property is situated one block north of the site selected by the Commission, and is about 200 feet from the present Post Office. The plot is 197 feet on Washington and Adams streets, and 235 feet on Johnson street. It is on the highest ground in that part of the city, and one block from the City Hall plaza. Washington street is the direct thoroughfare to and from the Bridge, and is destined to become a great artery. The New York Post Office and United States Court-rooms are but a short distance from the New York Bridge landing, about as near as the Johnson street site is to the Brooklyn Bridge landing. Washington street has seen many changes. Not many years ago it was the place of the residence of the wealthy. Then the tide of fashion set in another direction, and the prop- erty gradually sank to a low price. Within a few years property facing on it has been purchased by far-seeing individuals, who held it for an advance which was sure to come, as it was to be the outlet to the Bridge. I refer to this fact as a reason for the diversity of views as to valuations on the Washington street lots. The price at which it was offered seemed excessive, but the testimony of the witnesses examined shows that no other plot of the same size, within the same distance of the City Hall, and equally desirable, could have been purchased at so low a figure. The purchase was managed with much ability. The Secretary gave an order as follows. [See Secretary's letter, page 865a. ]

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Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 55

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : Munsell Number of Pages: 1360

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360