Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 98, no. 2531: Articles]: September 16, 1916

Text version:

REAL ESTATE Hi AKD NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER It^, 1916 NEW ENTRANCE WAY TO PARK AVENUE APPROVED Local Board Changes Grade at Thirty-third Street— Plan Costs Less Money Than Those First Submitted A FTER many years of discussion and ■*»• agitation, the Local Board of the Murray Hill District, composed of Bor¬ ough President Marks, Aldermen Cur¬ ran, Carroll and Cardani, at a meeting held on Tuesday of this week, unan¬ imously adopted the new compromise plan for the change of grade at 34th street and Park avenue. The plan provides for an additional ramp on the east side of Park avenue, between 32nd and 34th streets, similar to that which now exists on the west side, which will require the relocation of the subway kiosk at the northeast corner of 33rd street and Fourth ave¬ nue. It will allow for the opening of 33rd street to crosstown traffic by rais¬ ing the entire roadway of Fourth ave¬ nue, from 32nd to 33rd street, to the present elevation of the avenue in the west side of 33rd street. From 33rd to 34th street, the present easterly roadway will be raised so that vehicular traffic will travel north from the new elevation of 33rd street to the present surface of 34th street. To ac¬ complish this, the elevation of the east¬ erly roadway, at 33rd street, will be raised appro.ximately six and a half feet. The elevation of the roadway just south of 34th street will be raised approxi¬ mately fourteen feet. This will provide means of separating north and south bound traffic between 33rd and 34th streets, so that the westerly roadway will be utilized only for south bound traffic. The Fourth and Madison avenue cars will descend by means of a seven per cent, grade from a point about eighty- seven feet north of the north curb line of 33rd street, north and into the pres¬ ent tunnel under 34th street. Passen¬ gers intending to transfer between the 34th street line and the afore-mentioned line will be compelled to walk from T • , -^\- r - ,. ,, 111 •'' ,^ , ': ^ ^ iiirii 1 i 1 ' " '. * ' '' 1 lll-MI - 1II' ^L '^ — 1 II rrnrrt|.__ I4 HIII Iij 1 :| -^ ^ ' ""'"HIII i -44. 4 r ^"- ~^--^:!^_j!:n -4 -- -.1 PARK AVENUE AND 33D STRETET AS PROJECTED. 34th street to about ninety feet north of 33rd street. The retaining wall will be shortened in its length so that its southerly limit will be about eighty- seven feet north of the north curb line of 33rd street. No change whatever is made in the grade of the westerly roadway of Fourth avenue. In 33rd street a change of grade is created commencing from a point about 300 feet east of the easterly curb line of Fourth avenue and reach- PARK AVENUE AND SSD STREET AS IT IS TODAY. ing the points of greatest change at Fourth avenue, which is approximately six and one-half feet. By means of this change, there will be established through traffic on 33rd street from Lexington avenue to Madison avenue without any abrupt drop that exists at present at Fourth avenue. In connection with this improvement, provision has been made for the nar¬ rowing of the easterly sidewalk of Fourth avenue, between 33rd and 34th streets, to si.xteen feet. The roadway width between 33rd and 34th streets on the westerly side will be thirty-four feet. That on the easterly side will be twenty- four feet. The e.xisting steps leading down from 34th street to 4th avenue will be eliminated. No change in grade occurs on the railway tracks in Fourth avenue, north of the portal of the tunnel. When President Marks took office, he found the property owners of the neigh¬ borhood hopelessly divided as to the two plans which were then under consider¬ ation for this improvement. No deci¬ sion had been reached, although the project had been discussed for several years. The neighborhood was divided into two camps—the powerful Murray Hill interests to the north and the in¬ fluential Fourth avenue interests to the south. The Murray Hill people advo¬ cated the plan known as the "Parsons" plan, which contemplated the preserva¬ tion of the status quo regarding grades, and was intended as a protection against the invasion of the Murray Hill district by business interests. The other plan, known as the "Collis" plan, contemplat¬ ed a leveling down of the grade at 34th street so that the trolley cars would cross at grade instead of as at present running in tunnel. Borough President Marks, after a very thorough investigation, concluded that no successful action could be obtained (Continued on page 402.)