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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1914)
10-B THE OMAHA F?IXDAY BEE: JUNE 14, 1914. r STILL REMEMBER LOSSES "Wolf Points Out Futility of Recall ing Unpleasant Ventures. NEW ERA DAWNING FOR CITY Omnhit lias the Lnrfttlnn end Itnw Material at Verr Door for Mnk Inar One of Leading; Cities In America. Br If. A. TVOIiF. Most of the old-timers In Omaha have been no terribly hit by the hard times In the 'Ws that they atill remember It well. Hardly a man who tried his hand In real estate at that time came out safe. Borne -who lost all they had, too late In life to get a start Again, are at the present flay ii familiar figure In the clubs of Omaha, upending the rest of their days In con stantly telling of their loss and the story of the catastrophe which ended their business career. They feel that they have a mission In Ufa to keep the unpleasant memory of the past before the new man lest, perchance, be forgets, and only thinks of the future Others have lost all of their worldly things, hut have not lost the spirit of "Life, hope, energy And ambition," like the truthful German folk-savins, "Money lost, nothing lost; courage lost, all lost." Now wo find them back In the ranks of our wealthy cltlxens with more capital and lets of ex perience. Some more who have lost heavily, but have much more left, hve learned to be careful at quite an cxpen rive price. The men of the latter two classes are the men who today represent the capital of Omaha. They are the old timers, the men "up the hill' and are the men who aro able If they want to, to make Omaha the great middle Ameri can city which It should bo. One word In passing, about Omaha. Sit uated, as It Is, In the middle of the west em world. It should now be, as It will surely be In the future, a great Ameri can city. It la located In the richest port of America and deals mostly In the most staple articles and commodities, which have so seasons and aro not dependent upon moods or styles. It Is the great grain and stock market, the food of the world. The very life of the nation Is dependent upon our product. Wo are the logical distributing center of the coun try, and will be, as soon as our wasted power and neglected rivers nre developed, the great manufacturing city of the future. Dreams of Fatnre. Tou call me a dreamer, but these Are possible dreams, hence not dreams but facts In course of realisation. 7 The eastern coast cities and the west coast cities have already developed and ore now over-developed. The great mass of Immigrants rushing to our shores aro crowding the coast cities. Prices have gone up there so that land ownership 1ms become a sign of great wealth. Every thing Is high. Building Is overdone. De velopment Is up to Its zenith. Now wo are ready to take on these pcoplo In their onward movement from the crowded east towards the promising" west and from the overdone western coast to the new middle west. They will meet at our gates and well our population, occupy our homes, build up our vacant lots, and bring more and Increased business to our door. But these men who have Omaha's wealth and can. help and should help to build the Omaha of the future, aro too conservative to try again at tho business at which thoy lost so heavly. What do we find to be tho case In Omaha's de velopment In the last ten to fifteen years T All the building and enterprise was con ducted by comparatively new men and practically poor men, who either had nothing to lose or those who wero not constantly hampered by the dreaded spectre of the past but encouraged by the promise of the future, Al' Newcomers. Look over tne list of the real active .Wilder of Omaha in the past ten years. Avith the exception of perhaps one or two of the old timers, they are all new young men, poor men If you please (I would rather say poor men when they started.) Now these men although blessed with the divine wealth of ambition and energy, yet could not undertake the great things of Omaha. They have converted our corn fields and neglected weed patches Into beautiful lawns and have built cottages, homes, flats and apartments, and wher ever you turn you see the greater Omaha Treading and building Its homes on all eldes. developing north, west and south. Five years ago some skeptics feared we were over-building Omaha, We contin ued in spite of their protest to build, and yet today, we need more homea. All this was done by the new men. What wero those with the wealth dolngT They bougth stocks and bonds. They loaned their money out. They sent a good bit of their money out of Omaha to try their luck In some other citle. and the result! Well, you all know what happened to the stock markets. Instead of great profits they were glad to get Interest on their Investment and In some cases glad to get their principal back. While they were looking elsewhere to Invest their wealth at 4 to S per cent, here was Omaha developed all around and begging for development In Its center, in Its very heart, which was neglected, because It is the most expensive property, the business property. Best of All Neglected. The most staple, but also the most ex pensive, was neglected, because out of the reach of the ambitious but poor operator and yet unappreciated by Its wealthy, but scared owner, and slowly yet surely It dawns upon the mind of every man wllh capital, asking for Investment, "why not turn homq " to the moat alaplo yet most remunerative of all properties, the ery heart of Omaha, where our stores. our shops, our office buildings, hotels and public buildings are situated I Tho Jrigger the city grows, the more Its ousl- ness. therefore the more desirable It; downtown property. At the present time there seems some question as to which la our moat desir able downtown property, especially with reference es to Its future development. I maintain that If Omaha grows, and It will grow as sure as the sun shlneo over It, Its business center will develop all over. Famam will enhance In value, of course, but so will Harney, Douglan, North Sixteenth. Bouth Sixteenth and cast of Sixteenth street. We will expand all around, not run up one street. When all the blood of the body rushes down one leg, the main body decays from poor circulation and the leg dies with It, al though bursting with an over abundance of blood. But when good health gives an abundance of red blood equally dls trlbuted, It produces a healthy state. Do not mistake the am for tne body, simply because the arm has grown to such proportion, the body Is eo much larger In proportion. , Ooneerratlves Interested. And now to sum up, I believe that the Umo has come when our conservative class are becoming Interested In Omaha s real estate, and they realise' that 't is now a great undeveloped field. Many great eastern holding companies are com ing Into Omaha to look for Investments. Men will commence to develop our dawn- brlrk, twenty-flve-year-old two-atory building will quickly give way to the modern, more artistic, large buslneM structures. I 'rices will go up bconuse the demand for such property wilt mnke It more staple, therefore more valuable In short It will be a battle of the. giants and I am glad to see some of my real rotate friends go Into It. It shows that they believe In what they offer for sale and are willing to stake their own In what they advise their clients to buy. TIMELY REALESTATE GOSSIP New Building Code to Be Examined by Realty Men. A COMMITTEE IS APPOINTED Jirvr Stnrrland Hotel Is to lUre Nice. Jlrtck limn for Tenants, Al though llalldlnnr Is In Heart of the City The new building code In Omaha Is now to be studied by the Real Estate ex change. At the last meeting of tho ex change the matter was brought up and occasioned considerable discussion. It was suggested that the real estate men In order to bo up to date must study the new code and bo In line with Its demands. A committer to study It and report upon It was selected with the following mem bers: C. C. Wilson, C. O. Carlbcrg, Byron Hastings, Kd Slater and Harry A. Wolff. Tho now codo required that twelve-Inch foundation wall be built Instead of nn eight-Inch, for all foundations of 600 feet or more. This, It Is said, would take In most of the houses In the city except those of bank foundations. Some of tho real estate men objected to this provision of the new code becauso they held that It would encourage bank foundations. The code also requires that there be an Inspection of the building by tho building Inspector after the lathing and before the plastering Is done. New I'nnillr lintel. The family hotel, which will probably be known as the Maryland hotel, at Eighteenth and Harney streets, which Is to be managed by Harold Hamilton, Is to be arranged with every convenience for a family hotel. Tho old Curtis property, which Is the property that Is to be remod eled for this hotel, Is to be so thoroughly overhauled that the old-timers will not recognized It ns tho old landmark. The spacious back yard Is to be smoothly sodded so as to form a kind of court for the tenants of the hotel. The Idea, Mr. Hamilton says, is to give tho families and the children who will occupy tho hotel the advantage of a lawn which they do not have In most flats and apart ments, while at tho same time they will have the additional advantage of living in a strictly down-town homo, where they are within walking distance of all of the main business portion of the or ty. Harry Wolf shortly after sccuringa ninety-nine-year lease on this block has subleased it to Harold Hamilton, who is planning to have It ready for occupancy by early fall. It Is glvon out that Wolf Is to spend some $68,000 on the remodel ing, rcdocoratlng nnd modernizing of tho placo for hotel purposes. Mr. Hamilton obtained a leoso for ten years with tho privilege of a five-year renewal. Plans for the remodeling work are bo- lng made by the architect, John McDon ald. The lease was taken In tho nun nf the Maryland Hotel company, which Is headed by Mr. Hamilton. Ktver-Mlnnte Boosters. Omaha real estate men are practicing before the mirror and before the phono graph to get In shape to deliver a five- minute booster talk for Omaha beforo the National Association of neal Esftto Echangss at Pittsburgh. There Is to bo a tryout in Omaha at the Real Estoto exchange to determine who Is best able to represent Omaha In this flvn-mlnute talk. Harry Wolf was delegated to mako the first talk in the tryout before the exchange when the date shall be set for that occasion. B. Benson. C. F. Harri son and C. O. Carlberg are among the others who are to try out. MAKING A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE How a Modern Brick Residence May Be Made Artistic. MORTAR JOINTS DOMINATE Final Color Rffect, Style, (lanllty and Textnre Depends Upon Cer tain Principles Which fthonld Oe Studied Before Bnlldlnir. Sacred Cantata at Hanscom Park M, E, Ohuroh Thursday The melodious sacred cantata, "itnni and Boax," by Eban A. Andrews, will be Riven next Thursday evenlnir at iin (Park Methodist Episcopal church nt 8 ocioctc The program of characters fol-lows: The Impersonations arei nuth, soprano, 2ft feJnl? Call'": Naomi, mezzo, Miss Ethel Yosf, Orpah. alto. Mrs. F, Foshle" U".V , "ur.108 nng; uveraeer, tenor, J. T. Holbrook. ,.,h.r. lolts are: Miss Meyer, altos iiso Ainrgnrei tsneney, soprano! Mr. Bav . . . --- ..ivilKIU UilliCl inn, tenor. This "Love Story of ths Bible" win given by the choir for the benefit of the cnurch. Miss Florence Peterson will be organist, while J. W. Jones Is manager ana te u. Kratz. director. NEW WHOLESALE JEWELRY FIRM LOCATES IN OMAHA The T. J. Bruner comDanr Is the nam of a new wholesale Jewelry firm whluh will open for business about July 1. The new firm Is capitalized at JMT.OOO and has secured extensive quarters on the eighth floor of the Branded bulldln. The fix. tures are being made by the Alfred Bloom company of this city and the four safes necessary for a business of this kind r being speelally constructed. Tho polioy of tho new firm will be strictly wholesale and positively no re tailing will be done. The officers of the new firm are T. J. Bruner. nrealdent nnd general manager; Curl Thomsen. vlce- presiaent Mr. Bruner waa formerly vlee president of the Smith Konnel eomnnnv and was for more than ten years asso ciated with the A. V. Smith Co. - The salesmen for the new firm will cover the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Sooth Dakota, Wyoming, Montana on J colj-rado. nr n. rj. .sundkiiland. A brick house may bo a thing of real beauty or It may be Just barely good looking, denendng upon two conditions; First, the selection of Face Brick, tak ing Into consideration "color, style, quality and texture," and second, the mortar Joint. If It Is remembered that the mortar Joint covers from one-fourth to one third of the entire superficial area of the wall, it Is not difficult to appreciate Its dominating Influence In the final color effect A red smooth 'brick, for example, laid up In a smooth red mortar Joint might be expected to present a plain, solid red wan wun an oi me appearance or a painted surface. While such a wall has Its proper place In architecture. It Is usually disappointing when adopted for residences and for other compara tively small structures. And this does not apply to red brick alone. The brick work described above may be compared with a solid red fabric suitable for the making of a garment Imagine the Inter-weaving of a new color to the extent of one-third of the entire surface. Suppose dark brown thread should be woven Into small squares until one-third of what was red before has become brown. Tho final re sult would be an entirely different ap pearing fabric Or suppose the new thread should be white. A, still more striking difference develops. It la Just so with the laying of face brick for the outside walls of a building. The selec tion of brick Is Important, but not as Important as tho question of mortar Joints. This Is tho more consequential because so large a percentage of the wall area Is Included In Jhe mortar Joint, ranging as It does from 3) per cent to 35 per cent. There Is now available such a large vnrlety of colors and kinds of face brick and so wide Is tho range of mortar colors, that the whole subject of "brick effects" resolves Itself Into a question of art. As the artist assembles his colors, and blends them upon the canvas until a wonderful picture results;- or as one who Is untrained might take those same colors and canvas and make a hideous failure; Just so there la oppor tunity and need for skilled specialists in tho working out of beautiful brick effects by using these artists' materials brick and mortar in such a way as to beautify tho structure of which' the brick walls are a part Mortar Joints have become the domi nating factor In the creation of "brick effects" and strangely enough this is practically a very recent development Different kinds and sizes of brick call for different kinds and sizes of mortar Joints. Not very many years ago it was the provulllng practice to use smooth, square edge dry press brick and lay them as closely together as possible, with hardly cnougn moriar in me joint to lorm a bonding or strengthening element Now wo find mortar Joints of thicknesses vary ing from one-fourth Inch to one and one- eighth Inches. We find mortar Joints of all shapes as well as thickness; for in stance, the surface of the mortar Joint may be troweled smoothly with or with out being Indented or depressed by the trowel point, or we may have have rhor-' tar Joints "beaded," which means shaped with a convex tool which leaves the mor tar projecting with a sort of a half circu lar surface. Some Joints are squarely ruked out to a depth of one-eighth Inch, some as much as three-quarters of an Inch and tho dopth has much to do with the looks, for the deeper the space the more trowel point, or we may have mor poslttve the shadow and the richer the color tone. Then thero Is the flush rough cut Joint, which Is often used with rough face brick, so as to give the mortar the same texture as the brick. But It Is the range of colors which are available for the staining of mortars that opens up tho greatest possibilities for beautifying brick work. Bed, brown, buff and black colors arc standard dnd Inex pensive. At somewhat greater -coat mor tar Joints of nearly every known color may be made, and this means that there Is no limit to the artlstto possibilities In brick effects any mora than there Is a limit to the possibilities of brush, colors and canvas. On the other hand, mortar Joints ore frequently the cause of disfiguration and apparent discoloration of brick walls, for one may prove by looking closely at many walls that what appears to be a change or ununlformlty In the color of the brick. Is in reality a difference or variation In the color of the mortar. It may be said, however, that disap pointing developments of this sort are quite avoidable and are therefore un necessary. The beat thought in modern brick resi dence architecture is now telng devoted to "brick effects:' rather than to the hap hazard selection of a certain kind of brick and then trusting to luck for a good looking wall. In this regard Omaha architects are In the lead and there haVe been erected here a large number of unusually artistic brick houses. In fact, brick houaea have be come the rule rather than the exception since It has become known that brick construction costs but little more than frame. Just this word of practical suggestion: Brick effects Involve equal consideration of mortar Joints and brick and a study of these will help each prospective builder) to accomplish the desired artlstto result SCHOOL PICNIC SATURDAY Members of the First Baptist Sunday school will hold their annual picnic next Saturday afternoon at Blmwood park, Special cars have been chartered nnd the picnickers will leave In a body from ?h church, Twenly-nlnth and Harney streets, at 1:94 o'clock. The most desirable furnished rooms are advertised In The Bee. Get a nice cool room for the summer- SUFFRAGISTS TO MEET WITH IMPROVEMENT CLUB An open meeting on woman suffrage will be held In the Bancroft school. Eighth and Bancroft street, along with the meeting of the Southeast Improve, inent club Tuesday night The discussion will be based upon the proposed adoption of an equal suffrage amendment to the Nebraska constitution by the voters at the November election. Mrs, M. B. Munson, suffragist from Pittsburg, Kan., wilt speak on suffrage then Invite questions. A lively discus ston Is anticipated. Kidney and I,lrer Troubles quickly relieved by Blectrlo Bitters. Best remedy for Indigestion, dyspepsia, heart burn and most kidney troubles. Kc snd 1L AU druggists. Advertisement Thrifty people find big advantages in suburban property The advantages of owning a home and two or three lots in any one of the beautiful sub urbs of Omaha are many. In the first place, you get clean country living combined with all modern conveniences, You can culfivate your own garden, rais ing vegetables for your table you can keep chickens with very little trouble, and, all in all, the cost of living can be materially re duced, In the second place, the fresh er air and absence of unhealthy odors are good things to take into considera tion if you have growing children. You can provide places for them to play much more easily, can keep them outdoors a good part of the time without fear of traffic or association with street children of less careful parents. Again, it is possible to purchase an extra lot or two for' the same money or for less than you would have to pay down town With the steady expansion outward of Omaha, suburban prop erty purchased now will yield a handsome profit within a very few years Another phase of this question is the fact that any sort of a house depreciates in value from year to year and in other cities the increase in value of the ground is frequently more than eaten up by necessary repairs or new buildings. This situation, however, is not true in Omaha, and the increase in value of two or three sub urban lots in ten years will unquestionably not only take care of any depreciation in your building, but re main a most profitable investment. Thrifty people who are seeking safe and profitable invest ments for their funds should find out more about suburban prop erty, These newly established centers outside the city's heart have a very promising future. They have been platted and beautified and sold to home builders of Omaha on terms within the reach of everyone, Investigate some of the offerings in the real estate columns of The Bee today. Buy a piece of suburban property for a home or for an investment and have a nest egg that will grow with the city year by year. THE OMAHA BEE Everybody Reads Bee Want Ads Y 0