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“$1,000 A FRONT FOOT” IS SLOGAN ON THIS BOULEVARD — -l- _. ;______ The West Atlantic City News "ms" .___BENJ. R. FOX. PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF WEST ATLANTIC CITY _ Vol. I. No. 3. THE WEST ATLANTICCITYNEWS, WEST ATI ANTI (('ITY7N\J.r KEBKU ARY~ 1~1 927 ~ PRICE THREE CENTS READ ARTICLE ON VALUES BY BENJ. R. FOX. READ ARTICLE ON VALUES BY BENJ. R. FOX. Boardwalk Only Competitor in World’s Showwindow Edward L. Bader By BENJAMIN R. FOX With much regret we learn of the death of Edward L. Bader, of Atlantic City. Mayor Bader was a man of sterling qualities who rose from a poojlf boy to reach the exalted position of a chief executive and prove himself capablo of taking care of that position after attaining it. Although he made many friends and was honored and admired by all the citizens of Atlantic City, particularly the lovers of clean outdoor sports, of which he was a * great admirer and patron, I feel that I know him better than most of these; for as boys together in Philadelphia before either of us had any idea of coming to Atlantia City to make our homes and fortunes, We were members of the good old South End Wheelmen’s Club, the lead ing bicycle club of that time in South Philadelphia. We both played on the South End football team, con sidered at that time one of the hardest teams outside of the college teams to beat. It was here that he got his early training in sports and began to take a very active interest in sports to the ,end. His place will be a very hard one to HU. WANTS STATION ON MEADOWS John R. Siracusa, Realty gt, Board President, Pre-.. ents His Views A plan proposing the establish ment of the new Reading station on the meadows was outlined by John R. Siracusa, president of the Atlantic City Real Estate board, at the annual "installation and ladies night” of the board. President Siracusa contended that the erection of the terminal at that point would increase rata ble.s greatly; would provide for the beautification and growth of Atlan tic City, would relieve the taxpay ers, and would be in line with the railroad terminal policies of most of the larger cities of the east. Meadows Best Site. That the Reading railroad build their proposed $4,000,000 station on the meadows north of the Thor oughfare to make room for Atlan tic City's growth northward, which can bo expected during the next 15 ; or 20 years, is the opinion of John j W. Miseuer, managor of the Crane ] Company’s Boardwalk exhibit. Mr. Misener points out Chicago now regrets being too generous with tile Milwaukee railroad when it permitted them to block watcr (Contlnucd on Page 3-A) Two Great Improvements The New West Atlantic City Albany Avenue Boulevard Bridge Is One TACONY-PALMYRA BRIDGE IS THE OTHER Motorists are watching with keen concern the progress of two im provements that will affect their comfort. One, near at hand, is the new West Atlantic City-Albany ave nue bridge, and the other looms at no far distant day, when the Leg islatures of this State and Penn sylvania discuss the construction of a bridge to supplement the Camden structure. Its location is suggested at Palmyra and Tacony. When summer motorists shed their overcoats and wraps, a mod ern structure will probably greet them at this city’s entrance. Work has begun to transform the old bottle-necked bridge into an up-to date span that will be both an or nament and a genuine utility. The proposed bridge at Palmyra, connecting as. it would with the Lincoln Highway ' in Philadelphia, would avoid much of the congestion MAYOR EDWARD L. BADER The funeral of Mayor Edward L. Bader will be held tomorrow morn ing. Solemn high mass will be of fered in St. Nicholas Roman Cath olic Church by Bishop Thomas Walsh, of tlie Diocese of Trenton. After the rites at the church the £ rtege, escorted by police, will proceed to Philadelphia, where burial will be in Holy Cross Cem etery. Week’s Sales ! Total $85,000 Big Business Rolls In For the Right Kind of Property DEVELOPMENT OF ^ THE HIGHEST CLASS Thel’liiladelplua office of Benja min H. Fox reports big business for the past week. The salesmen con nected with the Philadelphia office have closed contracts to the extent of $85,000. "This proves,” says Samuel H. Lindsay, director of sales, "that there is business to be gotten when the right kind of property is offered. ! "Home sites in the Fox deveop ments of West Atlantic City ar>. be ing offered and are BtMfj pur chased by the higher class of people, as this is undoubtedly the highest class development iu Atlantic county, where values are. certain to increase as past'records show. “The man and office behind this development have been the main cog in the wheel of progress in the upbuilding of Atlantic City. Mr. Fox has for 20 years built homes WEST ATLANTIC C1TY?ALBANY AVENUE BOULEVARD, FOX MANOR . ~ : - -‘A TW % * This Boulevard leads'from the narrotflfehore Road into the Best Section of Atlantic City. The Stude baker Agency liaai a very handsonWnew building facing it. Many new homes have just been com pleted—thirty-two new bungalows wgd ten stores and apartments are to be built in this section this Spring. and apartments of the better class aud is recognized" as a builder second to none in this community.” Director of Sales Lindsay de clares that he is very proud to be associated with this growing con cern and has this week added six new men to the sales force of whom big things are expected. “With the type of salesmen now connected with the Fox organi (Continued on Page 3-A) A HOME CREATED AT WEST ATLANTIC CITY A Permanent AH-the-year-round Residence showing spacious home Hite, street, curb, sidewalks, shrubbery and parkway effects of the Fox-Built. BOULEVARD BRIDGE OPEN Steps Taken to Fully Pro tect Motorists—The Approaches Acting Mayor Iluffu lias taken steps to fully protect motorists at the Atlantic City encl of the West Atlantic Clty-Albany Avenue Boule vard during the course of construc tion of the pontoon bridge at Ra leigh avenue, which is to relieve traflic. The West Atlantic City Albany Avenue Boulevard is to be kept open. Bids lor constructing Atlantic City approaches to the bridge are receiving consideration at the hands of the City Commis sioners. The low bidders were S. W. Seweirs Co., of New York, in the amount of $183,394. While Atlantic City is building the ap proaches to the bridge, the county is building the bride. ■ — -■ <§•'-$>-—■ - —“$1,000 a Front Foot on the Boulevard,”—read article on the personal touch in values by Ben jamin R. Fox. that prevails in the heart of that city and shorten the trip from the river to the shore. With the Hud son river tunnel to be completed in time for summer travel, there will be a greater demand for the ferry than last year, when 400,000 cars used it in preference to the | bridge at Camden. That there will be prosperity for both structures I is conceded by all travelers here. i West Atlantic City Dream Homes Are Ably Planned! Artistic Grouping of Unit Plans in Individual Homes and Visualization of the Whole Community— Cooperation of Architect There are many elements that enter into a satisfactory home pur chase—the place for you and your family to live for the rest of your days. First, there is the location to he considered, and to this end one’s neighbors must be the first con sideration. A home location should be in keeping with one’s station in life, viz.; the neighbors should be of the class of people on a par with you, Socially and financially. Transportation is also an im portant item. Street improvements, sewers and water aid other factors, i There are many suitable pieces ! or property in the right location ; in West Atlantic City, and, assum ing that you have decided upon this, the next question may be one of whether to take a house already built or to have one built.. It is fully recognized today that any house which costs $10,000 or over is a house of sufficient im portance to engage the attention of an architect, one who has the fundemental training of years spent in college. The architect for Fox Built homes has not only spent years in college, but he has also devoted years to office work, to the artistic grouping of unit plans and to the visualization of the whole community from its first concept ion as a tiny sketch of the individ ual home. If you want the architect of the Fox Built homes to develop some thing special for you, you can fill his ears full of the many little things you wish your house to have. He will endeavor to grasp your ideas and will graphically pre sent to you by means of sketches his conception of what your house ought to look like. He will examine your site and tell you just wrhere the house should be placed, locate the garage, drive and other acces sories. With the cooperation of the architect, the home owner gets not only quality and enduring con struction, but an arrangement of roofhs and appointments which make a home a home. When finished the home will be the home of one’s dreams. There is a very important sf>irit to house building. The spirit of the house that is to be a home, is that of woman. In this domain of hers, there must be order, comforts and conveniences. The planning and design must carry out every pos (Continued on Page 3-A) [est Atlantic City Is Not A “Future Promise” Splendid Accomplishments Greet the Visitor and Innumerable jfe. Appealing Features Create Home Owning Desire Investment Profits vt Luther O. Thomas, one of the first salesmen to become associated with F. J. Pedrick & Son, has I joined the Benjamin R. Fox organi-, zation. , “I am happy to be connected with I the Fox organization,” declared j Mr. Thomas. “I hesitated for some- | time before making the change,” ] said Mr. Thomas, “as I make it my | businfep to offer the best at all , timesr.'I thoroughly investigated | the^^jfet Atlantic City develop ment, among others, and I finally West Atlantic City pro “West Atlantic City is not a ‘future promise/ Her© we are in a position to speak the past. The past showing and success of the Fox development, followed by Fox Manor and now by the new West Atlantic City Development is an assurance that investors will profit. “I sold a large amount of real estate in my previous connection. This was mostly in lots. This, how ever, is a builder’s development. The major idea here is to build homes for people who want fine homes. Homes already built show the class and type to be depended upon. Therefore, the development of West Atlantic City cannot be anything but successful. “I am sold to West Atlantic City as a horn© community. I hope to complete arrangements now under way to dispose of my present home and remove to West Atlantic City. I find this is the experience of all | who visit the Fox developments ! and consider what has been done, I also the work under way and further projected. j “There are innumerable appeal | ing points or special features which | impress others the same as they | have impressed me. Each home has its spacious grounds. Each home is a splendid type of structure. The location is ideal. The West Atlan tic City-Albany Avenue Boulevard j has highly valuable frontage be ! cause of its magnificence and im i portance. The drive along beautiful Bakes Bay, which is the idea of : Mr. Fox, reveals the prettiest bit ; of water front in whole South Jersey. The property is rightly I situated from every point of view. | “For the future, innumerable new homes, apartment houses and stores are assured. The plans for these are completed and they will , soon be under way. “1 had three years' selling ex perience in the Atlantic City Metropolitan District and have met all classes of buyers# including those who buy lots for quick turn over and immediate profit, those who | re satisfied to take a little longer for tneir investments to re turn a certain profit, and those who are seeking homes in restricted and happy surroundings. “I do not sell with the idea that people will make a fortune over night. I confidently believe that anyone who buys in West A^laptic on original investment in two years.' “Some tell me they think the price of home sites in West Atlantic City is high. But we all know that prices bring qu&lit'\ You cannot get something for nothing. It you pay the price you get a good article anywhere and this is especially true of the de velopments with which Benjamin K. Fox has been so successful.” PLEASANT WEATHER ATTRACTS VISITORS Delegates to Six National Con ventions Crowd Resort During Week. With the fair weather bringing an ever-increasing influx to Atlan tic City, remarkable for the winter season, hoterproprietors are now preparing for a still greater rush over the Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthday periods. Last week has been marked by the annual conventions of six national organizations,’ headed by the National Canner’s Association and by a number of smaller gather ings as well. ATLANTIC CITY NEEDS HOMES With increasing population there is increasing demand for homes. The Atlantic City metropolitan area is steadily growing in numbers of people and business houses. It follows that building is .1 long way from the saturation point. Par ticularly is there need of continued construction of homes. Homes are evidences of thrift and progress. In West Atlantic City orders have been placed for fifty new homes. —“$1,000 a Front Foot on the Boulevard,”—read article on tht personal touch in values by Ben jumin R. Fox. ! FILLING IN AND GRADING A HOME SITE IN WEST ATLANTIC CITY Benjamin R. Fox, Developer of West Atlantic City, Qualifies as an Expert on Values by Citing Price Leaps on Previous Transac tions—'He Calls Attention to the Great Values at Which Frontage on Either End of West Atlantic City-Albany Avenue Boulevard Is Based and Declares That There Is Nothing Like It to Bring the Same Return on an Investment—Frontage Now at Only $300 on an 86-Foot Boulevard, With Prices Ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per Foot at Pleasantville and Atlantic City Ends.—Two or Three Times This at Board walk End. By BENJAMIN R. FOX, Developer West Atlantic City. To justify the statement of “$1,000 a Front Foot on the West At lantic City-Albany Avenue Boulevard,” I will preface this article by a few instances in my experience of making values in building up com munities for the past twenty years in Atlantic City. I will first mention a lot on Madison avenue, below New Hamp shire Avenue, for which I paid $3,800. This was top notch price up to that time in that neighborhood. The transaction was apparently a nine day wonder. A number of property owners called 011 me and intimated that I must be a magician to be able to buy ground at such seemingly high prices and expect to make money on it. But they said they were glad I had started in their neighborhood, as it had brought the value of their ground up to a price on a par with what I had paid for my pur chase. Today this lot 'with a building on it, a building that cost at the time less than $6,000, could not be bought for $30,000. The old car barn site on New Hampshire Avenue I bought from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $18,000. The value today with improvements is $300,000. A block on Maine Avenue was bought through the firm of the late Jules Mastbaum, of Philadelphia for $90,000. 1 broke it up into three sections; sold one for $25,000; a street front for $100,000, and the Boardwalk side for $215,000. Last April the City of Atlantic City paid $435,000 for the Boardwalk side alone. block between Providence and Hartford Avenues, nue and the beach, I botight from estate of the late Boice Penrose, of Philadelphia, for $400,000. In 21 days it was sold for $450,000. The man who made the pui» chase had it sold before he made settlement, for $600,000. Today this property is worth close to $2,000,000. It has a mortgage on it for $1,500,000. Now, we are getting near the Albany Boulevard. The lot on which the new Masonic temple is being built I bought six years ago for $100 a front foot. Today it is worth $2,000 a front foot, multiplying itself twenty times in less than six years. I could continue to mention such instances until It becomes mo notonous. The idea I have in mentioning them is to show the personal touch in making values. It is not a guess any more than the tailor guesses in making you a suit of clothes to fit you; or, any more than , the builder guesses when he builds a house. Values are made by a combination of influencing conditions. • West Atlantic City-Albany Avenue Boulevard.. Now, let us analyze the conditions pertaining to the West Atlantic City-Albany Avenue Boulevard. It is the main artery into the city of Atlantic City. It enters the city at the best section of the World’s Playground. Why? The city officials have built their new $1,600,000 High School right on the Boulevard. The new $4,500,000 President Hotel is right at the end. The new $500,000 Masonic Temple is there. So also is the New Cosmopolitan Club. The $3,500,000 Atlantic City Stadium, which is destined to be one of the principal features of Atlantic City is on the Boulevard. Unless the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads select a site convenient to this new center of Atlantic City, they will have made an irreparable mistake. Commissioner Rtiffu in a newspaper article a few days ago stated j that he intended to introduce a bill in the New Jersey Legislature to ■ annex all the section through which the Albany Avenue Boulevard j extends into West Atlantic City and through to the Pleasantville City ; line. Director Ruffu says Atlantic City is growing rapidly and this , is the only direction toward which it can expand, j Now, we have the idea of the importance of the. Atlantic City end | of the Boulevard pretty well fixed. The importance of this end of the Boulevard fixes pres ent day values at from $2,000 to $3,000 per front foot. Real estate experts multiply these figures per front foot two or three times as the Boulevard approaches the Boardwalk. Let us consider the other end of the Boulevard, where it enters the business section of Pleasantville City. A peculiar condition exists here. The stores are just around the corner, as you turn from the Boulevard into the Shore Hoad. The Shore Road is a very narrow thoroughfare. If there are cars parked on the east side of the street, very little room is left on the other side to get through. The Pleasant ville city officials have made an effort to prohibit parking on the Shore Road, or Main street, but merchants protested. They declared it drove their business elsewhere. So the order was rescinded. Now, the business section of the City of Pleasantville is moving. At the present time new stores and apartments are being built on the Shore Road south of the Boulevard. The price per front foot on that narrow thoroughfare, the Shore Road, is three times the price per front of lots on the Boulevard, just around the corner. The Boulevard is 86 feet wide. It will need only a dozen modern, good sized stores, well illumi nated at night to turn this business section of the City of Pleasantville down the Boulevard toward West Atlantic City and Atlantic City. The Ford agency already has a very pretentious showroom and service station on the corner. The Studebaker agency has just completed a very handsome build ing on the Boulevard at Toulon avenue. It is one of the finest auto mobile show rooms in South Jersey. New Bungalows, Stores and Apartments. There are plans out at the present time for ten stores and apart (Continued on Page 3-A)