House For Rent - Nine Dollars (From the December 24, 1948 P. G. Tribune) hile clearing out the basement of his Eighth street home recently Jim Southwell, circulation manager of the TRIBUNE ran across some interesting old letters. The letters were written in 1905 by the late W.B. Filcher, real es- tate and insurance agent of Pacific Grove. Addressed to a Mr. Thomas Leak of Dunsmuir, the letters dealt with certain real property owned by Leak and handled by Filcher. This work is worthy of emulation. There is being aroused a spirit of home and town pride that has not heretofore been evident among the majority of the citizens of Pacific Grove. It cannot be carried too far. The more beaute- ous our homes and their setting, the longer will those who visit remain. Let us not mar the natural beauty by over-cultivation, but cleanliness, neatness and order must be considered in the making up of a city beautiful. 1 - 1 /1 -21 -. 1 --+1 - , III =-1 ..ti' = -= '. '. i j -C- m. 9 -/ t. 4 4 -- • -1----3--a- The contrast in the rentals of that day and the present, judging by the infor- marion contained in the letters is fantastic. Mr. Leak wrote Mr. Filcher com- Ur.: 3111== -913-- 1 .- 411-9 . RA plaining that his two bedroom partially furnished house was only bringing 2 "1- 7/ . - *f# '-326¥U' 4. 1 2 3 6. 4 39.00 a month rental. Pitcher replied in effect that with the exception of one month during the summer, there were "lots of places" to rent, and that he, M. i. lineal *, U. 4464$* 65/·.9 Filcher, felt the highest rent Leak could expect was $9.00. "I have one 42 '+31¢ 1--- 1 I I In >**I j. p.i i , .11! 41- 2.· I 1.--0 :I#1 4 house," wrote Filcher "not very thoroughly furnished on the opposite side '*94-.1-*WL---=--=2-C-2-* '7 U --. -1 ..rup.11'11 1 -'- 1 of the street from you... the rent is $ 10 a month and it is idle far more than :,2g 1- 15*MT*9<7*315.#*t ,7 6-- L.r .. -14--2:,,:4.# /2 - yours. It rented for $25.00 one month during the summer, but it has been -0'•VT 3 4615 -.3; 0 f·I'6 2-irl,- 1 idle ever since. I think when you look the matter over carefully you will see _f-,i"Ii, t 1 C : t . Fic= I=. · . 1 ' tf, L .1 r ri 11 +ir + ..i ! 479 that it costs money to make money. : 1 1.. r , 1, 11. 1 1, 11.1 "Ifyou spend $ 100 to $200 to furnish the house properly, you will attract a better type of renter, the type that will not move too often, break up your furniture and steal the linen." Filcher went on to say that a retaining wall had been put up in front of the lot, the costs of the steps and wall amount- ing to $8.50, a sum that today might cover the cost of one step. 11,11-11y 4 Ule 49% 444 f. 1111 -1 42 1 -1 42:_ W.'4731% , ti"ll .7 ,;N-1 %--'I# Wil·4 +14 litilf -i-2 -Et«4 1 ' 18,'EBary/% 1 T. £* :-i· . t •r.'i ir t I_ I-Ef:(·lilifil Mr. Filcher, who was in the real estate business in Pacific Grove more than 20 years, moved to this community from Marysville in 1903. With him came his wife, who took over the insurance agency following her husband's death in January of 1921. Incidentally, Mrs. Filcher is still engaged in that business at her current home at 221 17th street. According to Mrs. Filcher, in those days her husband built a six room house for 63,000. "The rooms were all large ones" says Mrs. Filcher "and the material used, redwood of the finest quality. In addition, the greatest care was taken to insure solid, excellent construction." Imagine building such a home today for $3,000, but Mrs. Fil- cher assures us that the price was considered quiet "high" at the time! Filcher's Cement Sidewalk (from Feb. 11, 1907 7Yde) I i " 1 -11 , 1 t, i. 4. , 5- -, 1 , if : 1 - i€ t t 64 Lit:o M & 111 1. ...,+23,i 1. , -,ii,2 s T ,,_i_trAK+!40# 1 T I:. Il. L * :Vi f E¢3---*1 - '1 f =II£-a,5 7 : ..... . 1/*t tied . i t..-== .39/ + f-i -i It- ·1-Iit r314# f rt/'i/'11* I -Ill 11 1111111 * E 1.222 -€ 4- * - - - t 9 14%"11.1.W, 1-41 J -A i - + 4.- ¢1% at#.1'»Pm, r 1.1 +11...n ylt. tl .- 7 , £313.- I t·i,J Ptor**t i i /*fkl W.B. Filcher has started a move in the right direction by laying a fine con- crete sidewalk in front of his home property on 16th street near Pine. Mr. 9,4 . d. 4 Filcher is also having the sidewalks on Forest avenue fronting the cottages 5'Ih..;4Il he recently purchased from Mrs. Newton repaired, and will soon begin put- , ting in a concrete walk on Twelfth street where another of his cottages is 10- cated. T4. Ntt E 53 f ' . .1 1 .. 1 1 ...continued next page -9 $ 4 , OCR Text: House For Rent - Nine Dollars (From the December 24, 1948 P. G. Tribune) hile clearing out the basement of his Eighth street home recently Jim Southwell, circulation manager of the TRIBUNE ran across some interesting old letters. The letters were written in 1905 by the late W.B. Filcher, real es- tate and insurance agent of Pacific Grove. Addressed to a Mr. Thomas Leak of Dunsmuir, the letters dealt with certain real property owned by Leak and handled by Filcher. This work is worthy of emulation. There is being aroused a spirit of home and town pride that has not heretofore been evident among the majority of the citizens of Pacific Grove. It cannot be carried too far. The more beaute- ous our homes and their setting, the longer will those who visit remain. Let us not mar the natural beauty by over-cultivation, but cleanliness, neatness and order must be considered in the making up of a city beautiful. 1 - 1 /1 -21 -. 1 -- 1 - , III =-1 ..ti' = -= '. '. i j -C- m. 9 -/ t. 4 4 -- • -1----3--a- The contrast in the rentals of that day and the present, judging by the infor- marion contained in the letters is fantastic. Mr. Leak wrote Mr. Filcher com- Ur.: 3111== -913-- 1 .- 411-9 . RA plaining that his two bedroom partially furnished house was only bringing 2 "1- 7/ . - *f# '-326¥U' 4. 1 2 3 6. 4 39.00 a month rental. Pitcher replied in effect that with the exception of one month during the summer, there were "lots of places" to rent, and that he, M. i. lineal *, U. 4464$* 65/·.9 Filcher, felt the highest rent Leak could expect was $9.00. "I have one 42 ' 31¢ 1--- 1 I I In >**I j. p.i i , .11! 41- 2.· I 1.--0 :I#1 4 house," wrote Filcher "not very thoroughly furnished on the opposite side '*94-.1-*WL---=--=2-C-2-* '7 U --. -1 ..rup.11'11 1 -'- 1 of the street from you... the rent is $ 10 a month and it is idle far more than :,2g 1- 15*MT*9<7*315.#*t ,7 6-- L.r .. -14--2:,,:4.# /2 - yours. It rented for $25.00 one month during the summer, but it has been -0'•VT 3 4615 -.3; 0 f·I'6 2-irl,- 1 idle ever since. I think when you look the matter over carefully you will see _f-,i"Ii, t 1 C : t . Fic= I=. · . 1 ' tf, L .1 r ri 11 ir ..i ! 479 that it costs money to make money. : 1 1.. r , 1, 11. 1 1, 11.1 "Ifyou spend $ 100 to $200 to furnish the house properly, you will attract a better type of renter, the type that will not move too often, break up your furniture and steal the linen." Filcher went on to say that a retaining wall had been put up in front of the lot, the costs of the steps and wall amount- ing to $8.50, a sum that today might cover the cost of one step. 11,11-11y 4 Ule 49% 444 f. 1111 -1 42 1 -1 42:_ W.'4731% , ti"ll .7 ,;N-1 %--'I# Wil·4 14 litilf -i-2 -Et«4 1 ' 18,'EBary/% 1 T. £* :-i· . t •r.'i ir t I_ I-Ef:(·lilifil Mr. Filcher, who was in the real estate business in Pacific Grove more than 20 years, moved to this community from Marysville in 1903. With him came his wife, who took over the insurance agency following her husband's death in January of 1921. Incidentally, Mrs. Filcher is still engaged in that business at her current home at 221 17th street. According to Mrs. Filcher, in those days her husband built a six room house for 63,000. "The rooms were all large ones" says Mrs. Filcher "and the material used, redwood of the finest quality. In addition, the greatest care was taken to insure solid, excellent construction." Imagine building such a home today for $3,000, but Mrs. Fil- cher assures us that the price was considered quiet "high" at the time! Filcher's Cement Sidewalk (from Feb. 11, 1907 7Yde) I i " 1 -11 , 1 t, i. 4. , 5- -, 1 , if : 1 - i€ t t 64 Lit:o M & 111 1. ..., 23,i 1. , -,ii,2 s T ,,_i_trAK !40# 1 T I:. Il. L * :Vi f E¢3---*1 - '1 f =II£-a,5 7 : ..... . 1/*t tied . i t..-== .39/ f-i -i It- ·1-Iit r314# f rt/'i/'11* I -Ill 11 1111111 * E 1.222 -€ 4- * - - - t 9 14%"11.1.W, 1-41 J -A i - 4.- ¢1% at#.1'»Pm, r 1.1 11...n ylt. tl .- 7 , £313.- I t·i,J Ptor**t i i /*fkl W.B. Filcher has started a move in the right direction by laying a fine con- crete sidewalk in front of his home property on 16th street near Pine. Mr. 9,4 . d. 4 Filcher is also having the sidewalks on Forest avenue fronting the cottages 5'Ih..;4Il he recently purchased from Mrs. Newton repaired, and will soon begin put- , ting in a concrete walk on Twelfth street where another of his cottages is 10- cated. T4. Ntt E 53 f ' . .1 1 .. 1 1 ...continued next page -9 $ 4 , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,E through F File names,Filcher,FILCHER_008.pdf,FILCHER_008.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: FILCHER_008.PDF, FILCHER_008.pdf 1 Page 1