Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 265, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1911 — “BUYS” A BIG HOTEL [ARTICLE]

“BUYS” A BIG HOTEL

Man Pays Out $48,680 for Chicago Auditorium. George J. .Lawton, Tax Sale Bidder, Plans Test Case to Get Possession—Value of Hostelry Is Placed at $4,000,000. Chicago.—Who owns the Auditorium hotel? George J. Lawton. Who owns the Auditorium theater? George J. Lawton. Who. owns the Auditorium office building? George J. Lawton. Who is George J. Lawton? Mr. Lawton, briefly, la a gentleman who stays awake when other persons go to sleep. Owing to his careful cultivation for many years of this faculty, Mr. Lawton at a sheriff’s'sale the other day bought in the Auditorium hotel, office building and theater,, valued at about $4,000,00(1, i° r $48,680. This was $2,680 more than the tidy little taxes of $46,000, which the owners of the property had forgotten to pay. Under the usual translation of the Illinois law they can get back the property by paying Mr. Lawton a bonus of $2,500, but Mr. Lawton says quite frankly and emphatically that he is not anxious for the bonus. He would rather haye the building. “I am going to make a test case and see if I can get possession of this property," said Mr. Lawton. "I can get, a deed, and as soon as I get that I’UV going to try to get a title. If I can get that, I will begin .legal proceedings to oust the present owners. It will take two years to fight it out, but I think it’s worth trying." The figures of/ assessors figure the value of the property as follows: Value of land. *• $2,254,295 Value of improvements 1,690,000 * 1 ' ’ ' ' ' Total value $3,854,295 Whsn the owners of the property

failed to pay the taxes on May 1 the penalty of one per .cent, a month was added to the amount. Six weeks elapsed and County Treasurer O’Connell advertised the property .for sale. About the middle of July he obtained a judgment in the county court against owners of the property because thqy still neglected to pay the taxes and the penalty. The other morning the property was placed on sale at public auction. Thomas Gaham, one of Mr. O’Connell’s assistants, received the bids. Mr. Lawton, who is a professional “bidder-ln,” made the highest offer. He handed over a check for $48,680, and came into the possession of a frontage of 186 feet on Michigan avenue, 360 on Congress street and 160 on Wabash avenue. The original owners of the land, Mr. Lawton says, were the Studebakers of South Bend, Ind.; Ambrose Cramer of Lake Forest and the Peck estate of Chicago. A ninety-nine year lease was secured by the company which built the hotel, theater and office building. Failure of the owners of the building to pay the taxes, Mr. Lawton'says, means that they forfeit their lease and therefore he has obtained possession of all the property by paying the taxes.