A Landlord's Change of Heart
After opposing street improvements, a major commercial building owner in Kennewick now says he is ready to pay the assessment to see the city prosper.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
L. W. Brown, of Pomeroy, owner of the Commercial Hotel building, the Kennewick Auto Garage building, and several other business buildings in the city, has been looking after his interests here for several days. Mr. Brown, who has always been a firm believer in the future of Kennewick, is more optimistic and enthusiastic over the prospects of the town and surrounding country than ever before. 'Conditions look so good to me here that I am seriously considering some new investments in Kennewick property,' said Mr. Brown yesterday after he had returned from a trip down the valley as far as Finley. Although Mr. Brown was opposed to the improvement of Second street when it was first proposed, he is so favorably impressed with the appearance of the street that he stated that he is ready and willing to stand the assessment against any of his property if the improvement is extended to other parts of the city.
“Although Mr. Brown was opposed to the improvement of Second street when it was first proposed, he is so favorably impressed with the appearance of the street that he stated that he is ready and willing to stand the assessment.”
Historical records of business leaders changing their stance on municipal improvements reveal how tax-funded growth was sold to property owners. It provides a unique lens into the 'booster' mentality that defined Kennewick's early growth.
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