Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Third avenue railroad“

This paper analyzes the development of Pitrufquén (located in the Araucanía Region, Chile, and founded in 1897) from a historical, territorial, urban, and architectural point of view. It is proposed that the city’s development is framed in a new moment, where the Chilean State abandons military criteria and assumes economic-territorial factors where the railroad’s presence is a determining factor. The choice of the site, its particular layout, and the development of its architecture are evidence of this change. From the historical point of view, it is analyzed how, in Pitrufquén, the Mapuche society had cattle raising as the main economic activity, as it had pastures to feed the cattle, the land was suitable for crops, and there was a vital ford to cross the Toltén River. This strategic location was maintained and accentuated by the city’s founding and the railroad’s arrival in 1898, turning the town into a railhead for progress towards the south of the country. In the case of the urban layout, its peculiarity was addressed since, together with Lonquimay, these are the only sections in the La Araucanía region organized based on an ellipse, which, in the case of Pitrufquén, also coexists with a checkerboard layout. The study analyzed its squares, diagonal avenues, and the perimeter ring road. At an architectural level, the article explores the three layers or aspects of the city: The first one studies the wooden architecture with works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the second refers to public architecture, represented by buildings such as the municipality, public services, the post office, and others; and a third layer addresses the modern architecture, such as housing and stores from the period between 1940 and 1960.

In 1900, a syndicate of investors used open market purchases and manipulative trading strategies to exploit an ongoing financial crisis at the Third Avenue Railroad Company and stealthily gain control of the company. The acquisition occurred during the first great merger wave in U.S. history and represented the street railway industry’s response to a new technology, namely electrification. The lax regulatory environment of the period allowed operators and insiders to profit handsomely and may have benefited consumers, but possibly harmed some minority shareholders. Our case study illuminates an unusual acquisition, when capital markets were less transparent.