National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-09-13

BY the willards the hotel was the property OF
John Tayloe, father OF Ogle Tayloe, ana was
rented to various proprictors and run Us 'he
"MANtIoy HoUsE."
As such II was kept BY John strothcr, q
yirginian, to the date Of the burning OF the
General Post Office Department, under the
Administration of General jackson, when u
was taken for the purposes Of the Post once
Department, and continued so until the pres
eat Post Office Department was built, when
II was again rented for hotel purposes-.to
Azariah Fuller & Son-who opened II under
its old title Of the Mansion House, and kept
Il thus for q series of years, when the rental
was transferred to Mr.. Barnard, who con-
tinued to keep II until the purchase OF the
property by the Willards, who extended II 70
rchtted the original portion OF the building, |
and made II, at that time, one OF the largest |
hotels In the country. Recently, however, tho |
DAYS Of hotel buildings have changed, and TO
and modern structure one must 20 outside
Of Washington, and view, for instance, the
magnificent structures Of the Baltimore aud
Ohio Railroad Company at Deer Park, - the
Queen City at Cumberland.
Turning westward along Pennsylvania
avenue we approach
FIFTEENTH STREET,
termed by many, In its first two squares
north Of this point, the Wall street OF Wash
lngton, because OF the monetary character
Of the business operations of this section,
which Is occupied by tho Treasury Depart
ment on the west side, and by banks, broker
ages and stock exchanges on the east side.
On the corner Of + and Fifteenth streets Is
the Paymaster Generals office-a modern
building, Of plain style, hut substantial pro-
who secured the ground from Mr.. Blodgctt
of Philadelphia, and built the cdihcc FOR
rental to the United States for Office uses.
Opposite this is the building formerly aud
for many years occupied by the
i'oLp METROPOLITAN BANK"
which has made the site historic by lts early
prominence as United States depository and
la large creditor OF tho Government, with
funds loaned 1t with which to prosecute the
Mexican war. The old building was rcmod..
eled and modcrnlzed after the change OF
grade Of this street by the Board Of Public
Works, and now contains number Of fne
Offices and stores on Its ground floor.
The remainder Of the square to q street II
| occupied BY the banking-houses OF the Ma
tional Metropolitan and Jay Cooke 4 Co.
together with the hotel building Of Plant 4
| Riggs, now leased by the United States, ant
! occupied by the Quartermastcr Generais oil
7 fee. :,
1 On the north corner OF q street Mr.. b.
9 Morsell recently built neat three-story ant
basement house, which Ia occupied by the rea
' estate office Of Messrs. Kilbourn & Latta CT
+ the ground floor, and lawyers and architect
U
Q John Douglas, the florist, who kept the hot
e house upon this site for so many years.
al Adjoining this Ia tho handsome iron iron
K Of J. W. Thompson, druggist, erected u yea
J. or two since, and the large modern boarding
e house, built about the same time. on th
Is corner Of New York avenue and Fliteent
II street, by J. W. Marin. All this lando
y property was formerly owned by Alcxandc
u Mcdonald, who held messenyership In on
lot the Government offices, and on Its meagr
income amasscd this fortune to bequoath !
Y his heirs, from whom 1t was obtained by II
= | present owners.
h The square north Of this to II street
d owned principally by Plant y Riggs, WIZ
/, built the prcssed-brick house fronting New
/. York avenue, and occupied by the saving
&c bank; welker, who only last fall added
e handsome Mansard roof and cupola to h
1t modern house, and extensive back buildinl
II and Ira Harris, whose chaste Doric resident
., faces Fifteenth street at Its Intersection wit
81 II street.
n On the opposite side OF the street Messr
a. Corcoran and Riggs and Hon. Samuel Hoop,
,s own the ground and improvements almo
" entire. We learn that the former named gel
u tlemen recently refused an offer OF $40 p
square foot for the ground occupied by th
O. Surgeon Generals office and their bankiD,
n house rs far north as the adjoining resident
A. OF the Prussian Minister. This Is forcib
IT illustration Of the unprecedented advance I
d real estate In Washington.
IeI Fifteenth street. from i 10 X, Is built In u
., most modern style, embracing the superb 70
d of presscd-brick residences erected te
N | years since by 8. p. Brown, and sold 10 Fe
Ie nando Wood, Speaker Blaine and other get
k tlemen Of prominence aud esteem.
A. The residence of Hon. Benjamin Built
Ii and the colored Presbyterian church const
lie tute the most noticeable improvements @
ID the square between l and X streets. tn
~ little church has recently been improved viii
u an entire new front of most attractive desig
in built Of press-brick, trimmed with brow
On stone and ornamented with iron work
TO | tasteful appearance. Fronting, rs 1t doc
~ upon the handsome public reservation form
by BY the intersection Of Fifteenth street wi
Ks Vermont avenue, At this point. 1t possess
w an unobstructcd view extending To u consi
,,e cradle distance in several directions, rendt
el. ing IL one of the most desirable church SIT
lc In the city.
'ur From this point northward to Rhode Isla
,c- avenue Fifteenth street has been so recent
~ improved by the Board Of Public Works
cd with patent carriayeway, In part concrel
In part wooden-that private enterprise b
had no opportunity to respond with buildin
as | of modern architectural elegance.
on Between X and L streets thrce-sto
.ly pressed-brick residence, with bay window
de lust being completed by Mr.. Queen, an entt
,of prising colored citizen, which has already 4
We others in the neighborhood to prospecting I
rs, improving In spring.
he From Rhode Island avenue to Bounda
ne Fifteenth street Is almost entirely uni
il proved. Ground In this section Of the str.
nd can be purchased at dollar per foot, aud I
no portion not owned by Mr.. Riggs and 9th
ost large capitalists has been frequently changi
he hands, In ordinary building lots, during I
ing past year.
In FIFTEES-ASD-A-uALr STREET,
Tie | or jackson place, is the front Of the squa
M facing westward upon Lafayette square fr,
ers Pennsylvania avenue TO ii street. 1t
ce- been Improved with one newly-buit re
re- dence, OF modern elegance, within the p
the few years.
inr In the centre OF this square Is the substs
as tial brick dwelling which was the home
M William II. Seward during the last years
I'M; his stay in Washington. Ii was here Il
raj the brutal attempt to assasslnate him on
of sick bed was made on the eycutful Good
mel day night when President Lincoln suffer
REQ his martyrdom. [
al In this housc-used as clubhouse at
Get tme-the body Of the dying Philip Bart
md Key was carried after the fatal shot at
hands of Daniel E. Sickles, some years sin
der II Is now used rs the office Of the Comm
nc. sary General Of Subsistence, United Sta
Gu. army.
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