Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-17
THE FORTUNES OF MISFORTUNE
CIRCLE.
WINDOWS, PendIetOn's and Robeson's
Houses and Other Remarkable Resi-

CIRCLE.
WINDOWS, PendIetOn's and Robeson's
Houses and Other Remarkable Resi-
dences.
Washington Letter to Neas York sun
That pretty plot Of ground at the inter-
section Of Rhode Island and Massachu-
sets avenues and Sixteenth street. where
stands a bronze likeness of Gen. Scott on
horseback, which Roscoe Conkling has
pronounced the finest piece Of outdoor art
IN Washington, is now called misfortune
Circle because of the disasters that have
| overtaken the men who built houses
around it. Scott circle, as it is known on
the map, is the finest building location in
Washington, and property is very expen-
SlVe there. 1t has never been considered
quite so aristocratic as the surroundings
of Farragut square or Thomas circle. and
the architecture is not so pretty and taste
full as that in the new quarter around Du-
pont circle, but in this neighborhood are
the most expensive residences in the city,
and the builders have almost all come to
grief.
Paymaster Cutter, of the navy, lives in
the first house, but he is one of the eXcep-
tiOns, for he lives there still in a quiet but
elegant manner on his retired pay.
Across the street to the nOrthward is a
very handsome house, which was erected
by Lieut.. BrOadhead, Of the Marine Corps.
He married one of the daughters of Rich
ard StOrrs Willis, a brother Of n. p. Will
lis, the poet. The other daughter married
Lieut.. Emory, Of the navy, who commands
one Of the vessels that 90 to the relief of
poor Greedy in the Arctics. The two sis
| tiers were prominent in society here, and
there was considerable rivalry between
the families. They built handsome
houses, the BrOadheads on Scott
| cut avenue. BrOadhead couldn't
keep his up, resigned from the Marine
| Corps, and went to Detroit to engage IN
| business. His house remained untenanted
for year or two, when Alexander Ora
| ham Bell, the inventor of the telephone,
| purchased it, and is living there now.
| What Bell wanted of so large a house no
one but himself knows; the general
| opinion is that the profits of his genius
were so great that it was the only way he
| can spend them. Bell has a deaf and
| dumb wife and three children. He is a
| devoted husband and father, and has
| taught his wife to articulate a few words,
| but she cannot hear anything. Trouble
| has not kept away from the Bells, any
more than from their predecessors of the
| great mansion, for the children have had
| scarlet fever and diphtheria, and are still
! under the DOCTORS care.
| Across Rhode Island avenue, from the
! Broadhead house, is great square struc-
| ture Of red brick, which looks more like
| an asylum of some sort than private
@sidence, and is, without doubt, the ug-
| Test piece Of architecture in Washington.
| 1t was erected and is owned by j. Donald
! Cameron, the Senator from Pennsylvania.
! He was comfortable enough before he
| built this expensive ahsurdity, but as
| soon as he moved into it his trouble be-
! gan. Mrs. Cameron was very i'll. and had
GanranlNr hot of,
| came down. Poor health and political
anXieties used him up, and he rented his
| big house to Washburn, of Minnesota for
| $500 month, and went to Europe.
On the opposite corner is a handsome
! pile Of bricks, with stained glass windows,
| which is now the home of Senator Palmer,
| of Michigan. This is the house that eX-
! Congressman Dunnell had photographed
| so as to show the frugal people of Mime
| sofa to what extravaganza Senator VIM
! dom was running; and those pictures as
| much as anything caused WINDOWS
| defeat for the Senate. He built it while
| he was Secretary of the Treasury, and
| had scarcely got settled when Garfield
| was shot. Window expects to come back
! here to live some time, but his house can
| be bought for less than it cost him.
In the rear of Camerons is the hand
| soonest house in the neighbOrhOOd. The
! refined taste of Senator and Mrs. Pendlc-
| ton is detected in every curve and angle,
and the interior is even more beautiful
and artistic. He had no idea of being
| private citizen when he planned this
! house, but expected to give Senatorial
! dinners there until 1891 at least. Senator
! elect Payne can undoubtedly rent it at
| reasonable figure, for Pendleton has three
| other reSidenCeS-tWOi in Ohio, and sum-
| mer place at Newport.
! SecOr Robson is Mr.. PendletOn's next
! door neighbOr, as well as his companion
! in political misfortune. Their houses
We're erected about the same time and at
| about the same cost. Both follow the
| same general plan Of arrangement, but
| PendletOn's is the more artistic. Mrs.
! Robson is still here, but the eX-Secretary
! has abandoned politics and has gone back
| to New Jersey to practice law. The house
| can be bought for $4,000.
| StillsOn Hutchins Of the Washington
| Post and his bride have a handsome new
! house adjoining the Window mansion.
! No misfortune has overtaken him vet
| but he entered Il dangerous neighbOrhOOd,
| West of lIutchins are the houses that
were erected by Harvard Hutchinson, the
! partner of Senator Miller. of California,
| in the Alaska Seal Fur Company. He
! planned one Of them for his own use but
! death robbed il of tenant.
| On the next corner is a large house Of
! plain but graceful design, which was
erected by the late Ben Grafton, an after
! ney, who made great deal Of money out
Of the Iyanhoe Mine, in New Mexico, in
| which Col. r. G.. Ingers0ll was interested.
| He died about the time it was finished,
| and his widow offers it for sale at $4,000.
On the corner below is the house which
was purchased for and given to Gen.
! Sheridan by syndicate Of his Chicago
! friends when he came to Washington to
/ command the army. This is considered
out of the line of misfortune, and the
! General accepted the gift without hesita-
! ton.
There are a large number of other fine
! houses for sale in Washington, and some
of them have histories. Justice Strong, of
/ the Supreme Court, who retired a year
ago, wants $4,000 for his residence on ii
street, near WOrmley's, and Justice
! swayne, who retired about the same time
and is now living in New York, offers his
for $4,000. 1t faces Franklin square, and
| is in the same block on which live Col.
Ingersoll, John Sherman, and other good
! neighbOrs. Senator Warner Miller occu-
| pies ii now. Judge Wylie, who presided
! mt the star route trials, wants to sell his
residence, mOnstrous, Old-tashiOped
affair on Thomas circle.
! Ex-senator Thomas G. Platt had Just
purchased a residence on Vermont
avenue when he resigned in 1891. 1t is
! offered for sale at $4,000. Window built
it about ten years ago, and occupied it
until the new one on Scott circle was
! finished.
The house in which ''Brewster, At
! tOrney General" lives. at the corner of
| Connecticut avenue and l. street. is offered
/ for sale at $4,000 by John NJ. Forbes, of
! Boston. 1t was built by Boss Shepherd
in the days of the District Ring, and was
occupied by him until he built the gray
! stone castle on the other corner,
! Mrs, Myra Clark Gaines, the great
American Iitigant, has a house for sale on
II street near Eighteenth, in the neighbor-
! hood of Admiral POrter's residence.
1t is not generally known that Gen.
| Grant is the owner of a number of houses
here, and that Mrs. Frances HodgsOn
! Burnett, the authoress, is one of his
! tenants. She lives on ii street, near the
! Garfield residence. Grant has another
| house on o street, and still another on
! Corcoran street. All are offered for sale
! CONTECTTNC HIG XUTENI7,S, yXrErV