The Portland daily press., 1885-03-25
Washington Homes.
The PaIRtiaI Residences of syelI-Knewn
Political BEagnates.


washington Letter to Cleveland Leader0
Thirteen hundred new buildings, worth
about 100000, were erected in Washing
ton last year. Fine residences are going up
all over the city, and it is fast becoming the
custom for public man to own his own
house in Washington. One of The leading
real estate agents here is my authority for
the following estimate of the homes of some
of the leading men of the nation: 'Blaine's
house cost $4,000, and it rents for ten per
cent. on S130 900; Don Cameron's big house
on Scott $irce is worth $50, 900, and it is one
OF the finest finished houees In Washington.
Windom's house, just across the way, which
cost him his place in the Senate, is worth
$4,000, and ought TO rent for good inter-
est on that amount. PeDdleton's house lust
above Camefon's cost $4,000 to build, and
is now worth $60.000 and The big brick of
Secretary RobesoD, which adjoins it, is val
ued at twice this sum. Bel, the telephone
man, also lives in Scott Circle. He paid
$4,000 for his house and stable, and it is
one of the most valuable properties in Wash
ington. Omar D. Conger has house on NJ
street, just off the Thomas Circle, which
Mrs. Conger bought at bargain, She gave
S20, 900 for it. 1t was built by a paWnbrok er.
and it is, [ should say, worth twice as much
as it COST Mrs. Dahlgren, the wife of the
Admiral, has mansion looking out toward
the Thomas statue worth $65, 900, and Just
across the way, In a brown stone, on the
corner. which is certainly worth So, 600,
lives Poker Bob Schenck.
Gen. Sheridan's house is worth about
$50 0O0 Sunset Cox has the prettiest little
house in Washington, made of green stone,
and his wife bought it for $50, 900; and Sena-
tor Allison, Of Iowa, has brick, painted
white, just opposite the Portland Flats,
which will bring 900 under the hammer.
John Sherman's home on K street is worth
at least $780, He bought the ground for
a song when Franklin Park, which it faces
was COW pasture and ball ground, and
his friends laughed at the idea of ii ever be-
ing worth any great amount. Now sup
pose you could not buy vacant ground there,
If there we're any, for less than 500 square
foot, and the best houses of the capital are
all around it. Sherman also owns much
other real estate about the city. He is far
seeing, and would make a fine real estate
man."
What is W. ". Corcoran's house
worth??'
ut lies, you know, jast across from the
White House, and includes whole square
OF ground. 1t could not be bought at any
price, but suppose it to be worth $150,000
at least. A little further up on FL street
Bancroft, the old historian. lives in $685.
600 house of painted brick, and catacornered
across The way is the house of John Nc
Leans father-in-law, Gen. Beale, worth,
should say, $40, 900. The McLeans own a
great deal OF Washington real estate. John
lately paid out $51 900 for The Holmead
Cemetery lot above Blaine's, and he will di-
vide it up into lots and sell it. Washington
Mclean, Johns father, owns house on
one OF the best corners of street, worth
several times the salary of he Chief Justice
of the United States, aud he has just bought
Dan Sickles's old house near the White
House, for, think, S37, 600 Speaking of
the Supreme Court" the real estate man
continued, "Wdite owns a house ON II street
worth $35, 900, MilleI's house is worth $40.-
900, Matthews has house on the corner of
| aod Eighteenth streets, which is esthetl-
cally built aud would bring, | should say,
$65,000. 1t is in the heart of the best see
ton OF the Capital, and its back windows
look into the reception rooms of the British
Legation mansion. Judge Field has big
brick house modelled out Of one OF the build
ings across from the Capitol which used to
be a prison, and this is worth $4,000.
There.is talk of appropriating the gronnd of
the square in which it stands to the new
library building, and if SO the Judge will
probably move to the northwest part of the
city.
Across the Capital Plateau from Fields
is Ben Buffers big stone mansion, which
ought to be worth as much as Baine's, ard
which, il is said, is morgaged for $50, 600.
This has fou: great divisions and is large
enough to Accommodate four families. Part
of it is rented to the Government and part
to private parties. Senator Palmer, of Mich
igan, is building house on K street facing
Mcpherson Square, on ground that is worth
IS loot. The house is an immense brown
stone as big as a college, aud it has a stable
built on TO its back end. just next to it on
the corner is the mansion of Judge Lowery,
of New England, man who is related in
some way to Levy Woodbury., the Secretary
of the Treasury under Van Buren, and after
ward Supreme Court Justice. Lowry is
wealthy, and is very nice fellow. At the
side OF his house he has beautiful lawn,
and Palmer in building his house expected
to have the benefit of this for his back win
dows, including his dining rooms and so forth
With this in view he flushed this part of bis
house in pressed brick and put up beauti-
full bay window on the Fifteenth street side
of it. Lowry asked Palmer as special
favor to put his stable somewhere else than
on the back of the house, saying it would be
offensive TO him and would injure his view
and lot. Palmer, however, the story goes,
refused TO pay any attention to his wishes,
and made the stable wing to his big man
sion. Now Lowry, to offset this, has built
up pressed brick wall on the back of his
lol as high, almost, as Palmer's second story,
completely shutting Off the view from
Palmer's dining-room, and doing more in
jury to his property than the value of ten
stables"
''The houses belonging TO members of
Congress are few. Perry Belmont has Que
for which he paid 5000, William Walter
Phelps has invested some Of his M .llions in
Washington real estate, though l believe be