Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-29
THE LIBRARY SITE.
The Value Assigned to the Property by
the Tax Assessor.

The bill authorizing the construction Of a
dwelling for the accommodation of the Con.
gressional library, which finally passed the
Senate April 9Th, prescribed that if the com.
! mission created by the act should be unable to
purchase the whole of either of the sites desg
mated in the act by agreement with the prop
| erty owners within thirty days after the pas
sage of the act they shall make application to
the Supreme Court of the District to have the
| land condemned and damages assessed in the
usual way. The time fixed by the commission
! for receiving the returns of property owners
will expire May 4th. The commission have SC
/ far received comparatively few returns to the
letters sent to property owners requesting them
to name their prices. 1t is not thought that he
aggregate asked will come within the S55O, 900
which the commission Is authorized by law to
pay for the library site.
The bill proposes the site of the library
either the three squares lying between LIST and
% streets east and East Capitol and north b
streets, or the corresponding three squares
lying between 1st and I'd streets east and East
Capitol and south streets. By glancing at a
map OF the city one will see that the future OF
six squares is involved in the bill. East Capitol
street divides these six squares of ground very
equally into two parts. one on the north and
one on the south, and one of these two parts or
halves is destined to become the site of the new
library building.
The respective owners of the property have
been figuring for many days, neighbors have
conferred. and the subject has been quite thor
oughly canvassed. proposition has been
lllitut ny SOulC VI Inc pfOpeFty-OWneFS IN the
south half that they pool their interests and
offer the three squares on that side OF East
Capitol street tor the sum OF $55O,O0O, the
amount appropriated, and divide the sum pro
rata according to The values of the respective
holdings, as estimated in the last assessment.
The total value OF the ground and improve
mentS In these three SQuares-SquareS Nos. 729,
73O and 73l-according TO the last assessment
was $2O3, 237. II $780, 900 was paid for the prop
erty and divided among the owners according to
their assessments each owner would receive
81 times the assessed value of his property.
The total assessment of the three squares north
OF East Capitol street-sQuares Nos. 726, 727
and 72S-is $255,277. And If $55O,OOO was
paid tor the property each owner would receive
Il little over FL times the assessment value of
his property. In square 726, which is bounded
by street north, Maryland avenue and 1st
street, the assessed value of the land ranges
from 81 to 70 cents per fog t, the average being
about 80 cents. In square No727 between Mary
land avenue, north A and I'd streets east the
assessed value ranges from 81 to 40 cents per
foot, the average being about 7O12 cents. In
square TBS, between East Capitol and north A,
and LIST and I'd streets east, the assessed value
age being 4S1s According to the plat there
are Al, 1858 square feet in square 726, 3S, 627
feet in square 727, and 146, LAT Ieet in so are
72S. In square No. 729, south Of East Capitol
street, lying between East Capitol and south A.
and LIST and I'd streets east, there lac, 263
square feet, and the assessed values range from
80 to so cents. The average is 471a cents
Square No. $50, between south A, 2d street
east and Pennsylvania avenue, contains
4O,363 square feet, and the assessed values
range from so to 80 cents, the average being
4Ssa cents. In square 731. lying between
Pennsylvania avenue, LIST street east and Is
street south, there are Al ,777 square feet. The
assessed values in this square range from 80 u
so cents. The average is GIN cents.