Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-28
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP.
What Some People Have Paid for Gilt
Edged Residence Property.

REAL OoSSlEs
What Some People Have Paid for Gilt
Edged Residence Property.
THE FINE GRANITE BUILDING TO BE ERECTED By
THE WASHINGTON LOAN AND TRUST COMPANY
FACTS WHICH SHOW THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN
GOING AHEAD FAST FOR TIE PAST TIN YyARs.
People pay handsomely for choice residence
sites in this city nowadays They are becom-
ing scarcer and then again ii is the style TO
build large houses. It is rather difficult to
build large house on a small lot, and so good,
generous building sites are in demand The
owners do not part with them without q struggle,
and it is. therefore. necessary to pay good
price in order to reconcile them to the change
II appears from a number Of recent trans
actions that such prices are paid, and one OF the
notable features of the real estate market has
been the numerous sales Of property OF this
character Only last Saturday it was mentioned
In TIE STAR that Miss Litchheld had paid
$4,000 for the lot adjoining on the west the
former residence Of Secretary Blaine on Dupont
Circle. The lot, however, is 81 feet wide,
which gives opportunity to have spaces on
all sides of the house, which may even then be
commodious and elegant. This tendency in
enough for lawns has good illustration in
the purchase made by Mrs. Chandler, the
widow Of ex-senator Zach Chandler. She
bought lot at the northeast corner of 18th and
4 streets, where she Is now erecting handsome
residence. The ground is more than 100 feet
square, and 1t cost her S63, 900, which is at the
rate Of ESQ per square foot This may appear
70 good deal to pay for residence site,
but ne property at the southeast corner of
10th nd streets brought even q higher price.
The present owner, Robert J. c. Walker, paid
S60, D for it, and as it Is only 75x10O feet with
some background, the price per foot was
about s7.3Q.
Nh. Alexander Graham Bell, the well-known
inventor of the Bell telephone, and his cousin,
Ghas. ]. Bell, some time ago paid between
forty and fifty thousand dollars for a building
site. For this money they secured frontage
Of l25 feet on Connecticut avenue just south of
Dupont Circle, at "a per foot, which was the
price they paid The sum total reached a good
round figure. Some time before he left the
city last spring ex-senator Van Wyck paid
about s33, 900 for a building lot. He secured
at auction the whole of the triangular square
fronting on Dupont Circle where the Church
OF the Holy Cross stands. Some day. perhaps,
the ex-senator will build a residence there
which will be finer than the house on the oppo-
site corner. where he made his home. His
house IL now under lease to Chief Justice
Fuller.
THE TRACY HOUSE.
walls of the Tracy house it may be considered
that the price paid for the property by Capt. A.
Q. Tyler was for the ground He therefore, in
that view of it. paid 80, $50 for a lot which is
4OxlOO. That is at the rate Of nearly 81 per
square foot Around the corner in the adjoin-
ing square the building lot at the southeast
corner of Connections avenue and street cost
the U. ). Service Club S2S, 900. The lot is only
5oxl2l, and the price per foot was $40. which
the highest price per foot ever paid for prop
'ty In the resident part of the city.
handsome house is being erected at the
.orthesst corner Of Massachusetts avenue and
9th street IL adjoins the Chinese legation,
nd when completed il will be occupied BY the
owner. Mr.. Hunt of New York. He paid for
the ground S27.5OO. 1t is only 50xl00, but the
price was $3.50 per foot These are only a
few of the recent purchases. There are a num-
Der of other instances where large sums of
money have been paid for residence Sites and
IN each case either a very large house has been
erected or else the extra space has been devoted
to gardens and lawns. The policy of build
Ing with some hberality as to space is doing
a great deal toward identifying the resi-
dence sections Of the city.
THE AVENUE STILL IN THE LEAD
- Tne other day s45 was paid for a business
corner on + street. 1t is true that there was
not 800 square feet in the entire property, but
still it was a notable sale as it marked the high
est price per foot that business property had
ever reached in this city. Since then il has
been announced that s4S per square foot has
been offered for the west end of the Vernon
Row building at Pennsylvania avenue and 10th
street SO the fame Of having the highest
priced property or at least obtain
ing the highest price paid for property
again belongs to Pennsylvania, after having
for a few short weeks rested upon the head of
her younger sister, namely + street. There
have been severa previous sales Of F street
property which came previously near the
highest figure known to have been paid for
Pennsylvania ave. - property in recent years.
Thirty-nine dollars Pr foot and even cal has
been paid for stree. corners, but both fell
short of S42, which was paid in the spring of
1857 for the 81. Marc property by the Central
National Bank. 1t contains only 2,452 square
feet Of ground. but like the Vernon Row prop
srty every inch can be utilized.
SPLENDID GRANITE PILE
Rising to a height of 100 fee. the massive
wallis of granite forming the nine storis, of the
new Office building of the Washington Loan
and Trust Company will present all imposing
appearance. 1t will be the costliest building
OF the kind ever erected in this city, 1t will
involve the expenditure of half a million of
dollars, including. Of course, the cost of the
ground The contract has just been awarded
70 Mr.. W. e. Morrison. The construction is not
only to be hreProof but it is to
be thoroughly substantial The artistic
features of modern architecture have not been
omitted by Mr.. James @. Hill. the architect. in
making the designs. Safety, convenience and
beauty have been the three principles which
have guided the building committee. of which
Mr.. John Joy EdsOn Is chairman, in determiu-
ing the character Of the building to be erected
The members OF the committee, as well as the
architect, have personally visited and inspected
many OF the best specimens of modern Office
buildings In the country and they will endeavor
TO reproduce the best features Of this STYLE of
building in this building. granite of light
color will be used in the construction of the ex-
terror walls. II will be rock faced and will
give the appropriate massive effect which
building Of the size demands. The fronts on
and 9Th streets will be divided architecturallv
by prominent string courses into three parts.
The spacious window openings of the FIRST story
where will be located the Offices of the COM
pany, will be marked by arches, and
above will be the openings of the
second story. completing the first part. The
features OF the second part = main section Of
the exterior, will be a series of lofty arches
forming an arcade. each arch incloslng the
window openings in i've stories Then comes
the third portion Of the building. with the
window openings Of the upper story FORM
ing an arcade. Above viii be a straight
eornice handsomely decorated The roof
viii be nat and will be covered with as
phalt and will be protected by u parapet of
brick. The floors will be formed Of terra Gotta
arches resting upon iron beams surface ~