Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-27
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP.
The Rapidly Growing Business Sections
Of the City.

The Rapidly Growing Business Sections
Of the City.
BIG PRICES ARE PAID FOR CENTRAL LOCATIONS
ANOTHER PHASE OF rHE SERVANT QUESTION
ZONE OF THE NEW HOUSES NOW BEING
HREcrED-oTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST.
~ FIFTEEN OR TWENTY dollars foo,
| iSwould seem to be rather round figure
~ to pay for ground even for business pur.
poses. Two years ago or even ono year
- ago such figures obtained for anything
except choice business locations would have
astonished real estate circles. At the present
time, however, these prices have lost whatever
OF a sensational character they ever possessed.
and considerable property is passing hands at
these and much higher prices. A great deal ID
! done in a year sometimes, especially in the
case OF city that is making rapid strides for
ward, as this city is doing 1t is true that year
ago $40 foot was regarded az high price for
property along street-for example. from 9th
to. 10Th and along the streets connecting
i and G. streets. But Just now $40 a foot ID
regarded in the light of bargain. The recent
transaction at the northeast corner of 18th and
G illustrates pretty well the present tone of the
market Here was a large block Of land over
100 feet square and containing more than IL 900
..
1t required nearly S20U, 900 to buy that prop
erty, and yet no one seems to think that the
purchaser, Mr.. Lisner, the entcrprising pro-
priotor of the Palais Royal, did a foolish thing.
For the corner piece he paid S22 per foot, and
vet in the spring when the same property was
purchased for els it was considered to be a
pretty STIFF figure. The past six months has
witnessed an appreciation in values in all that
section from Pennsylvania avenue to New
York avenue and from 9th to 18th streets. At
idly transformed into n business center. This
can readily be seen by any ono who walks
along the streets. New buildings are going up
and old ones are being remodeled. Washing
ton may not be commercial city in the usual
sense, but the business buildings that have
been erected and are now going up will COM
pare favorabiy with similar class OF buildings
in any of the largo cities of the country That
is the opinion of citizens who are familiar with
tho business sections Of other Cities and thcre
is no reason to doubt it. 1t can also be said
that all the Improvement is not on the outside
and that in these magnificent palaces of trade a
fine display of goods may be found SO that
those who wish to buy bric-a-brac or kitchen
utensils find that they can do better at home
than by going abroad. The appreciation in the
value of business sites, therefore. seems to be
the legitimate outcome OF q natural expan-
sion Of the business OF the city to meet the
needs of a growing population. .
OUR HOUSES TOO CONVENIENT.
People who 60 abroad, and good many are
in the habit Of spending q considerable por-
ton Of each year in Europe, are apt to COM
pare their home city with the cities they have
visited. Washington does not suffer. as a rule,
by such comparisons. except just now, when the
streets are unusually dirty. A person who has
just returned from Paris is apt to think of the
clean boulevards of the French capital and
wonder why our asphalt pavements are not
kept in as good order. There is however,
another feature of life in Europe which stands
out i'll rather bold contrast in comparison with
the average experience in this country. 1t is
the excellence of the domestic service. Ser
wants are said to be more efficient, not only in
private houses. but in hotels, and tho opinion
is expressed that the ineffciency of the
American domestic is largely due to the
multiplication OF what are known as
conveniences In this country private houses
and hotels are supplied with water on every
floor. There are sinks for the waste water and
elevators to save the drudgery of carrying up
the stairs coal for CRATE fires and for conveying
to the lower floors articles Of all kinds. 1t is
argued that the abundant supply of labor-sav-
ing devices renders tho servants careless and
inattentive. Whether this is q correct criti-
cism or not it is certain that the modern house.
especially those erected in this city ,abounds in
ingenious devices for saving time and labor.
"All the modern convcniences' is common
form Of describing house offered for sale or
rent, and il details were given il would indeed
be a lengthy catalogue. Even in dwelling
houses of medium size it is not unusual TO find
elevators for the transportation OF articles
from one floor to the other. When space can
not be spared for an elevator devoted solely to
what may be termed the carrying OF freight
then the dumb waiter in the dining room closet
10 arranged so that it can be drawn up to the
upper stories, and when it is not wanted to
bring from the kitchen the family dinner it
performs the duty OF conveying the soiled linen
to the laundry or lifting coal to the upper
stories. Then there are bells and speaking
tubes and stationary wash tubs and other IA
cilities which are now considered as necessary
10 a home as a front door.
LIVELY RIAL ESTATE MEN.
Real estate men, as rule, are wide-awal,e
progressive class and in this city they are
obliged to be 80 in order to keep up with the
procession. A man cant go to sleep in this
town for any length of time and expect when
he wakes up to find everything just as he left
it. He will be more apt to discover that he is
the only one that is left. Just now, when peo-
pie are looking around for houses to rent or
buy, the complaint: is heard that houses are
scarce, and yet there have been more houses
built this year than last year, which witnessed
one Of the most active building seasons known
here. 1t has also been said tina. ground in some
of the business sections is held at prices which
make il impossible for the purchaser to obtain
from the property fair return on the money
are being paid by shrewd men of af-
fairs, and it is a fair presumption that
they see profit lurking about somewhere
As one of the results OF the activity in the
market the real estate men are unusually on
the alert. One enterprising broker has re-
Gently introduced into his business a photo
graphic camera with the necessary appliances
for developing the plates and mounting the
photographs When he has house that he
wants to make "a special drive" he has it
photographed and copies struck Off. The pic
his Office and OH his bulletin board with an ut
tractIve notice attached they draw attention to
the property and assist materially i'll making
sales.
rnoP. wINLocKs HOUSE.
The design of the house which is to be
erected for Prof. W. c. Winlock on o street
between Goth and 2lst streets will illustrate
what can be done in producing an artistic
effect by the exclusive use OF brick. The front
will have no projections and the feature OF the
design. as prepared by Messrs. Hornbiower an /
Marshall, architects, is simple but effective.
1t is in brief a panel which is formed by
freZe between tho tirst and second stories
connected on each side by band OF dental
bricks, with the frieZe ut the top. The lower
frieZc is formed of bricks laid as headers and
the upper frieze OF bricks in basket-work de-
sign. 4 slight line OF copper constitutes the
straight coruicc which finishes the front. Dozen
fiat arches mark each opening and add to the
effect of the design. The interior is con-
veniently arranged. The parior on the first
floor is separated from the dining room by the
central hall, which is lighted by windows In
the side. One side of the hall is occupied by
the oaken staircase. At the first landing there
is wide platform protected by an ornamental
railing. from which an outlook 4 had in the