Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-20

fHI TENDENCY TO SECURE kNrLr onouxps NJ
THOSE wKo BUILD HANDSOME HoUsEs-A aoop
DEMAND ron RESrtp fRorrRTr-orHEn NAT
rIRs OF INTEREST.
A notable transaction during the past week
was the purchase Of the fne building site st the
southeast corner Of Massaehusetts avenue and
18th street. fronting on Scott Circle. The
location Is one Of the best in the residence por-
ton OF the city, a. Ia demonstrated by the
price paid, which was more than was ever paid
for residence site in this city. The LOT 10.
however, o; unusual dimensions, having Q
frontage OF about lao feet and depth Of 40.
At the price per foot paid, which wac O.. the
sale reached the large sum Of s93 500 The
new owner. Mr.. Jesse F. Carpenter. 10 consid-
ering plans for the erection OF q handsome
residence there, but IL has not yet been fuIly
decided whether he will retain all the ground
included in the purchase for his own use OF
dispose OF a portion OF It, He will no doubt
allow Tor ample lawns about the house. The
tendency, OF which this purchase 10
a good illustration, 20 secure generous
building sites when fine house n 20
be erected IL very marked in some of the re-
cent transactions IN this class of property.
There is, Tor example, the purchase made by
Mrs. Chandler, the widow of ex-senator Zach
Chandler. She bought n lot at the northeast
corner Of 10th and X streets, where she Is nov
erecting q handsome house. The ground In
more than 100 feet square and 10 cost her
S6S,O00, which is at the rate OF ESQ per square
foot This may appear TO be = great deal 10
pay for Residence site, but the property &C
the southeast corner of 10th and streets
brought even q higher price The present
owner, Robert J. c. Walker. paid S65oo0 for H.
and AZ it 10 only 75xl00, with some back ground,
the price per foot WAS about $50. On the
south side OF street between 10th and 18th
streets Col. Henry Strong has begun the cree
ZION OF a handsome residence. ] he lot has q
frontage Of "a feet aud the price paid was
about $4,000. The lot adjoining on the west
the former home of Secretary Blaine on Du-
pont Circle is now being improved BY q residsnce
which Ia being erected Tor Miss l.itchheld
She paid S30.0O0 for the ground. which has q
frontage OF 81 feet and extends through the
square from Massachusetts, avenue 20 L street
Mr.. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor Of
the Bell telephone, and his cousin, Chss J.
Bell, some time ago paid between $4,000 and
$4,000 for a building site. For this money
they secured a frontage Of LIS feet on Con-
necncut avenue, just south OF Dupont Circle
at a per square foot
AwHoLE SQUARE PURCHASED.
Some time before he left the city last spring
ex-senator Van wyck paid about $500 for .
building lot He secured at auction the whole
Of the triangular square fronting on Dupont
Circle, where the Church OF the Holy Gross
stands. Some day, perhaps, the ex-senator
Will build "A residence there. The blackened
walls OF the Tracy house on FGrragut square
have been removed by the new owner, Capt A.
Z. Tyler. Ii may be considered that the price
paid for the property represents practically the
value OF the ground. he, therefore, in that
view OF II. paid $50. 80 for a lot which Ia 40x
100 feet. That rs 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 Connecticut avenue and street cost
the United Service Club s2S.0Oo The lot
Is only 50xl2l feet and tine price per foot vas
$40, which is the highest price ever paid fer
property IN the resident part OF the city.
handsome house is being erected at the
northeast corner of Massachusetts avenue and
10th street II adjoins the Chinese legation
building and when completed it will be oecu-
pied by the owner, Mr.. Hunt Of New York. He
paid for the ground s27. 500. il is only 50 by
100, but the price paid was IS. 80 per foot The
above are only few OF the recent purchaser
There are a number of other instances where
large sums Of money have been paid for resi-
dence sites. The policy of building with some
nbersilty as TO space left around the structure
is doing great deal toward beautifying the
resident sections OF the city.
IKE GROWING CITY
There will be very few vacant hoases In the
city this winter if ali the people who are said
to be looking for houses are supplied The
real estate agents report a great demand One
agent told STAR man that If he had hum
dred houses In addition to his usual list for
rent he believed that he could find tenants for
them. He based this opinion upon the number
OF inquiries received daily at his Office The
renting season, which begins about September
], keeps the real estate offices rather lively
Rents are reported to be no lower this year
than last and the prices Of vacant ground are
firm. with decided upward tendency. Az
shown by the figures taken from the books i'm
the Office of the building inspector and printed
recently in The STAR. a larger number OF
houses have been built during the present year
than during the corresponding months OF
last year. While the building activity
has been marked in the eastern Sec
tlon OF the city il has been general
IN all parts OF the city 1t il argued from these
facts that the population OF the city il increas-
ing rapidly. Foi otherwise IL is claimed the
large addition made TO the house capacity OF
the city would have had the effect OF reducing
rents. Instead of that 1t is stated that tenants
are found for the houses as fast as they are
built, and it Is thought that a fair proportion
OF the occupants of the houses are new corners
TO the city. The late census showed the yearly
growth of the city during the past ten years
had been over 5,C00, and il 10 evident that an
equally large ratio is still the rule.
PROSPECTIVE TOWN.
Surveys are being made Of tract OF land
north of Takoma Park. 1t is the intention TO
make a subdivision of this property and in q
short time, no doubt, another Of those flourish
ing settlements VIII spring up which now form
such attractive feature IN the country ell
along the line Of the Metropolitan Branch.
Takoma Park is TO have a street railroad. 10
will be a park enterprise exclusively. The
starting point will lie the depot and from that
point the track will extend through the streets
so as to bring the distant points within easy
access of the railroad. when the Brightwood
railroad reaches TGkoma Park the residents
can be independent of the steam railroad, IL
they SO desire, when they make . trip to this
city.
NEW Law SCHOOL BUILDING.
Thomas J. Fisher a Co. have sold in connec-
tion with A Damman for Joseph strasburger
to Georgetown College property fronting 50
feet on the south side Of L street between 5th
and 9th streets northwest. IL is the intention
of the new owners to erect on this site fns
building for the use of the Jaw department Of
the college. The Georgetown Law School win
then be provided with building which will be
specially adapted for the needs Of the school.
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