Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-15

TON OF FLAT AND HOTEL BUILDIxas-FISE
RESIDENCES ERECTED.
O. HE STEADY advance of the city upon
"a the country is one of the striking evil
dences Of the expansive growth Of the
AlRcapital. This is indicated not merely by
- the subdivion of the land into building
lots, for that has been going on for some years.
One Of the features of the suburban land
scape that has become familiar to those who
drive or walk beyond the city limits are the
sign boards Of the real estate agents, which are
about the only crop that the land in the imme-
gate vicinity of the city has yielded for some
years. Houses have taken the place of these
sign boards in a great many instances and now
here and there can be seen an asphalt pave
ment Improvements of this character
show that the suburban movement is
something more than merely specu-
latiye. When streets are improved
at private cost, involving an expenditure of at
least SO per yard then it may be inferred that
the abutting property is considered to be
valuable for building sites. All this is pre-
hminary to the extension of the annual sched-
ule for street improvements to include
these suburban streets. This has been done
already to a limited extent. The paving of 18th
street extended to the top OF the hill and short
sections OF a few other suburban streets are
specimens OF municipal improvement of streets
beyond the city limits. Just now tie city au-
thorites are engaged in laying an asphalt pave
ment on the extension of X street from Bound
airy to LIST street This street Is already
opened beyond Lincoln avenue and lexington
to the Brentwood road and is paved with as
Phalt the entire distance. As the greater por-
ton of the street lies within the limits OF
lexington IL shared in the extensive improve
ments which the enterprise OF the owner. Col
George Truesdell. has caused to be carried out
fIa ,<,F,
is now being laid by the District authorities is
completed the entire length of the street. from
2lst street to the Brentwood road. with the ex-
ception of one or two blocks in the city, will
be paved In accordance with the policy
which now prevails and which is only the exc
cution of the spirit of the law streets that are
improved IN this way by the District authori-
Ties must conform to the plan of
the city. r street is therefore in its
extension beyond Boundary of the same width
rs the part within the city limits and it follows
the same lines. While comparatively only
small section of the pavement on street be-
yond the city limits has been laid by the city
authorities, yet il represents a greater continu-
Gus stretch of asphalt beyond the boundary
lines than any other street. There Is no doubt
that as the demand for street improvements
In the city grows less pressing that larger sums
Will be expended each year by the District gov
eminent IN improving suburban streets.
LIBERAL SUBURBAN IMPROVEMENTS
ment Of the suburbs is the abandonment
Of the policy which used to prevail
Of dependence upon the city govern
ment for street improvements. As is well
known the city authorities have far done
but little IN the way of paving streets lying
beyond the city limits. The difficulty has been,
and still exists to some extent. to obtain suffi-
Gent money to make the Improvements needed
In the city. The consequence has been
that as the projectors OF the early subur-
ban subdivisions made no attempt to
improve the streets, and as the city
government was unable to do the work. many
of the subdivisions in the same condition
as when originally laid out. A new policy,
however, has been adopted, and nowadays
when a subdivision of land is made the original
owners spend money literally IN making street
improvements Col Truesdell was the pioneer
IN this departure. and Washington Heights and
lexington are monuments to his enterprise as
well as to his foresight as to the needs of the
suburbs.
NIB. TRuEsDELLs OPINIONS.
Mr.. George Truesdelrs views in regard to
suburban property and its future are of consid-
cradle interest, as he has spent so much money
in developing that class of property. In talk
ing with a STAR man the other day he said in
regard to the causes for the rapid development
Of the suburbs that il was due partly of course
to the rapid growth of the city of Washington
and the resulting increase IN values which has
In search of cheaper homes. "But the marvel
Gus development OF the suburbs during recent
years ne went on, lis, in my judgment, due
largely to other and more potent influences
To fully understand them ii Is necessary to con-
slider for a moment the condition of suburban
property few years ago. Until within a
very few years 1t was almost entirely neglected
and did not begin to keep pace pro-
portionately with the growth of the city
The large expenditures under the board of
public works and their successors, the Com
missioners Of the District. almost wholly with
In the city limits had doubled the population
OF the city and increased values enormously
without q corresponding development in the
suburbs. Until about 1856 there was
comparatively little development in sub
urban property. Although we were taxed at
full urban rates, 81. per Sl00.yet not dollar
OF public money had been expended on sub
urban streets, the whole amount Of the small
appropriations for the county having been re-
stricted to the repairs of county roads. City
taxes without city benefits was the hard rule in
the suburbs from the organization of the pres
emit form OF government down to about 1887
We had few sidewalks and no sewers except
those which had been provided in a very imper-
fect way by private enterprise, no water, no
paved streets, and our suburban streets, with
very Few exceptions, were not even graded and
regulated. Seventh and 18th streets we're the
only streets extended into the county and to
make matters still worse. we were cursed by a
net work Of petty subdivisions, with narrow
where and which did not conform to the plan
OF the city nor TO each other. such unfayor-
able conditions discouraged investment and
prevented the natural developments which
under more favorable conditions would have
Resulted from the rapid grow til Of the city.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW.
MANY Of our best citizens, who were con-
sidered the best judges of real estate and who
have since shown the greatest faith in suburban
property. had at that time so little faith in its
future that they would neither invest in il nor
accept IL as security for loans. But a reaction
was TO come. In 1886 Congress inserted for
the first time in the District appropriation bill
an item of CSC, 900 for opening and extending
suburban streets. With this and subsequent
appropriations the Commissioners extended
Massachusetts, avenue from boundary to Rock
creek, 18TH street from Boundary to Columbia
road, X street from boundary to LIST street
and Pennsylvania avenue from the East
ern branch to the Marlborough road.
videned Q portion Of Columbia road and
opened other useful roads in the county.
The extension Of Massachusetts avenue, the
purchase Of "Oak View" by President Cleye-
land and the real estate investment Of Secre-
tary Whitney in the same neighborhood were
made the occasion Of Q furious attack upon the
President and the Commissioners by prominent
journals throughout the country, aided by
leading Members of Congress on the floors of
the House and the Senate. These attacks were
undeserved and very unjust, but they gave