Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-26

Some six years ago five dollars per square
| foot was paid for the southeast corner
| OF the Corcoran Square. The purchase
| comprised the ground at the corner of 10th
/ and III streets, where the fine residences
Of Col. John Hay and Mr.. Henry Adams are
| now located. At that time and for some time
afterward the price was regarded as very high.
| In fact it was the highest price ever known to
have been paid for residence property in this
| city. A few days ago, was stated in TIE
STAR, the northwest corner of the same square
was sold for $40 per square foot
which is again the highest price ever
| paid for residence property in this
! city. In the interval that has elapsed between
| these two sales property values have advanced
and there have been quite a number of salss Of
residence property for SIS per square foot and
upward A corner lot near Dupont Circle
| recently was purchased for IS per foot. The
triangular piece of ground to the west of
Dupont Circle, known the Holy Cross
Church property, was sold at auction fer So. 80
per square foot. Five dollars and a half was
paid for the lot at the northeast corner of 18th
and X streets, and there have been several
other instances where IS and upward have
been paid for residence property. 1t may be
seen. therefore, that with the exception of a few
choice locations S5 a foot for residence prop
erty in this city is top figure. The usual
81 and "a.
more marked advance in values is noted in
business properties. Property on + street. for
example. that four five years ago was valued
at - per foot is now sold for live and six times
as much prOporti0nate advance in values
has taken place in other business sections, with
possibly the exception of Pennsylvania avenue,
where values for years past have been far in
excess OF those prevailing on other streets in
the city.
REMOVING AN OLD BUILDING.
That to tear down is more rapid process than
to build up has been illustrated during the last
few weeks by the demolition of the st. Cloud
building at the southwest corner of 9th and
streets 1t is not often in this city that building
five stories high and of the size of the St. Cloud Is
removed to make place for a new structure.
The process has been watched with consider
able interest by those who have happened to
be In that vicinity While brick walls can be
torn down faster than they can be built, yet
after all it requires considerable planning and
experience to know how to take a building
down. The problem is very difficult one
when the building stands alone of from a
crowded thoroughfare. But when it is in the
midst OF busy business section
of the city and the space to be
occupied on the street side of the building is
only the width of the pavement. then the stu
alton Is one that is not free from perplexities.
Of course an important consideration is to
save lot future use as 1nucn OF the material IN
the old building as is possible. Before the
outer walls are touched the interior is stripped.
The doors. gas fixtures. lnantels and every thing
of this character is carefully detached and car
ried out Then the window sashes are taken
out and some times the window frames. but
more frequently the latter left until the
walls are demolished. The stage is then pre-
pared for the real work of demolition
to begin. The next point of attack is
the roof. In case it is tin roof the tin
Is cut of in long pieces and preserved. Then
the roof sheathing and timbers are removed
from their fastenings and hoisted to the ground.
The attic story is in this way denuded and
nothing but the side walls remain. The
problem that presents itself Is TO get the bricks
down to the ground without breaking them.
The cheapest way is to remove, as far posi-
ble the flooring, partitions, &C.. and then throw
the walls to the ground. 1t is said that fewer
bricks are broken in this way than in any other,
except when the bricks are actually carried to
the ground But of course the walls of build
ing fronting on a crowded thoroughfare cannot
be pulled down with safety 10 the public. In
the case of the ST. Cloud building u wooden
shute was built up from the ground
to the fourth story and the bricks
from the walls of the fifth were
carried down to this point and then they were
gently tobogganed down to the ground.
tuck. so as to speak, is taken in the shute as
each story disappears, and good proportion
of the bricks reach the ground intact The
flooring boards, joists and studdng are lowered
to the ground by ropes, while the plaster which
covered the walls and ceiling to a large extent
Is resolved into a fine powder, which floats
through the air and is carried away in the eyes
and clothes of the passers by. But. as the plaster
can t be used again. this occasions no loss to
the men interested i'll the old building. Nearly
all the material taken from an old building can
be utilized. and il soon finds its way into new
structures. There is advantage about
lumber OF this character. 1t is apt to be
thoroughly seasoned and does not warp and
crack as the stuff fresh from the mills generally
does. The oldSt. Cloud building has disap-
peared and the contractors, Messrs. Emmons K
King, who had charge of the work. feel relieved
that it was done without an accident of any
character.
NEW SUBURBAN SUBDIVISIONS.
There is quite good deal of work now in
progress in connection with suburban subdi-
sons of land Additional tracts of land are
being laid out, and distance from the city,
especially when along the line of a railroad
does not seem to be very much regarded.
During the past few weeks the old Grammer
property, on the west and adjoining Takoma
Park, has been subdivided. The lines of the
city streets have been extended out to that
point and the new streets will be of the same
width as those in the city. Fourth, 9Th. 9th.
9TH and Sth streets will be opened up through
this property, and the east and west
streets will run from Susquehanna to Wabash
streets. These the last of the river and
sound series adopted for giving names
to suburban streets. after the series of names
of the principal cities OF the country have been
exhausted The fact that both of these series
combined will not furnish sufficient names for
the entire street extension to the District lines
will probably lead to the adoption of another
system of street nomenclature. 1t is proposed
to begin after the last lettered street in the
city with naming the east and west suburban
streets 23d avenue, oath avenue and SO on.
which will allow an indefinite extension in the
future without making il necessary to change
the system. The lettered streets in the city
can be changed to LIST avenue, I'd avenue. &C..
without causing confusion.
The Bunker Hill tract. north Of and adjoin-
ing Brookland. is also being laid off and the
city streets located. The Davidge and Rose
properties. on 4th street east extended, between
lexington and the Catholic University grounds
are TO be subdivided. the proximity OF these
tracts TO the lexington electric road which
passes through the property, being considered
To be an advantage to those seeking suburban
homes. Edwin A. Greenough K Co. the
civil engineers who have been engaged mite
largely IN suburban work, have made the sur
vCys Tor the subdivision of n tract of land con-
tanning 20 acres adjoining the Clark Mills
place on the Washington branch OF the Balti-
more and Ohio This new subdivision which
has been made under the direction of ID. d.
Stone and others, will be known as Avalon.
! The Pickrell property Oh the Loughborouph
road. containing about IA acres. is to be sub
divided This tract of land adjoins the Davis
tract, which was recently purchased by the
Methodists as the location of the proposed