Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-01
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP.
How the Public Taste 10 Suited in BuildinR
Houses to Sell

THE GREAT ENoINkERINe TEArs IN THE CON.
sTRUcrIoS OF THE ELECTRIC RAILROAD ALONG
CONNECTICUT AVENUE ExTENDEp-soH FINE
/ BUILDING SITES AND THE PRICES PAID
THERE Is NO NEED TO ASK MAN
| - who builds houses to sell about the kind of
houses that are the most salable. All that he
can say on such a subject, all the experience
tnaf ne has gained, may be found right in the
| houses themselves. He builds the houses that
he thinks the most salable and, if they sell,
then the entire question has been demo IN trated
There Is no place for discussion as to whether
the public wants this kind of q house or that
KIND OF house, because the public has declared
| Its decision. Some one who really is anxious
| TO obtain information on this subject, either
because they have money to invest or have
made failure in house building may main
| tain that the question has not been an
swered because there is such q great variety
| i'll the styles and prices of houses. While
this variety exists it is also true that the con-
| ditions and circumstances Of people. vary
There are people who can afford to buy a
5000 house, and then there are others who
just as easily can pay down SIS, 900 for house.
| man who builds to sell can cater to either
class or to the intermediate classes. 1t is
found that the mean Of ability, to speak,
Is becoming higher, or in other words that now
higher-prlced houses can be sold more readily
than was the case several years ago. To build
more than one house that must be sold for
seven or eight thousand dollars each would
have been regarded few years ago as rather
risky enterprise Now the top notch is double
that amount. A few days ago a man who has
built largely to sell and is still building said
that there Is good demand for houses costing
ten or eleven thousand dollars. He expressed
the opinion that if he had a dozen houses OF
this class he could readily find customers for
them. Then. again, another man, whose eXpe-
Renee ls by no means limited, said that the
great need at present was for more houses that
could be sold for between seven and eight thou
sand dollars. No doubt if further inquiry
was made practical men could be found
WHO have discovered that there is money in build
ing houses to sell for from twelve to fifteen
thousand dollars. OF course there is a market
for houses that will sell for Il great deal more
and the scale of prices for fine residences ranges
all the way fl ON twenty-five thousand to one
hundred thousand dollars. But houses of that
character are not built as a rule to sell. Thev
are built by individuals who intend them for
their own use.
THEY STUDY THE PUBLIC TASTE.
A large proportion of house owners In this
city, perhaps larger than in any other city,
build their own houses But there remain q
great number who for one reason or another
prefer to buy house that some one else has
taken the trouble to plan out and superintend
its construction. To build houses that will suit
the tastes of the greatest number is the aim of
men who build to SELL What their idea is of
the popular taste may be seen in the houses
they build. Perhaps the most successful build.
ers are those who recognize the desire which is
common to humanity to make the best show
for the least money. This accounts for the
fact that the features which found in the
most expensive residences also introduced
In houses OF moderate cost. The use of hard
woods for interior finish is much more
common then it used to be. Stone is
employed as building material very
generally, although it costs more than
brick. Hardwood mantels, tiled fire.
places. steam heating and other details in the
finish of an expensive residence are found In
the cheaper classes Of houses. Stained glass
which is not so fashionable as it used to be. was
introduced in cheapas well as expensive houses
The style of finishing a parlor in white and
geld is not confined to costly residences. The
same Is true OF all the details OF q first-class
house. 1t Is possible to buy house with a
stone front and having hardwood finish for
moderate sum. Some may say that all these
things are at the expense of good construction
ana the use OF good material, but. however that
may be, the houses are built because they will
sell.
THE ROCK CREEK RAILROAD
The construction of the Rock Creek railroad
is making favorable progress In fact, the
greater part of the work is finished All that
remains to be done is to complete laying the
rails and to erect the power house. This
building is to be located at the northern
terminus Of the road. and when it is stated that
1t Will be just seven miles from the southern
terminus, which will be at the head OF Con-
necticut avenue and Boundary, some idea Of
the magnitude OF this enterprise will be gained
lhe building OF this road, which was begun
about year ago, would have been completed
by this time only that it was decided to wait
until the Baltimore and Ohio had constructed
its southern branch, which il to be run in a
westerly direction from Linden station. on the
Metropolitan branch, to the Conduit road above
the Chain bridge. This road il now being
constructed, and the engineers expect to have
that portion completed between Linden
station and the junction with the Rock
Creek road by the latter part of this
month. The power house, where the electricity
Will be generated. which will be used as the
motive power of the Rock Creek railroad. will
be located at this point, which Is two miles
from the District line in Montgomery county.
The rails for the northern portion of the new
road are to be brought over the southern
branch of the B. and O., as we'll as the fuel
supply for the power house. This will save the
great expense of the long haul from the CITY.
As is well known the Rock Creek railroad ia
being constructed along Connecticut avenue
extended which has been opened and graded
at the expense OF the syndicate owning large
tracts of land along the line of the road and
also owning controlling interest in the rail-
road company. Connecticut avenue is now
opened In straight line all the way from
Woodley Park t. the District line. a distance of
three and one-half miles. Owing to the broken
and rugged character Of the country, immense
fills and cuts were made, some of them as much
as fifty feet in depth, and two long and expeA-
slve bridges have been built. The first part of
the road near the city passes over city streets.
as 1t starts at the intersection Of Boundary or
Florida avenue with Connecticut avenue and
goes thence along Boundary to 18th, thence
along 18th, crossing Columbia road, and thence
through the subdivision of CliffDourne. which
lies between Lanier and Washington Heights,
to Rock creek.
LARGE BRIDGES.
To make the crossing at Rock creek an iron
bridge has been built 100 feet high and $50 feet
long. 1t is seventy-ive feet higher than the
new Woodley road bridge, which is just to the
south, and twice as long. The bridge. includ. |
ing the masonry, has been built ut a cost of
$4,000. 1t passes over the south end of the
Geological Park. Another bridge has been
erected to carry the road over the Klinyle road
at an elevation Of seventy feet. This bridge is |
400 feet long and, including the masonry. has
cost S42. 900. When the road reaches the Dis |
trict line it turns at a slight angle to the north
east and extends through Montgomery comfy
for two miles until il io1ns the pa,v -