The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-07-26
AVENUE PROPERTY.
FACTS WHICH SHOW THAT IT is
HOLDING ITS OWN.
Quickly Snatched UP When offered for
Sale and Rentals Well Maintained-
The General Growth of Business De-
manded More Room.

Is 1t because the business centre of the city
is changing or is it because business has in
creased so largely within the past few years,
that Pennsylvania avenue no longer holds
sole title to the mart of Washington AS an
answer to this question 1t might be truly said
that there is just as much business being done
In the mercantile line on the Avenue to-day
as in years past, and this means good deal,
for there was time when along the Appian
way of the Republic could be found ''the
merchant and his wares' to supply the people
of the capital.
The changes in the business blocks along
the Avenue have been comparatively few, but
those that have been made have been in the
way of improvement. To account for this ap-
parent lack of growth it might be explained
that many Of the properties are owned by
estates and are under the control of guardians
or trustees with limited powers Rentals,
however, have steadily increased, and no va
can't stores are discovered. Indeed, there has
long been general impression that merchan-
disc costs just a little more ON the Avenue
than elsewhere because of the high rents
asked, but whether such has really been the
case it is not easy to determine. One thing
is certain, however, and it is that Pennsyl-
vania avenue property, never wants for a
purchaser when on rare occasions any of it
is offered for sale This confidence in Avenue
real estate is not confined within the
boundaries of Seventh and Fifteenth streets
1t is pushing eastward to the Capitol and be-
yond, and westward to Washington circle.
Especially has property along the Avenue
west of Seventeenth street to Twenty second
street taken an active boom within the past
few years and it is also now becoming a
scarcity in the market. The cable road and
the new City Post Office will detract nothing
from the value of property along this great
thoroughfare.,
Ii, then, 1t is not that the business centre of
the city is changing what else is it but the
natural and healthy growth of its population
and wealth that have made it necessity for
business to increase proportIonatelyp This is
the true secret of the matter. There is not
the room on Pennsylvania avenue for all the
business demanded by the city's population,
and those in the mercantile line who cannot
find the space required there have sought
their sites as near as possible along the ada
cent streets. Principal among these is
street, the Wall street of Washington, already
surprising in the value of its handsome bust
ness blocks any other thoroughfare in the
city. f street, however, differs Materially
from Pennsylvania avenue In the class of
business to which it is more largely devoted.
1t is street comprising principally semi
professional class of business, of which real
estate forms the prominent feature; but while
this fact is conspicuously patent to the obser-
yer of signs, 1t can be easily discovered at the
same time that in the mercantile line street
can boast of the finest structures in the city.
Looking eastwardly from the Treasury De-
partment can be seen the following elegant
buildings, most of which have lifted their
heads into the skies within the past few years:
The Corcoran Building the Kellogg Building,
the Glover Building, the Ebbitt House and
Hooe Building, the Adams Iron Building, the
Stn Building, the Beverldge Building, the
Lansburgh Building, the Houghton Building,
the Combination store (soon to be occupied by
Messrs. Robinson, Parker 81 Co.., the Metz
croft Building, the store of Messrs. w. b.
Moses ~ Sons, to which another large addi-
tion is now being made the new building
in course of erection by General Strong on the
corner of Eleventh and f streets, the Boston
House, which occupies nearly half block;
the Goldschmidt store, the Atlantic Bnilding,
the National Union Insurance Company
Building, the Warner Building, the Columbia
National Bank, Masonic Temple, the magnif-
cent building of the Washington Loan and
Trust Company on the corner of Ninth and f
streets, and the Pacific Building, one of the
pioneers of office buildings. There are many
other first-class buildings along street, but
those mentioned are such as would strike the
eye at once of the casual observer.
The scarcity of property for sale and the
naturally high price of ground along F street
have had marked effect on property values
along G street, and the streets connectingfwith
the Avenue. G street at this time shows un-
usual activity in the direction of building, and
already shows what may be expected in the
way of its development into thoroughly
bushes street. Between Fourteenth and
Fifteenth streets on the north side there is
the beautiful building now occupied by the
American Security and Trust Company, as
well as the massive structure in process Of
building occupied temporarily by the Builders
Exchange, and the well adapted building OF
the West End National Bank Along further