Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
A Noticeable Increase in the Volume
of Business.
A FACTOR IN PLANS FOR TEE SUMMER
Growing Importance Of This City as
a Manufacturing Center.
SOME IMPRO EMEN I S

SOME IMP ROW E E n L S
No doubt the gentle but persistent rain of
the past week has had a good effect on
vegetation and eventually will be of bene-
fit to the real estate market inasmuch as
it has improved the appearance of urban
and suburban real estate and made it more
attractive to the purchaser For the time
being, however, the constant driZzle of
moisture, varied by lively downfalls of
rain, tended to keep people indoors as much
as possible and served to check the in
crease in the number of inquiries which
have been pleasantly growing more nu-
merous in the real estate offices. 1t is
likely that If the weather had been more
favorable the past week would have sur
passed the record thus far this spring in
the line of activity in the real estate mar
ket. Now that the climatic conditions are
presumably more settled real estate deal
ers look forward to quite a good deal In
their way of business All the dealers have
noticed a very sensible increase in the vol
ume of business, and it is believed that this
will continue to be feature of the market
for some weeks to come.
Favorable reports come from the archi-
tects' offices, where it is said an unusual
various stages Of completion. Some of
these Of course are merely suggestive as
showing what can be done with cert ain
piece of property, as well as forming
basis for an estimate of the amount of
money that would be necessary to carry
them out. 1t is quite usual for those con-
templating improvements to have plans
prepared to see exactly what can be
done in order to determine whether 1t
would be advisable to make the improve
ments. Some of these tentative enterprises
will involve large sums of money in their
execution and will result in handsome inn
provements both in the business and resi-
dent sections of the city.
As n Summer Resort.
Naturally the attention of the public is
now being turned toward the suburbs and
the possibilities of the country are being
studied, either with a reference to making
a permanent home there or merely Sc
curing quarters for the summer. The sub
urbs of this city receive important consider
alton when people are making their plans
for the summer. constantly increasing
lumber of people are realizing not only
the attractiveness of the suburbs as a place
of residence and their convenienceS to the
city, but their advantages in point of
health, especially as compared with the
many so-called summer resorts. This de-
mand for summer residences near the city
has led to the erection of quite a number
Of houses which are available for lease for
period of few months. The merits of
washington as summer resort are now
recognized and the possibilities of the sub
urbs in this direction are also being util-
lied. The increase in facilities of commu-
nication between the city and the suburbs
has no doubt contributed materially to
this result, but, however that may be, the
fact remains, and it needs only to be gen.
orally recognized.
Our Manufacturing Interests.
Recently resident ofWashington.received
an inquiry from the head of a manufactur-
ing firm in a western city stating that it
was the intention to remove the plant to
some point east, and that his attention had
recently been called to published state
ments that Washington had become quite
manufacturing center. He desired to
kI.ow If this was the case, and what advan-
tages this city possessed for enterprises of
this character and what grounds there were
for saying that Washington was manu-
featuring city If such an inquiry had
come to citizen of the nations cap
ital who does not keep posted on the
progress the city Is making in this direc-
ton, as well as in others, the chances are
that the inquirer would have been told
that it was all mistake, and that the
manufacturing interests here were extreme
ly small
of the letter was familiar with the statis-
tics of manufactures, as compiled under the.
direc ton of the general government in the
census of 1890. He knew that in that year
there were 1896 manufacturing establish
Tnents here with an invested capital
of nearly s29oOO,0OO, giving employment
to over $1,000 people and paying in total
wages nearly $15,oOO,0OO annually. These
figures, remarkable in the evidence they
give of the extent and Importance of the
manufactures of Washington, represent
conditions which existed five years ago. Be
yond question, this phase of the active life
nf he
growth and prosperity of the city, which
has witnessed an addition to the population
of 5000 each year and the expenditure of
millions of dollars in the erection of new
buildings and in improvements
A Promising Future.
Shrewd capitalists have noted the grow
ing Importance of the manufacturing inter-
ests of the city, and, as already is known
to the readers of The Star, land has been
purchased at the Little Falls of the Po-
tomac with view of erecting a plant
there and transforming the power of the
river into electricity to turn the wheels of
manufacturing establishments, and also,
possibly, to provide the motive power
for street railroads. Another company
has a location at the Great Falls, and
it is stated that it is proposed to estab-
fish plant for similar purpose at that
point Large buildings have in recent years
been erected in this city, which are suppl
ed with power for the use of manufactur-
ing concerns.
AS Washington stands at the head of
tide water of the Potomac, it has excellent
water communication with Baltimore, Phil
adelphia, New York and points along the
coast, both north and SOUTH and in addi-
ton, of course, it has the railroad facili-
ties which are in these days enjoyed by
large cities. From this hasty summary of
some of the advantages which this city
possesses for manufacturing purposes, it is
evident that the board Of trade and indi-
vidual citizens have made no mistake when
they have set up the claim that this city
has now large manufacturing interests and
is destined to become still more popular
center for enterprise of this character.
Some improvements.
Plans for three dwellings to be erected for
Thomas T. Keane at Sd street and Virginia ,
avenue southwest have been prepared by
A. B. Mullett & Co., architects. They are to
be two stories, with bay fronts of press