Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-23
OLD WILLOW TREE COURT
Reasons Assigned Why 1t Cannot Be Trans
formed Into Street.
Does Not Come Up to specifications
rs to width and is Crooked
It's History.

From present indications it may be said
that Willow Tree alley will OF be changed
into a street. Its width is too narrow and
1t is not straight. These are the most
serious objections advanced against the
proposition to transform it.
For 4 long time efforts have been made
to convert the alley into a street. As far
back 1857 proceedings were instituted to
make the change, and the records of the
common council of Washington of that
cate contain an entry of a petition signed
by John p. Ingle. ID. W. Middleton. Col. A
n Gardner, John S. Mahan, Edward Il.
Stitts and James Adams, urging the i'm
provement. But it was never made and
the alley remains practically as il was
then.
Recently another effort has been made to
make street OF this alley, and the abut-
ting property owners filed with the Com
missioners a lengthy petition urging the
Improvement. The petition sets forth
among other things:
Arguments Used
Much of the property on the alley has no
connection with street or avenue except
through other lots. And yet during al!
this time, and. in fact, since the year 1909.
the owners have been taxed on this prop
erty, and the taxes have gone into the pub
lie funds and been expended on improve
ments upon streets, avenues and alleys i'm
other parts of the city
The petition urges that Congress- he na,i
TONED 10 change the alley into a half
street, and that the same be improved
Willow Tree alley is located i'm square GOO
ana extends from b street to c street
southeast between New Jersey avenue and
LIST street. 1t is thrty-five feet wide ana
Known as Willow Tree court When the
matter was investigated by the present
BOARD OF Commissioners ii was found
upon the report of the computing engineer
that:
fuonc act 141, approved July - 1892
expresses the intent of Congress that an
alley building line should be at least TWEEN
ty feet from its center line hence that
the alley should be at least forty feet wida
II used for dwelling houses Section 10 of
the Commissioners order relating to sub
DIVISIONS tas amended March 20 1897 pro-
woes that no minor street in a square
Shail be less than sixty feet, except un-
DER conditions that do not at all apply in
this case.
Public act 143. approved July ~ 1852
with Its amending act approved August ~,
1874, provides for the opening OF minor
streets from forty to sixty feet wide the
condemnation of the necessary land and
the asses sing of benefits equal to the dam
ages in the balance of the square.
Only Thfrfy-Five Feet Wide.
THE court is thirty-five feet wide is not
straight and is unpaved, but is included in
current advertisement for paving with
asphalt c. vitrified bricks, under the as
sessment system. Such being the existing
law and the physical facts in this case /
believe the Commissioners should with
hold their approval from this petition"
In the recommendation of Capt. Beach
to the Commissioners upon the petition he
GALES attention to the above report, and
adds. after expressing his belief that il
would be inadvisable to ask Congress to
make the alley Il street:
THE alley is of less width than required
by law for street, and. moreover, il does
rot run straight through the block. If the
adjacent property owners feel themselves
injured by this being declared an alley
they should dedicate sufficient adjacent
ground to enable 1t to become a street uil-
Der the law"
Whether the board of Commissioners will
approve this recommendation is not
known. AS the case stands at present, the
recommendation of Capt. Beach has the
approval of the Engineer Commissioner.
although neither of the other Commission
ers has as yet passed upon the case. When
the Commissioners return from their va
cation the matter will be taken up and de-
cided.