Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
A Continued Confidence in Future
Activity Generally Prevails.
A GLANCE At AUTUMN CONDITIONS
Increased Inquiryfo Eligible Houses
by Prospective Residents. :,
IN THE BUILD LINE

Diligent inquiry among real estate deal
ers during the past week failed to develop
any deals in property out of the ordinary
run. There seemed to be feeling of con-
fdence among them, however, that the
immediate future promised activity of
healthy character while the coming spring.
it was thought, would show return to
something like old conditions before the
depression. While this sentiment prevails
there will not be any tendency toward the
lowering of prices, for either inside or
suburban property. Owners of realty who
can afford to hold it as well as their rep
resentatives are thoroughly sanguine that
the value now placed upon District real
estate Is conservative and that 1t will be
but d short time before this conviction is
abUndantly substantiated. 1t is said that
the reason why no very substantial invest
ments have been made in the immediate
past By those who are known to have money
and VINO are also known to contemplate
investing it in realty is because great
up for sale in the early. fall under fore
closure proceedings. Those acquainted with
the conditions prevailing in this direction
state that many sales under mortgages
will take place about October. and that
some of the property involved will be of
a most eligible character. Consequently 1t
is said that prospective investors are
awaiting the opportunities that will be Of
fered to secure at public sale property that
would command great deal higher price
by private negotiation.
Outsfders Want Homes.
The inquiry for rental property continues
to grow animated. Nearly every real es-
tate dealer in the District who devotes any
particular attention to the renting Of houses
reports the receipt of many interrogatories
of this cha1act A number of the in
quiries come from persons who have not
heretofore resided in Washington, but VINO
contemplate doing SO during the coming
winter. Mr.. E. c. Baumgras received four
letters one day this week from well-to-do
people requesting him to look around for
eligible houses. Two of these letters We're
from wealthy residents of Chicago VINO
wanted well-arranged and commod1us ram
lily houses and the others were from nom
residents of Washington who were spend
ing the season abroad and who wanted
similar houses. One of these correspond
ents was in Paris and the other in Lon
don.
Clerks Seeking Their Own Homes.
Several real estate dealers also report
that there is considerable inquiry on the
part of department clerks, who have here
tofore lived in rented houses, for oppor-
tunities to purchase homes. 1t is under
stood that since President Mckinley is
sued his civil service order, declaring that
no employee of the classified service should
be dismissed from office except for cause
there has been tendency on the part of
property owners and their agents to offer
easier terms to government clerks who
de sire to purchase houses, and consequently
1T is expected that the next four or five
months will see good many deals of this
character.
Tho arcnitects are kept fairly husv r,lap
ming preliminary work, and the last week
of the summer season at the building in
spector's office showed considerable &C
tivity. Fall operations have not yet begun
to any extent and the work begun in the
spring and early summer is nearly COM
pleted. The records of the building in
spectOr's office. however. for the past three
months is d very good one and far beyond
the expectation that those engaged in the
building trades entertained earlier in the
year. The weekly average of the money
represented by the permits issued during
this period has been something over $780,
OoO. and about three-fourths of the money
spent has been for new buildings.
At the Building inspectors ONCE.
During the past week a number Of per-
mits both for new buildings and substan-
tial repairs to old ones have been issued.
Henry G. Lewis will have erected by ].
H. Lewis a press-brick front dwelling, No.
Sli 9th street northeast, 16 by 30 feet in
dime nsions, at a cost of $1,000. 1t will be
two stories and cellar and have a full bay
window.
Charles Ochenshausen will improve his
premises, No. 81 L street northwest, by
the addition of a back building u by n
feet in size He will also build a brick
bake oven in the rear of his lot IL by 10
feet in size and two stories high. The cost
will be $1,000
W. Mckinley has taken out q permit to
erect two-story brick dwelling at No.
1S22 18th street northwest. 1t will be q
feet inches front by "a feet q inches deep,
WITH press-brick front with full bay win
dow. The cost will be $500
sydney G. Hunt will rebuild for Charles
Early two brick dwellings. Nos 900 and
III 18th street southeast, 20 by % feet in
at cost of $500. Both houses
will have bay windows.
On Columbia Heights.
Plans have been prepared, contracts let
and work begun on three houses on Column
bia road near 18th street, one for Mrs
Mary T. McAllister. one for Mr.. E. L.
Evestaphier and one for W. b. Wood, from
drawings prepared by Mr. Wood The
houses will be similar in PLAN The first
two will be situated on lots having a 'front.'
age Of twenty feet on Columbia road, while
Mr.. Woods house will be twenty-five feet
front. There will be "a parlor, reception
kitchen on first floor. A large cellar under
each house will contain furnace, storage
SPACE and laundry The kitchen will be
connected with the cellar and upstairs
rooms by private stairs. The front stair
ways will be very handsomely treated in
dark wood, colonial style. The parlors
will he in modified empire style, and the
dining rooms finished in dark natural
wood. with pareling and tapestry The
view from the dining rooms and back par
lCrs. will command through the trees a
good part Of Washington and alexandria.
There will be six bed rooms and bath on
the second and third stories. The fronts
will be of Indiana lime stone and gray
Raritan Roman shape bricks. surmounted
with red tile roof. with all trimmings of
copper. The upstairs wood work will be
in enameled white. Tiled vestibules and
bath rooms. nickel plumbing and porcelain
lined tubs will be introduced Mr. Wood
now has under construction in this section
thirteen houses and three further out in
Cleveland Park, with two more on the
books for Cleveland Park to be, started
shortly.
Plans are being prepared by Architect H.
A. Campbell for store and residence
building to be built on Kenesaw avenue,
Columbia Heights. 1t will be three stories
above the cellar, with a 20-foot front of
brown stone and bun brick, the first floor
having show windows of Mate glass and