Evening star., 1898-05-21
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
What One Broker Thinks of the Build
ing of Apartment Houses.
BUSINESS PROPERTY At AUCTION
Proposed improvement of the Pike
Road to Rockville.
SOME NEW UILDING S

| Mr.. B. H. Warner, real estate broker
| in conversation recently with a Star re-
porter, said that apartment houses were
| becoming very much more popular than
they ever had been before in Washington
| because of the numerous improvements
| that were being made in construction and
| the additional Accommodations provided.
| Mr.. Warner said that during his visits
| to Europe he had noticed in many of the
cities that the popular style. of living was
| in apartment houses. At first this seems
| almost unaccountable, in view of the large
| amount of land easily accessible that could
| readily be improved. and of his former
| perience in America in renting separate
! houses to families.
| There were then no flats or apartments
in this city," he said, land no immediate
prospects of any. Several years ago a
start was made, and they have been stead
| lily growing in. favor ever since. Apartment;
| houses have number of advantages over
| private houses, among them being the ease
| with which parties can lock their doors
| and abse 1t themselves from their habta-
| tons for day, a month a year, and
| the fact that 1T costs comparatively less
| 20 live in such style than in private houses
| 1t costs less to furnish fiat than a private
| house
| Why Some Prefer Flats.
| Il know there are many people who dep
| recate the growth of the fiat system of liv-
| ing and pronounce it detrimental to the
| interests of the city, but I do not agree
with them. l think quite a large addition
will be made to our population by people
who will come here for the winter, and
| who prefer to take low-priced fats and
pay the rent for a whole year rather than
| go to the expense and responsibility of Sc
| curing an entire house. AS rule people
| who desire to live in flats want to have
| them we'll located and convenient of access.
| Many changes have taken place in the
| conditions of real estate during the past
| few years. A large number of property
holders have suffered loss in rentals, but
there is no use of fighting against the
changes which must necessarily result from
the Introduction of systems of rapid transit.
| 1t is not due to the growth of apartment
houses that so large number Of habita-
tlonS nave been vacant for the last two
years great amount of building has
been done. and in much better style than
formerly, and tenants have in many cases
moved farther out to get cheaper rents and
better accommodations, and old houses
have been idle; landlords have been COM
PEELED TO bring them up to standard of
excellence and convenience that would COM
pete with modern structures.
As n Result of the War.
Il predict very large growth for Wash
Hi6toh NitHlu TIE next lew years, not only
| for the reason that the city, it's houses,
| apartments and population are much more
| more attractive than ever before, but as
| result of the war. The civil war made
Washington what it is and now, although
| this, our present difficulty with Spain, may
| be of short duration. many people will be
brought to the national capital as the re-
suit OF the collision and the complications
| and conditions created by it,
Nna rlt
| for retrenching during the past several
| years. as incomes have shrunken as the re-
suit of hard times. The best we can do is
| to give the apartment house fair show.
! Several recent purchases by investors have
| demonstrated the fact that this class of
property Is expected to pay as we'll as any
investment in Washington"
Sewers in the Suburbs
The Commissioners of the District re-
| Gently began work en- the projected sewer
| in Cleveland Park, which will be prose-
| cuted to full and complete system for
| the Park. 1t will extend from the Tenley-
| town road. which is the western extremity
OF the Park. to the Connecticut avenue
| line, and from the latter, by large n'ain
| to interest the Geological extension of the
| city sewerage system.
business Property mt Auction.
| The two-story brick building on the south
| side Of New York avenue between l4th and
| 18th streets northwest, numbered 141O-l412
was offered at public sale Thursday by Mr..
c. c. Duncanson, auctoneer. The highest
bid received was $4,000, and then the prop
| erty was withdrawn. 1t has frontage of
q feet 512 inches by an average depth of
VI feet, and contains 2, $50 square feet.
The Rockville Pike.
1t Is expected in q short time active
work will be begun in Transforming the old
i Rnr kvill fLo
county seat of Montgomery county. Mary
| land. into a modern macadamized road, A
| few days ego the county commissioners,
under whose supervision the money to be
| derived from the issue of $25 COO in bonds
| authorized at the last session of the legis-
lature Is to be expended, made an inspec-
| ton of the proposed route of the new road
Since then they have instructed an engineer
| to make a survey. which Is now being DONE
1t Is understood the county commissioners
| intend to give out the work by contract
and It is probable that operations will be
begun at both ends Of the road BY the
terms of the law, which gives permission
for the issue Of bonds for the purpose of
| providing the necessary funds, the grades
on the road cannot be more than pcr
cent. 1t is understood to be the intention
| to make a roadbed about 20 feet wide and
have the entire road some forty feet in
width. The length of the new road will be
| about nine miles. and 1t is believed that its
completion will be an advantage not only
to those who now have to use the road, but
| to property owners all through that region
1t is thought that when the means of COM
| munication with the city are improved
| more attention will be paid to market
gardening and to supplying the markets Of
| this city with vegetables and small fruits
Some New Buildings.
From plans made by B. Frank Meyers
improvements and changes are to be made
| in the building on 18th street near E street
I
! F. v. Killian. owner. There is to be an
| addition and story fs to be added to the
| height of the building, which will make 1t
/ five stories. The front will be built of
| stone. and in the first story plate glass
| will be used
| The same architect has completed plans
4 for a residence for Julia B. Clark, to be
| built on Harvard street between 18th and