Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-23
OBJECT TO PROPOSED SITE
Citizens Heard Upon the Location of Colored
Manual Training School
The Com ssiOners Asked to Make N
Change-GrOunds Upon which
Objections Are Based.


a hearing given today by the District Com
missioners that their proposition to erect
the Colored Manual Training School on the
south side of street between LIST and 81
streets. in square 553 does not meet the APP
proval of residents and property owners in
the immediate vicinity. The Commissioners
We're informed al this hearing that the To-
cation of the school on the site which they
have agreed to purchase. as was stated re-
Gently in The Star. will dcpreciate the value
of property Immediately adjacent and retard
to very great extent improvements CON
templated.
The hearing was given at the request OF
Mr.. George +. Hamilton, who represents a
number of the property owners and resi-
dents in the neighborhood, and he explain
ed to the Commissioners that his clients do
not place their objection to the location of
the school on personal grounds. but simply
base their opposition to what they believe
Will be a certain depreciation of the prop
erty values in the vicinity. The neighbor-
hood, stated Mr.. Hamilton, is rapidly I'M
proving, houses are being erected and pro-
posed to be erected for occupancy by white
people and they believe that if the school
should be located on the site proposed by
the Commissioners, it would be practically
impossible to rent the houses to any bur
colored people which would mean, the own
ers feel certain, reduced rentals.
The location of any public school, said
Mr.. Hamilton. whether for white or for col
ored children. is generally believed TO be
injurious to a neighbOrhood, ana residents
and property owners therefore are douhly
opposed to the location of the Colored
Manual Training School on the site selected
by the Commissioners. Mr.. Hamilton ex-
pressed the opinion that d site can be Sc
cured elsewhere which would not be objec-
tiouabe not much so as the proposed
one, and he suggested that it would be ad-
visable TO erect the building in the imme-
diate neighbOrhood of the Colored High
School or make 1t an addition TO that
school.
Builders Protest.
Mr. F. P. May, who intends, he said, to
erect eight houses near the proposed site of
the Colored Manual Training School, told
the Commissioners that, in his opinion,
their value will be very greatly deprecated
if the school is placed where the Commits
sioners now propose to build 1t. In fact, he
said he felt he would lose at least S5,Hp in
that event He stated that he has no OBJ
lection to colored people except where their
presence Injuries his property rights, ana
he therefore based his objection to the To-
cation of the school on the site In question
simply because Of that alleged fact HAD
he sooner known OF the intention of the
Commissioners in the matter, he said he
would have promptly lodged his objection
with them.
AS to that, remarked capt. Beach the
Engineer Commissioner, Il am under the
impression that the Commissioners re-
ceivel objections to each of the several
sites offered them for this school"
Mr.. Ferdinand Schmidt, owner of prop
erty near the site. explained to the Com
miSsiOners that his objection to the ioca-
ton of the coored school there is based
only on commercial grourds, believing that
its location will seriously injure its rental
value. He agreed with MIR. Hamilton and
Mr.. May that it would be advisable to
place the school in the immediate vicinity
of the colored High School.
Mr.. William Thompson Harris and Mr..
Charles S. Fletcher also expressed their
opposition to the proposed location OF the
school, the former believing that 1t would
be bad policy to place ii in a neighborhoOd
not already hlighted by the presence of 4
school, and both expressing the opinion
that to locate it on the site selected by the
Commissioners would mean certain and ex-
tensive depreciation Of property values in
the neighborhood.
At the conclusion Of the hearing the Com
missioners took the matter under advise
ment. 1t is not believed. however. that
they will reconsider their determination to
erect the school on the site selected by
them.