The times., 1899-07-23
NEW BUILDING OPERATIONS.
Statistics OF Notable Activity in
Home-Nakfng.

News of realty transfers during the past
week could be confined within a very short
paragraph. Owners and prospective pur-
ccaseTs are either out of the city or con-
filming their attention to other matters than
real estate deals. and the midsummer dull
ness is the result 1t Is not expected that
the revival OF business will begin before
September and October on anything ike an
important scale. Brokers report continue
enquiries. however. and express entire con
| fidence that the autumn Will witness the
best business of recent years. The cheap
| ness OF money. beyond any previous ex-
perience of Washington. and the high
prices of securities in both the local and
the New. York markets. make investments
in mortgages and stocks and bonds iInpoS-
sible at anything like former profitable
rates. and it is the general opinion OF b-si-
ness men that capital will turn to real
estate as the alternative. lf 70
The buying OF homes by people of mod
crate means promises to show quite as
much activity as the purely investment
buying during the coming months. 1t is
| this investment of new money in small
sums that the realty brokers' most desire
to witness. and that will really be the i'm
portant matter in the coming revival Cap
italists have been investing in real prop
erty during the past six months. and the
record Of large sales of business property
is already notable one. This indicates
what the clear sighted business men be-
lieve of the prospects of advancing prices.
and 1t foretells the buying OF the smaller
psopie, but it is not a realty boom in it
self.
Building operations have begun on a
large scale AS has been pointed out in
The Times heretofore. the builders and the
mechanics are all busy with work that
would last them well into the autumn IL
there were no new plans made. Something
OF the extent OF this activity is shown in
the records OF the Building Inspectors Of
fee for the first six months OF the present
year. These records supplement the re-
port of the Assessors Office a review OF
which has been printed heretofore. and
they show, as was suggested in The Times
yesterday, that the building operations at
present under way are much larger than
during last year. although the number Of
buildings completed in the year ending
June so was slightly less than during the
previous twelve months There has been
a steady advance in the number of permits
issued by the Inspectors office in the six
months and an even more rapid increase
in the size of the operations contemplated
and begun.
twenty-five brick and eight frame DWELL
ings OF total value of S1f9.17 One apart
ment house permit was issued; value S10.-
GOO The repairs and minor structures
begun made a total Of one hundred
Permits of a total value of S154 226.
During February permits were issued
for thirty-one brick and four frame
dwellings, several extensive alterations.
one big office building to cost S375, 600 two /
vpa anf and cir
in all ninety-seyen permits, the total value
to be S59e.722. March showed large in
crease in all classes of building, sixty-five !
brick and fifteen frame dwellings having !
been planned, in addition to a large brew
cry. a car shed. and two apartment houses. |
The total number Of permits issued was
2S3 and the total value was S4s2,60
The month OF May was the best CT the |
first ha,t CT ,be year. with the largest num- |
ber Of permits and the largest total value. |
The number Of permits issued for brick |
dwellings was las, and for frames 90 the |
total value being over 100000 Repairs |
and alterations were also large, amount |
ing to over sS0.00O. Seventeen apartment |
house permits were issued for buildings to /
cost $125,e00. Two large ofEice buildings, to |
cost SCI eco. were planned. The number of |
permits Of all kinds was SS1. and the value |
of the structures planned was SS06 500. I
June was very little behind May with |
96 brick and II frame dwellings, a large /
number Of alterations. three large apart /
ments, to cost s125,C0O; a church to cost |
$4,000. and a total OF structures OF all I
kinds Of 2sS. of a value Of sS6i 400.
The building operations for the six /
months were thus more than a thousand I
in number. including about 500 dwellings. /
mere than 30 apartment-hcuses, and sew
eral large office buildings. Another feature I
of the record is the large number of al
terations made. These alterations were in
many cases, extensive and important. the
larger part of them being in business
buildings which have been partially or
entirely remodeled. The total value OF the
improvements begun during the six months
was very nearly s4,000.000