Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-17
A CIRCUMSCRlBED SECTION
Brightwood Avenue Citizens Present
Strong Case.
In Urging the Opening of Thirteenth
or Fourteenth Streets They Pre-
sent Some Graphic Facts,

Mr.. Louis P. Shoemaker, president of the
Brightwood Avenue Citizens Association
today submitted to the District Commits
sioners, by direction Of the association the
following letter:
I'VE urge upon the Commissioners and
through them upon Congress the opening
of 18th or 18th street. Both are necessary
not only to develop this section and allow
Washington city to come in this direction
put these streets, or at least one of them,
should be opened to prevent imminent dam
ger, great loss to our property rights and
perhaps destruction of life by the con-
tinued existence of wholly Inadequate
means of access and egress to and from
Washington city.
I'VE ask you to help us to remove the
Chinese wall, SO to speak which EXISTS at
Spring street, and enable US to extend 18th
and 18th streets beyond and into this inn
mediate and adjoining territory, SO that
the remarkable development and imnroye-
ment which we find extending to Snrine-
street and known as Columbia Heights MI
Pleasant and Holmead Manor, can reach
tnls immediate and adjoining section of
the District of Columbia.
How the Section is Circumscribed
Shall the city of Washington be circum-
scribed? Shall development and improve
ment be limited within the boundary of this
District?
Under existing conditions we ,,nhesitat-
lnely state that this result is being accom-
plished. We contend that the remarka hIe
development of Columbia Heights cannot
reach our admirable section of the District
because there does not exist a street in
this direction upon which it can come
There is not a street extended or open to
the District line upon which buildings and
improvements can be made, from the old
boundary line of the city between North
AMI n1 ctron
lance OF about two miles, except Bright
wood avenue.
Upon this important thoroughfare there
Is an electric car line; it is admitted to he
insufficient in width. 1t is perhaps destined
to be business street, and cannot possibly
afford the desired facilities for our section.
The only other highway is the Piney
Branch road a circuitous and abandoned
country roadway. 1t does not conform to
the proposed plan for the extension of
streets, and consequently improvements
cannot be made upon it, nor can the de-
velopment to which 1 have referred, known
as Columbia Heights and Mt. Pleasant pos
sibly reach this section. We are in sight
of this territory; every day we look upon
these admirable Improvements from the al
titude of Brightwood. They could be
reached on an electric car in ten minutes,
and with d carriage in fifteen or even less,
if 18th or 14th streets were opened.
Striking Comparisons.
Land is readily selling there for 50 and
81 per square foot. There great apartment
houses, numerous costly residences and
concerted streets can be found. Here, be-
cause we are suffering for access thereto,
land has to be sold, If at ALL by the acre
or at the low rate of 90 or 25 cents per
square foot, and our improvements, If we
can call them such, are of the most inferior
character, and will, in my judgment, oper-
ate in the future, if they are not detri-
ment and injury to this desirable section
of the District. You will agree with me
that such a state of affairs is a material
disgrace when We come to consider that
this is the capital city of the nation.
The continuation thereof is not only
great injury and injustice to and our
property interests, but il is absolute in
jury and injustice to the capital city, and
all Washington should assist US in our eff
fort to remove IL. We have had many
years and thousands OF dollars expended in
filing maps and making streets upon paper.
Hundreds, If not thousands of acres of
land owned today by private citizens of
this District, and upon which they are now
paying taxes, although sales thereof can
not be made to any one, have been appro-
prated to the public by reason Of maps
which have been filed Where is the street
which has been opened in this direction
upon which we drive and build? Where
is the land which has been condemned for
this public purpose and paid for from
public treasury, the only legitimate way
known to us by which private property
should be taken for the public use under
our CONSTITUTIONS"