Evening star., 1901-08-03
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
The Erection of Houses to Meet a
Constant Demand.
EXTENT OF THE WADSW0RTH HOUSE
Notable Landmark at the Head OF
18th Street.
GROWING POPULATION

A row of four houses is being built at
| the northeast corner OF l9th and Riggs
streets northwest by T. A. and C. L. Hard
| ing. They are to be three stories In helgnt,
| with fronts of light brick, designed after
! the French school of architecture. Three
| of the houses will be 2Ox6O feet, while the
corner house will be 21x6O feet. Ihe IN
| terror finish will be hard wood.
a row is also being erected at the south
east corner of 18th and Riggs streets by
John Nolan.
Three New Houses.
Now that the widening of Columbia road
has been finally determined upon it is the
intention of Messrs c. L. Harding and A.
T. Hensey. the owners of the half-finished
houses at the northwest corner of Colunl-
| bia road and 18th street, to complete those
' structures Some months ago the work
| of building was stopped, as 1t was found
| that they encroached on the proposed road
way of Columbia road. The width OF that
| thoroughfare, as 1t was frSt la1d out as
| country road, is still retained, but it was
| decided by Congress to increase the width
| of thirty-three feet to one hundred. Inc
| houses that were partially built EXTENDED
over some distance into the roadway as pro-
! jected, and now they are to be removed and
rebuilt farther back on the lots There
will be two fronting on Columbia road ana
one on 18th street Inc latter Will Uc oC-
cupied by Mr.. Hensey. 1t will be a double
house and the interior will have the spa
cious effects which such an arrangement
makes possible. The exteriors of all three
| buildings will be of brick and stone.
Sale of Vacant Ground.
During the past week tier Of lots on
Madison street between 18th and 18th
streets northwest was sold. The price paid
| was S1.35 per square foot. The property,
| which belonged to ]. B. Winner, is located
| on the south side of the street, and has a
frontage of seventy-two feet and depth
of ninety feet. 1t is not known definitely
what the plans of the purchaser, Mr.. Her
bert Wadswerth, are, but 1t is conjectured
that it is his intention to use portion of
the ground as a site for stable. Some
time ago Mr.. Huidekoper erected stable
on the rear of lot on this street, and the
portion fronting on the street is still unoc-
cupied. There is an alley in the rear which
is the approach to the building.
Mr. Wadsworth is building fine house
for his own use on Dupont Circle. 1t is
one of the largest private residences in the
city. and in some respects will be one OF
the notable ones. 1t occupies practically
the whole of the building space of the tri-
| angular square bounded by Massachusetts
avenue. 18th and P streets. The materials
used are brick of light shade and terra
Gotta. the latter being of a soft cream
color. that is especially attractive. The
latter material is used exclusively In the
broad frieze cornice and balustrade, and
gives not only fine color effect, but modi-
fies the tendency of the lines Of the struc-
ture toward emphasizing mere bulk.
A Substantial Residence.
While the building is not entirely COM
pleted, and for that reason its effect can
not be fully determined, still 1t would ap
pear that the first impression which the
structure will give will be that of size. 1t
may also be thought that the effectiveness
of the design, which is colonial, is weak
ened by the great number of windows.
| The house Is substantially built and the
| material used forms an admirable color
scheme so that the edifice will be an ad-
| dition to the notable specimens of domestic
architecture in this city.
Not Conventional.
There is nothing conventional in the in
terror, and in this particular the surprises
in the way Of the arrangement of the
rooms will give an additional charm to the
| house. which, 1t is understood, was de-
| signed entirely by Mrs. Wadsworth, who
| employed craftsman to put her ideas in
shape. The main floor is the second, with
the approach through an arched opening,
which extends through the first or base
ment story from the principal front on
Massachusetts avenue to P street. In ad-
diton to the domestic apartments there Is
a room at the east of the driveway, while
hall. which is to be paneled room with a
platform staircase the Massachusetts
avenue front, leading to the main floor.
The feature Of the latter floor will be the
ball room, which occupies nearly the whole
of the eastern end of the house. The cell
ing, is necessary In room of such pro-
portions, is very high and extends through
the height of the third floor, SO that it oc-
cupies two stories of the house. A large
central hall gives spacious effect this
| floor. and from 1t opens all the rooms, in
Guiding the ball room. The proportions of
the latter room are such as to admit above
the doorway a gallery for musicians.
The Demand for Houses.
In speaking recently of the additions be-
ing made to the number of houses in the
District. Mr.. A. 7. Hensey of the B. H.
Warner Company said that in the one To-
cality alone of Washington Heights eighty
houses had been erected in the past three
years, through the agency Of that COM
pany. Another member of the company,
Mr.. Clarence B. Rheem, who overheard
the statement, called attention to the fact
that the company had also been largely
instrumental in the building activity on