Evening star., 1901-03-21
DEMOLITION BEGUN
WORkMEN EMPLOYED IN TEARING
DOWN sTEwART's CASTLE.
Dwelling Erected in the Early Seven
ties-Froperty Now Owned
by Senator Clark.

A force of workmen. under the direction
of Mr.. Frank n. Carver. the contractor.
began this morning the work of tearing
down the residence popularity known as
Stewart Castle. Owing to the prominent
location OF this buiiu,ng, fronting on Du-
pont Circle to the north and occupying
ground between Massachusetts avenue and
Connecticut avenue 1t has been one of the
features of that section for years past.
The removal~of the building is IN obedience
to orders received from the owner Of the
property, Senator Clark of Montana Over
year ago he purchased ii from Senator
Stewart of Nevada. and when the sale was
completed the latter. who was living there
moved out. Since then 1t has not been oc-
cupied.
1T had become very shabby and dilapi-
Improvement to the appearance of the To-
cality. even though nothing takes its place
1t is understood that Senator Clark has
no plans in regard TO the property He
mas not decided what to do with 1t, other
than to have the house removed There
are two uses which have been suggested
One Is that an apartment house be erected
there and another that the senator put up
a residence for his own occupancy
Mr.. Carver has until May to slear the
ground, and as he intends to remove
the material as rapidly as il Is taken from
the building, the work will go on in a more
ieisureiy fashion than would be the case il
the building space were to be at once util-
lied
Sufhcient progress had been made today
10 snow that the old structure had been
built in a rather substantial fashion.
IL Is not an old house, such things go,
having been erected only about thirty
years ago by Senator Stewart. With it's
tower terminating in a round pointed top
like an old-fashioned candle extinguisher,
and the mansard roof the building with
its succeed brick walls Is type of a
style of architecture that was once the
fashion, an example of which can still be
seen In the more pretentious class of resi-
dences in the suburbs of large cities.
When Senator Stewart built this house.
in the early seventies. the location was far
enough away from the then center of
population to make it not merely suburban
but country. All about was a stretch of
dreary commons. with solitary houses scat
tered here and there and brickyards and
truck and nursery farms occupying most
OF the territory.
Senator Stewart however evidently be-
lieved that the rural character of the sec
tion was destined to change, for at that
time, In conjunction with Mr.. c. J. Hilyer
and the late Mr.. Sunderland. he bought
large tracts Of land in that locality. He
and Mr.. Hillyer decided to build and the
house on Dupont Circle was erected by
Senator Stewart, while Mr. Hillyer went
west and built a home on Massachusetts
avenue near Florida avenue. on the site
now occupied by the residence which Mrs
Scott Townsend has lust erected. The
other member of what came to be known
as the California syndicate, because the
three men had come here from that state
did not build house
Senator Stewart has occupied the house
as his home practically ever since he built
1t except an interval of several years when
1t was leased by the Chinese government
Tor the use OF the legation in this city