Evening star., 1901-09-28
New Building Regulations About to
Be Promulgated.
INCONSISTENCIES TO Be ERADICATED
Western Money Seeking Invest
ment in the National Capital.
SOME COUNTRY HOUSES

| New building regulations, prepared by the
| building inspectors force under the direc-
| tion of Capt. Gaillard, are nearly ready for
| PRONUNCIATION and when a few changes have
| been made they will be officially adopted
| and will be the guides henceforth for all
| persons who propose erecting buildings in
| the District.
The aim has been to revise former reg
| ulations in such way to eliminate
| many of the Inconsistencies and incongrui-
ties which have caused considerable vexa-
| ton in the past and led to no nconsiderable
| amount of litigation.
| Chief among the changes of this char
acter will be a rule governing the meas
| urement of the building lines on a lot
| where Improvement is contemplated by the
surveyor of the District In recent years
| the surveyors force; has determined, when
| requested the lines of such buildings and
| determined the exact dividing line between
| the lot and those on either side. In many
| instances these lines have been disregard
ed by builders and structures have been
put up that encroached not only on streets
and alleys, but upon adjoining property.
A Sensible Reform.
The new regulation will require a deter
minaton of building lines by the surveyors
force as formerly in the future and will
| when the walls are up to the surface of the
ground in order to ascertain If they have
been constructed on the correct lines. In
case they do not conform to the latter
properly the builder will be required to de-
molish such walls and reconstruct them
correctly With the increased force the
surveyor of the District now has available,
the number of field parties having been en-
larged to three. snch work will be prose
cuted with little or no delay.
If is Interesting 70 note in this connection
that the regulation above mentioned
was an original proposition of George
Washington's. which was eventually made
into law and enacted and approved in
August 1898 1t was entitled IAN act au-
thorizng the appointment of a surveyor of
the city of Washington and establishing a
surveyors office therein. > 1t read as fol-
lows:
That it shall be the duty of the surveyor
to attend, when requested, and examine the
foundation or walls of any house to be
erected when the same shall be level with
the street surface of the ground, for
the purpose of adjusting the line of the
front of such building to the line of the
street and correctly placing the party wall
on the line Of division between that and
the adjoining lot and shall give certih-
cate thereof
The above law made it the surveyors
duty to do such work when requested"
The regulation will be peremptory in
this respect.
Inquiries From the West.
In real estate circles there has been
continuation of the feeling that future
prospects are for healthy and substantial
| business Inquiries looking to investment
are coming from sources in the west which
have hitherto shown no disposition to seek
field here for surplus funds. Large
amounts of money from the middle states
and New England, especially. that Of cor
porations, has been spent here recently in
apartment houses and other realty Ventures,
but the indications of investments from
the west are something of a novelty in the
local market. 1t only goes to show, how
ever the increased recognition that the
capital city is gaining and the growing
confidence in the great future before it.
Speaking of apartment houses it is timely
to notice that the impression which OBJ
tained in many quarters that too many OF
them were being erected has been quite eff
fectually dissipated. The demand for flats,
according to agents who have the rental
of such things, is increasing in greater
! ratio than the supply Some one said the
other day that it wouldn't be long before
flat dwellers'' would be numerous here
as cave dwellers used to be in ancient days
out west.
Some Country Residences.
Several handsome country residences
which Washington people are erecting in
nearby Maryland are approaching com
pletion. The fine house of Mr. Clarence F.
Norment in the new subdivision, Alta Vista
in Montgomery county, near Bethesda
Park, is about ready for occupancy. 1t is
very attractive specimen of the moderate
colonial design, and will be modernly
equipped in every respect. Mr.. Norment
will have his own electric plant installed
in the cellar OF a summer house near the
residence, and the upper floor will be de-
voted to a billiard room
The wife of Colonel Whiteside is also
building pretty home at Alta Vista and
Architect A. P. Clark, Jr., is completing
plans for residence for Dr. Woodward,
the health officer of the District, which will
occupy a beautiful site.
Four miles further out near the junction
of the Rockville electric line and the Rock
Vile turnpike, the commodious house of
Mr.. Herman Hallerith, the inventor, is
being rapidly finished. Marsh and Peter
are the architects. When completed Mr..
Halerith's house win be one of the most
complete around Washington. 1t is colon
ial in style. The roof rs. covered with moss
green shingles and the outer walls are of
grey shingles. Wide porches finished in
white will surround three sides. Hot water
heat will be used, and e1ec- lefty will be
supplied by MOTOR genera or. All wires
walls, preventing alt danger of fire from
that cause. The outer walls have Innings
of non-conducting- material, composed of
sea weed and asbestos. Mr. Hallerith will
occupy this house as a permanent resi-
dence A mile down the Rockville turn
pike, the summer residence of Mr.. James
F. Oyster is being erected. 1t occupies one
of the most commanding sites in that sec
tion, cedar and poplar grown knoll that
has long been landmark in that vicinity.
Appleton P. Clark is the architect. The
style of the house is the old colonial, with
pillars and portico in front similar to those
of the house at Arlington. The view from
both Mr.. Oysters and Mr.. Hallerith's 8 houses
extends for miles, Within half mile of
hor -cfr, ,<,f. s-
upon which Mr.. John Joy Edison is prepar-
ing to build his country house. 1t will be
situated in fine grove of forest trees and
will overlook the residence erected this
year and now occupied by Mr.. Frank P.
ReeSide.
City Post Office Appointments.
Substitute clerks have been appointed for