Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-03
MODERN WASHINGTON
SCORES OF IMHgHn1NT IMPROVE
MENTS COLLECTIVELY GROUPED.
Little Sketches Which Go to show
How the Cit IL Being Re-
built and BeautiHed.

.As the complete picture Is composed OF
little jabs from a paint brush" said q
Washington artist to Star man this
morning, $50 the improving and beautify-
ing Of city In minor and diverse ways
make one complete aggregate improve
ment.
There are at present many improve
ments going on In the capital which are
so scattered as to be scarcely noticeable
unless collectively mentioned. In my early
morning walks / have noted few of the
more conspicuous because they bespeak
business activity, solid growth Of the city,
the elimination Of the antiquated and the
substitution Of the modern, the demolition
of eyesores, the erection OF costly build
ings, and a score of other jabs of the fig
urative brush in the. painting of modern
Washington.
Vale the Brick Sidewalk.
Zone of the most important constituents
Of city is its sidewalks. The brick side
walks after so many years Of determined
attacks upon it, in which The Star has
been foremost is going fast, and may It's
departure be fastened, At Franklin Square,
New York avenue and 11th street. and at
several other parks and reservations, the
bricks have been or are being replaced by
cement The removal of the brick pave
ment on 10th street between Pennsylvania
avenue and E street marks the beginning
Of the end Of the brick sidewalk in the
downtown business streets. In various sec
tiOns Of the city, especially in the north
west, entire squares are being torn up
and cement substituted. The activity in
this line of Improvement is deserving of
especial attention. .
"In many streets entire blocks Of the
street pavement is being taken up and
new asphalt laid. In Southwest Washing
ton much needed improvements In this re-
GRO n mo a holt hnfr, crrfN-
stituted for cobble stones, or an entirely
new street pavement laid.
ION and streets the old rails Of the
former horse car line and the cobble
and asphalt substituted. The old rails on
4th street have already been taken up and
the street made smooth. AS against miles
of disused car tracks with their cobble
stone roadways two years ago, but a few
squares remain down today. In avery
brief time these relics of old days win have
entirely disappeared and the horse cars
of yore will In fact besa matter of memory
minders.
On the Edge iOf the City.
I'm two years the appearance of that
part Of the city just across the Rock Creek
bridge on the Chevy Chase line has been
completely transformed, and at great ex-
pense High hills have been leveled, deep
cuts filled UP, and many squares Of build
ing lots graded. A fine, wide, newly mac
adamized driveway now gracefully winds
around the base Of the hill. where but a
short while ago were steep inclines, under
growth and gullie5. A half a mile above
is another newly macadamized driveway,
winding most pictureSquely through the
forest trees into .tHe1 park. mountain
goat would have made the descent with
care year or two ago. The surround
ing hills are dottedCwfsh new, handsome
villas.
II -
years ago on Washington Heights now
consists Of rows OF brick dwellings, while
the steel frames OF tall apartment house
contrast oddly with Ctha few remaining
son Columbia Heightst lind Mount Pleas
ant buildings have gone up by the block,
and more are being added. This quarter
of town has become a center for apartment
houses. Some of the largest In the city
are situated there.
1.-THE Bladensburg road, with its combined
asphalt and Belgian block pavement, must
not be overlooked Work on it is progress
ing rapidly. Every country road Leading
into Washington ought to be paved In this
original and very satisfactory manner, and
no doubt in time will be. as the Commits
sioners are strongly In favor OF the I'M
prOvement. The roadway Of the Benning
road. laid as an experiment, has worn ex-
cellently.
WashingtOn's Sky Line.
1.-THE sky line of Washington Is destined
to undergo considerable change before the
first snow flies.
I'm different parts Of the city are rising
the steel frames of tall apartment houses.
Most Of these are eight stories and over in
height. These buildings represent the lat
est examples of the architects art, and are
decided and striking improvement, to be
followed, no doubt, by many more of the
same kind. The more prominent of this
class of uncompleted buildings are those on
~ nf~ gar, ,&~
18th streets, I and 18th streets Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Washington circle, East
Capitol and 9th streets and others, while
on 18th street near U nearly full square
front is about completed.
Building operations are active all over
the city in dwellings and smaller apart
ment, the Southern railway building end
gether with the proposed ten-srory office
building at 10Th and G streets, will make
q new sky line in that vicinity, as have
The Star building, the Post Office Depart
ment, the Southern Railway building and
Wizards Hotel, on Pennsylvania avenue.
Householders all over. the city are recon-
structing. repairing, remodeling and en-
larging their holdings to degree tina. must
keep carpenters and masons busy. AS one
walks or drives through the different seq
lions these improvements were never so
numerous as now and invite the attention
of the observing.
The Stone Arch Long Bridge.
"One very great Improvement for Wash
ington. originally suggested In the editorial
columns Of The Star. perhaps we will real
ize in the near future, and that is that the
Long bridge will be replaced at the time Of
it's contemplated Improvement with a stone
arch bridge rather than one Of spans of
steel. From an artistic standpoint this
suggestion Is excellent, while from a utili-
tartan standpoint it is perfect. It will be
lasting monument to the company build
ing 1t. Washington has in Cabin John
bridge the longest stone span IN this coun-
try, and with stone orch bridge over the
Potomac 1t would have one of the finest Of
the kind.
AN eyesore which greeted every incom-
ing visitor who a1ighted from the Baltimore
and Ohio trains, the unkept reservation on
Indiana avenue from LIST street to New Jer-
sey avenue. has been wiped out by extend
ing the car tracks to the loop on 1st street
northeast and grading, curbing and sodding
the reservation and additional space ac-
quired. Artfstically Inclined people breathe
a sigh Of thanks evera THE they ride by.
''The finishing Of TIE big main sewer
which runs under the west Capitol grounds
Is an Improvement. enough not visible, OF
the utmost importance,,whlle the extension
Of the Pennsylvania. avenue cars out that
thoroughfare southe2A 20 the Washington
bridge has opened ufta6t24therto tnaccessi-
BILE district. AS ona fesHlt several solid