The Washington times., 1902-01-26
THE ASTORIA FLATS SOLD.
AlonzO o. bliss the Purchaser for
100000


The big Astoria apartment house, at
the corner OF G and Third Streets, op-
fosite the Pension Office building, has
changed hands. the new owner being Mr..
AlonZo o. Bliss. The price paid by Mr..
Bliss was 100000. He will expend about
$4,000 in repairing and rearranging the
buildings which are included in the
apartments.
The transaction is one OF the most in
teresting recently made in this city. The
Astoria is combination of two fiat
buildings, the Harrison and the Tavi-
stock, which were built several years
ago. They have been in the hands of a
New York realty concern recently, and
their purchase by Mr.. Bliss brings them
under local control again. 1t is said that
the two buildings originally cost much
more than the price paid by Mr.. Bliss.
Secretary Hays Property.
The experience of Secretary Hay and
his business men with the fine Connecti-
cut Avenue property in their attempt TO
secure capital for the erection of a fine
apartment house has been duplicated in
q number OF instances recently. Secre-
tary Hay bought this property with the
intention of ultimately erecting on il an
100000 apartment house. Plans were
drawn and an attempt was made to form
q stock company.
MIR Hay subscribed for a large part of
the stock, and a number of capitalists
were interviewed in tentative way re-
garding the balance of the capital to be
furnished. They hesitated, it is said, and
the plan is now in allegiance, with no
prospect of its immediate fulfillment.
The property is self-supporting, and for
this reason Secretary Hay and those as
sociated with him are not anxious 10
press their plan.
Is Flat building Ovcrdone.
It is said that this same unwillingness
TO embark in the apartment house busi-
ness has been manifested quite frequently
of late. Apparently capitalists are OF the
opinion that the business has been some
what overdone. There are arguments on
both sides Of this proposition, and good
ones.
1t is certain that the number of apart
ment buildings has increased very rapidly
in the few years since the first was built.
They have almost made revolution in
living al the Capital City And ii is quite
certain that the population of the city is
rot increasing as fast as the apartment
house building is, in proportion. In time
the timid capitalists say the people Will
ing to guarantee that they will not have
III lntlT lIlG spaCt
OF year. the term of the usual contract,
Will all have ceassd TO appear, and there
Will be no more new tenants. On the
other hand, there is the very clear argu-
ment of fact that up TO the present time
these buildings are all filled up rapidly
as soon as they are completed.
Two Apartment Houses Planned.
Architect 7. i. Schneider has made
plans for two large apartment houses, one
near the business section of the city and
the other farther out in the Northwest It
is stated that they will be quite as i'm
portant in size and cost as the other SINH
lar buildings erected by him during the
past few years. lie is not willing to give
particulars as 10 their location as yet.
owing to slight bitches in the transfer of
portions of the realty.
MIR. Schneider has had rather unsatis-
factory experience with capitalists in his
apartment house ventures. His build
jngs were erected by stock companies, but
the stock was not very generously sub
soribed. and he has finally bought in near
ly all the outstanding securities of all his
companies. II is said that he owns out
right the Cairo. and that his holdings in
The Sherman and the Aibemarle are very
large.