Evening star., 1902-08-02
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Use of Cement Instead of Iron
in Construction.
ERECTION OF HOUSES
FEATURES OF LARGEST PRIVATE
RESIDENCE IN CITY.
A Great Demand for Houses Reported
Increase in the Number Of
Tall Buildings.


cement is found in the method of construct
ing the vault under the sidewalk about
the office building which is being erected
by Gen. Anson Mills at the southwest cor
ner of Pennsylvania avenue and 18th
street. Instead of the usual form of con-
structon, consisting of iron beams and
brick arches, cement is to be used. At
present the space which is thus to be COW
cred has frame work of wood, which
is to be used as temporary support until
the cement hardens. The girders are made
of cement, which is nodded in a frame,
with iron rods imbeded in the material.
The cross beams which extend from the
girders are made in the same style, thus
forming a framework Of cement which is
similar to the style adopted when iron is
used. The flooring which is to cover this
frame work will be blocks of cement stiff
fened with iron rods. A somewhat similar
use of this material is found in a bridge
which was recently built over Broad
branch, at the south entrance to the drive
through Rock Creek Park. In that case
the iron beams are imbedded in the cement
which forms the arch of the bridge. The
parapet of the bridge is made Of cement.
Erection Of Houses.
Eight three-story houses are being built
on Baltimore street between 18th and 10Th
Simmons, architect. Gray brick and stone
to be used in the fronts Each house
will contain ten rooms, and there will be
two bath rooms. The frontage will be
eighteen feet and the depth seventy-niae
feet.
A row of seven three-story houses on
East Capitol street between 18th and 14:h
streets has been sold by j. Augustus Tay-
lor, real estate broker. to a Philadelphia
capitalist as an investment. The price
paid was $4,000.
Fireprcof House Construction.
In one respect at least, if not in others,
the house which Mr.. Thomas F. Walsh is
building at the southeast corner of Massa
chusetts avenue and 21st street, under the
direction Of Mr.. Frederic w. Carlyle, will be
unique. The construction will be thorough
ly fire-proof. There will be no lath and plas-
ter partitions, and all the floor beams and
joists will be of iron. The exterior walls
aresnot steel, for in a building of that
Height there is no particular object in sub
Stituting iron for brick and stone. Up to the
level of the mansard roof the walls are
brick, with the outside faced with brick
and stone of light shade.
The mansard roof is formed of ribs of
iron filled in with terra Gotta. All the parti
tions throughout the house are terra Gotta,
while the floor josts are covered with
metal, upon which the plaster for the cell
ing will be laid. There will be no wood in
the house, except that used for the covering
of the floors and for the adornment of the
rooms. 1t is estimated that the iron work
alone in this structure will cost over $50, 600.
A Large Sum of Money.
There IS another feature of the house
which will give some idea of it's size and of
it's cost. 1t is understood the contract for
the wood work alcne that will be used in
the interior calls for expenditure of
about $3.50, 600 A conservative estimate Of
the amount that will be expended in the
building of this house is not less than $780,
600. This latter figure does not, of course,
include the furnishings.
The great size cf the structure has, of
course, much to do with the cost, as well as
the superior character of the construction.
1t is said to be the largest private resi-
dence in the city.
Some Large Homes.
The home of Mrs. Townsend, which is on
the opposite side of Massa chusetts avenue to
the west from the Walsh house, has a great
er frontage, as it extends some hundred
feet while the residence of Mr.. Letter
fronts over a hundred feet on New Hamp-
shire avenue. The Corcoran house has per-
haps an equal width, while the residence of
Mr. S. Walter Woodward, Connecticut and
wyoming avenues, Washington Heights, has
a generous width on the latter avenue The
house of Mr.. Walsh, however, while it ex-
tends along Massachusetts avenue only
about eighty-five feet has an average
depth of about one hundred feet, greater
depth than have any of the large homes
mentioned. Above the three stories is the
mansard roof which is also a full story,
while three stories is the height Of the usual
city house.
Such progress has been made in the con-
structon of this house that the terra Gotta
roofing is being put in place and the in
terjOr walls nearly ready for the finish
ing work
Population in High Buildings.
The modern tendency, in cities at least,
to live up in the air during business
hours, owing to the increase in the build
ing of sky scrapers for offices and other
purposes is not known in this city. An il
lustration of the increase in the number
of such structures in the business sections
of the city is found in plan adopted by
one Of the merchants. He had a wide eX-
panse of fiat roof covering his three-story
building. Observing that the occupants of
the high buildings in the locality COM
manded a good view of this space he pro-
ceeded to cover it with large lettering in
white, setting forth the merits of the goods
| he had for sale. In the event the aerial
population OF the city is increased by the
perfection of flying machines, this business
announcement Will come under the eyes of
| a constantly growing number of people. AS
| 1T is the roof sign Is quite extensively
read.
Houses for Rent.
While it seems rather early in the
| season to talk about the house renting
period, which is a usual feature of the fall.
still, in spite of the calendar a number
of the brokers of the city have their at
! tention called to the subject by clients.
| One of the brokers stated that their rental
department is buster now than has ever
| before been, the case at this season and
the demand for houses, even from those
who pay high rents is very good. Mr.. Hill
| of Moore & Hill, real estate brokers, is one
| of those who report good rental busi-
| ness, while Mr.. c. B. Rheem of the b. IL.
| Warner Company, states that with that
| firm the demand for houses is unusually
| active. In fact, the real estate business
! has to some extent in the past year or SO
| abandoned the usual summer vacation.
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