Evening star., 1902-08-30
New Homes of Prominent
Men Attract Wide Notice.
HIGH PRICES FOR LAND
GEN. WHITESIDE'S COUNTRY
HOUSE AT BETHESDA.
National University Building-Artifi-
cial Ice Plant Proposed-Extensive
Sales of Suburban Property.

Washington real estate is being extern
sively advertised in New York and other
cities without cost to local property hold
ers- Half a dozen metropolitan papers, for
example, have recently printed pictures of
Mr.. Thomas F. Walsh. together with cuts
OF his proposed new office building at 14th
and @ streets and his extensive and i'm
posing residence now being built on MasSa-
chuSetts avenue. In many other instances
out-of-town papers have followed a similar
course, so that today the outlines of the
Letter house, Mr.. Thomas Nelson Pages
new home. the Childs house and many other
of the more pretentious capital city homes
are entirely familiar to newspaper readers
elsewhere.
This recent interest in Mr.. Walsh's Wash
tngton real estate operations has led to
much gossip among local agents as to the
number of prominent men who have been
attracted TO the capital and have beauti-
fed the city with handsome houses.
Even a partial list assumes notable pro-
portions. Among those mentioned this
morning were ex-senator John B. Hender-
son of Missouri, Mr.. B. H. Warder of Ohio
MIR. W. P. Kellogg OF Louisiana, Judge j.
NJ. Wilson. lawyer of national reputa-
tion of Indiana; Mr.. c. ]. Hillyer of Cali
Patton Of California, Mr.. Letter, Judge
BOardman. Gen. Anson Mills, Mr.. Patter-
son. Mrs. Childs, Mr.. Page and Mr.. James
ElverSOn. the last-named being the pro-
prietor Of the Philadelphia Enquirer.
To this list must be added those who
have come here as office-ho,ders or are at
present prominent politically and who have
made many costly Improvements. such as
Chief Justice Fuller. Justice Brewer, Jus
tice Brown and Justice Harlan of the Su-
preme Court. Senator Mcmillan, Senator
William A. Clark, Senator Sawyer, Senator
EIkins and many other members of Con-
gress. and Secretary Hay. who is how pc
culiarly a WashingtOnian and who is con-
Etructing very costly apartment house on
Connecticut avenue
Come to Invest as Well as Build
Homes.
All Of this suggested Itself 70 Mr.. Louis
p. Shoemaker the other day and moved
him to make the following comment:
Ten or fifteen years ago the men of
national reputation who came here content
ed themselves with building residences
Now they come here rot only to live. but
10 invest their money. This has been a
great advantage to the city. OF course, but
II entails another advantage not often con-
sidered. l mean that the smaller investor
has been most PrOfitab!y affected.
You never hear people ask these days
whether real estate is ever going to equal
the prices Of the sO-Caied boom. The men
who buy property here know from their
own experience that while no boom is on
so 10 speak. the market Is entirely salts
factory. and lots on +, q and 14th streets
and New York and Pennsylvania avenues
Fell for more than they would have brought
in 1880. Not long ago fifty acres of ground
at the intersection Of Connecticut avenue
and Pierce MIL road were sold 10 men who
began at once to spend perhaps $4,000 in
improving ii, exclusive of the cost OF build
angs. Some land near Briehtwood. sold as
acreage property at S1,Jo0 per acre. has
been subdivided and is row selling for 20
or % cents a square foot.
Il might go on citing instances but
these are enough to show that capi. alists
feel abundantIy justified in making invest
ments IL the District, although property
here is not now on any boom. but coaserva-
lively increasing In value. Speculative and
more rapid advance Heut in values will now
be found to exist in the new or greater
Washington beyond the city limits The
reason for this is well understood. For pub
lie ard private Improvements have been
made in the old city and values in DOWN
town and desirable business sections have
been Influenced TO their utmost extent
Whereas public and private improve me nts
are just being made in the new Washing
ton, and this development is causing and
II Will continue TO cause, great increase in
values
A New Country House in Bethesda.
Gen. S. NJ. Whiteside has exemplified the se
principles by building. near Bethesda. Md.
. very handsome country house which this
issue of The Star adds to the number OF
similar buildings Illustrated in these COL
umns. 1t is located on a knoll In the mid
die Of tract Of about fifteen acres with
an open space in front, which gives a wide
and attractive view from the main porcbes
The background is beautiful oak grove
Mr.. Appleton P. Clark the architect. has
designed building generally colonial IN its
main features, but quite characteristics OF
.Gofern American country building. Thl
feature OF It's interior is large hall
twenty-five feet wide by thirty-eight feet
long. At the end OF this hall 10 a double
stair which leads TO a broad landing and
under the landing very picturesque fea
ture has been introduced in the form of q
window seat which runs the whole Width
Of the stair space. This is three steps be-
low the landing and has fine easement
window above II. The hall is further orna.
nented with q large brick fireplace. Oppo