Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
The Interest Taken in Prop
erty improvements.
APARTMENT HOUSES
ADDITIONAL ELECTRIC STREET
RAILROAD FACILITIES.
Roof Gardens a Device for Those Who
Spend Summers in
the City.


the City.
DR.. L. F. Davis is erecting a residence at
the corner of 10th street and Sheridan ave-
nue. Mount Pleasant, from drawings pre-
pared by Robert Stead, architect. The
fronts are of an impervious brick from
Pittsburg, with Indiana limestone trim
mings. From the covered porch the en-
trance is in the staircase hail. with the
dining room on the right and the drawing
room on the left. On the first floor also
will be the kitchen and buffers pantry. On
the second and third floors will be bed
rooms. billiard room and toilets.
Adjoining on the north DIR. Davis is build
ing two additional houses, from plans by
the same architect.
Proposed Apartment Houses.
The old frame building on 9Th street be-
tween East Capitol and North A street is
being removed by order of John W. Points.
the owner of the property. 1t is the inten-
ton to erect on this site, which has a
frontage of 81 feet and a depth of 90 feet
a four-story apartment house.
A four-story apartment house is planned
to be erected by Mrs Jose Yznaga at 713
18th street The first floor will be used for
business purposes. The building is to be
90 by 20 feet.
Four two-story fiat buildings are proposed
to be built by George w. Boyd at LIST street
and New York avenue.
Four three-story fats, 20 by 6S feet EACH
are to be erected in Georgetown by Barber
& Ross.
Experience of Those Who Build.
The interest in building operations has
son supposes. 1t is not alone the owner of
real estate who wants to know about the
plans of prospective builders, or those who
are looking for homes either to buy OF to
rent 1t might be said that the man who
contemplates the erection of a building in
this city starts wave of interest that
probably reaches thousands of miles be-
fore it dies away. This rather curious con-
dition is due to the modern numerical
competition which makes it necessary for
men to avail themselves of every opportu-
nifty for getting business. Hence 1t is that
those who have building material of any
sort to sell, or anything that Is needed for
the completion or the furnishing of a
home, takes notice of the fact that some
man many miles away from his place
of business is about to put up house. 1t
may be a small affair, but that makes no
difference.
In order to supply the information of
what is needed and where it is needed
system has been devised. In the larger
towns men are employed to collect data
about building enterprises. 1t is typewrit-
ten on cards, which are sent 10 the SUBJ
scribers. When the building is first started
the cards are sent to subscribers who want
a chance to make loans or to furnish bonds
for contra ctorS
The Flood of Circulars.
Then the various concerns that supply
the interior finishngs find the information
of use, and as the house progresses the
gas-fixture man has his opportunity Later
come the people who have window cur
tains to sell, and then. finally, the carpet
ard furniture man. Practically at every
step information of this sort is believed to
be of use to men in one or the other lines
of business. No doubt if the first sprout-
ing of the purpose to buy piece of prop
erty could be ascertained it would be bulle
tined.
OF course all the informal ton about build
ing is not original with the able compiler
OF these commercial bulletins as he de-
ponds to large degree as does the rest of
the community, on the newspapers for in
formation But he gathers it together and
sends 1t forth, and business men take the
service and pay for it, and put the cost
down to the credit of operating expenses.
Inc system, however, has led to the evil
OF multiplying circulars so that such means
of reaching people is looked upon as of
rather doubtful use, for the reason that the
busy men and women in these days seldom
stop to read circular For this reason
and IN order to gain some attention to COM
municat1ons of this class, the custom has
sprung up of putting 2-cent stamps on in
closures containing exclusively printed
matter, and the extra cent is paid in order
to induce people to open the envelopes
But even this device is failing
Use of Roof Gardens.
1t Is proposed by the owners of some of
the apartment houses in this city to fit up
the roofs of their structures so that they
can be used during the heated terms as
places of resort for the occupants of the
building. This novel use of roofs in this
city, although it is by no means as general
as one might naturally suppose. is due
propaply, In part, to the difficulty of reach
ing the top portions of the average house
1t means a climb of several flights of stairs
and the adaptation of the tin roof for such
d purpose. In structures where there is an
elevator service, of course, the climb is
avoided and platform can be put up
with proper protection, and there the peo-
pie can go and enjoyefhe purer, If not the
cooler air of that latitude
1t would seem. the aysraee roof would
prove to be a pleasanter MA ce to spend the
not evenings than are the front steps of a
mouse, and to some extent; with suitable
awnings. the roof could be made comfort
able for the day. However. the use of the
tops of houses for recreat ton purposes seems
TO De reserved for large establishments,
such as nat buildings or places of amuse-
ment. In this city, as stated. there has
been very little roof life thus far but it
seems from the preparations that are be-
ing made to use, more generally the roofs
OF apartment houses that this feature of
summer life may become more prominent.
5{:e Mr.. Adams Residence.
An attractive, residence has been design
ed for Mr.. Byron s. Adams by F. B. Pyle,
architect 1t will be located at the north
west corner of 18th and Lowells streets, one
of the desirable corner properties in Ingle-
side. The site is: spacious one, as it has
frontage of one hundred feet and a
depth of one hundred and thifty-five feet.
While. the house has been planned on a
generous scale, there will be ample space
for lawns, The house will stand detached
IN the lawn, and with wide porches and
Verandas will suggest the comfort that is
found in a place where there is plenty of
elbow room.
In order to suit the surroundings the
treatment adopted will be that sof the CO.
loniaL The main entrance willgbe marked
by "a lofty portico supported by large pill
lars The pedfment of the gable of the
roof OF the porch will be appropriately
'ornamented. On each side of the house,
WIN openings from the parlor and library,
which are on each side of the wide cantral