Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-02
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Large Building Enterprises
Projected.
SOME CURRENT PRICES
DEMAND FOR PROPERTY IN vARI-
GUS SECTIONS.
Cooperation of Citizens in Maintain
ing the Attractiveness Of the City
Matters Of Interest.

1
| improvements in several business places
| along 18th street are either in progress or
are to be made in the near future. The new
building at 525 18th street, which Is to be
fsoccupied by the E. Morrison Paper Com
pany is nearing completion. An addition Is
to be made by Mr.. Byron 8. Adams to his
| printing Office, on the block to the north OF
the above named structure. Alterations are
in progress in the second floor of the build
| ing occupied by the Crown restaurant,
| which will result in charging the facilities
| of that establishment.
18th Street Property.
A transaction of some interest in the
| business section of the city was the pur-
| chase during the past week of the property
| at the southeast corner Of 14th and 1
| streets owned by Arthur Nattans. Inc
| purchaser was Mr.. Edward Murphy, who
owns the property adjoining on the south.
| The piece bought has a frontage on l4th
| street of twenty feet, a depth OF seventy
| five feet, and contains 1,5C0 feet. The price
paid was $4,000 which is at the rate Oh
| nearly SIT per square foot.
| In view of the fact that the adjoining
property Is held by the same person, 1t IS
| thought the price paid is not too h1gh, al
| though considered by itself 1t Is quite the
| highest rate per foot that has been paid for
| property in that particular locality How
| ever it is due no doubt in part to the move
ment along 14th street and the connecting
streets further south which mas peen one one
| of the features of the market for some time
| past There has been good deal of IN
| qury for property, but the transactions
have been few.
An Apartment House.
Plans are being prepared by Speiden Il
Speiden, architects, for four-story apart
ment house, to be erected by E. M NC
Comas at the northwest corner of 18th and
L streets. 1t will be four stories In height
and will occupy the site of the present
building, which has a frontage OF twenty
feet on 14th street and ninety-eight feet on
l. street. The new building is to be four
stories in height. At the corner Mr.. Nc
| Comas will have his drug store, in about
| the same relative position as at present.
New Houses Going Up.
The first undertaking of the Potomac
Realty Company, which has recently been
| organized to do business in this city, will
| be the erection of two houses on the south
| side of Rhode Island avenue between nth
! street and Connecticut avenue. These
| houses are to have large interior courts,
| which will make it possible to build them to
a depth which is not usual In residences
! which depend for light and air on the front
| and back exposures. The company winch
/ is putting them up is organized not only TO
! build houses, but to buy and sell property.
| Three houses are being built in kensing-
| ton, Md, by B. H. Warner, which Will have
| the attractive designs that is the feature
| of most of the homes in that suburban re-
| sort A house is also being built there by
| W. NJ Terrell, which will be fine addition
| to the houses of the place.
Care of the Parking.
The annual spring work of the city resi-
dents has been going on for some time, as
| the lawns in front of the houses in various
| portions Of the city testify. These sections
| of the street which are included between
| the sidewalks and the houses and which are
| public property, as far as the legal title
| goes, are, in fact, In the care of the In
| dividual householder. Without this CO.
| operation of citizens the city authorities
| would make a rather poor showing in their
| efforts to have the city look attractive. 1t
| is true that most of the beauty OF the
streets of the city is due to the luxuriance
and graceful forms of the trees, and these,
| of course, are cared for by the public. IT,
! however, the grass plots, which constitute
| the parking of the streets, were allowed to
lie waste ground without sodding, and in
| a neglected condition, then 1t would be
| doubtful if this city would have the repu-
| taton it has for beauty and attractiveness
| The average householder has no notion of
| allowing MS front door ydIO 10 DeCOIlc Il
dreary common, even if he does not happen
| to own it, and SO each year. and many
times during the year, le SPENDS money in
securing the effects of trim, well-kept
| latErI. i ne difficulties in the way are by no
! means slight as any will know who tried
| to raise grass in this climate. The natural
| conditions are not favorable for vigorous
| growth of grass, and so the blades which
| seem so common and such ordinary prod
| uctS of nature elsewhere, have to be coaxed
| long and carefully nourished.
A Hard Crop to Raise.
| 1t is only by constant vigilance that the
best results are secured. and 1t may be
question whether the finest type of lawn is
| possible in the spaces that border the side
walks of the city. Sometimes it happens
the earth becomes exhausted, and it is
| necessary to haul away the top portion of
| the parking and replace 1t with new soil
| before the grass will grow. Each spring
something of the sort has to be done SO
| that the lawn will have a good appearance
| during the season.
| In some cases the attention Of house.
! holders to this detail of their home life goes
| still farther and where the space permits
| there are flower beds. and shrubbery, and
| then along the walls of the houses are
| trellised vines. Of course, the ivy clinging
| to the house fronts is quite a frequent
sight Then, too, may be seen window
| boxes with their bright array of colored
|
| in graceful tendrils and giving touch of
| color to the otherwise rather sober house
| exterior.
Result of Public Spirit.
| These evidences should no doubt be re-
| garded as a civic spirit that takes pride in
| the appearance of the city. They are very
general throughout the city. The motive
is not entirely a selfish one, is shown
by the continued attention which is given
| to the lawns during the period when some
| of the householderS are out of the city. In
| large way this cooperation among indi-
viduals and the interest displayed in public
| improvements could be very effectively
| brought into play in some of the settle
| ments which collected in the neighbour
hood of the city-the outposts, so to speak
| of the advance of the population of the
city.
In these suburban places good deal can
| be done by public-spirited men and women
| in creating sentiment in favor of beauti-
flying and improving the localities where
| the people have their homes. Then by CO.
operation, many things can be brought
about that would be impossible for the in