Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-07
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Three Squares for Public
Building Sites.
THE COMING SEASON
PREPARING PLANS FOR EREC-
TON OF NEW STRUCTURES.
Material Men Anticipate Good De-
mand and Investors Are Con-
templating Improvements.
THE COMING SEASON

The sale of the residence In this city OF
; the late Mrs. U. S. Grant, which was made
last week, as stated in The Star. furnishes
an illustration of a phase in realty invest
ment in this city. When Mrs. Grant
bought this house for a home, seven or
eight years ago she paid the owner, ex-
Senator Edmunds, $4,000 for it. The new
owner, Col. Johnson, has agreed to pay
100000 for the property. A considerable
part of this sum Is found in the value
placed on the ground. which contains be
tween 5000 and 5000 square feet, and has
a frontage OF fifty feet.
1t is estimated that the ground alone is
worth at least Sc per foot. This value Is
given to it mainly because of It's situation
and the arrangement by which 1t has at
one side an outlook on the lawn about the
adjoining house, which gives it all the
advantages of . corner lot without the dis
advantages These conditions make the
property rather exceptional, as is indicated
by the statement of the value of the
ground.
The Building Prospect.
X Is likely that in addition to the current
business which promises to be rather ami
mated during the present season, and by
which Is meant the erection of houses and
apartments and business buildings, sew
eral additions will be made to the num-
Der of large private residences of the city.
For some reason, probably because of the
rather large expenditure of money by one
individual, the announcement that a large
house is to be erected seems to attract a
good deal of attention.
Certainly q statement of that sort elicitS
much more notice than the announcement
Of the erection of a number of houses of
moderate SIZE although the actual ex-
pendlture in the latter case may be larger
co mo iYpn ~
process of adding to the homes of the city
is going on with what appears to be u
creasing volume each year. and this evil
dence of the growth and prosperity of the
city is one of the gratifying facts in its
history
The brickmakers realize thus early in the
season that business Is going to be good.
and some of them are rather inclined to
wonder whether it will be possible for the
plants to provide all the material that will
be needed. 1t seems to be the belief THAI
the capacity of the various brickmaking
plants in and about the city will be pressed
to the fullest limit in order to supply the
demand for the coming season.
Post Office Addition.
A feature of the legislation of the session
Of Congress just closed that will affect the
material interests of the District is the
authority given to purchase for public use
no less than three squares of ground. In
ton to the post office building and the
location for the proposed hall of records
Congress specified the squares of ground
which are 10 be acquired. In the former
case it Is the block of ground lying direct
ly south of the Post Office Department
building, and is bounded by 18th 18th and c
streets and the pubic space which lies be-
tween the south side of the square and
the north side of the mall.
On the opposite side, and within the
bounds of what is known as the mall. Con-
gress has just authorized the erection OF
building for the use of the Smithsonian
Institution that will cost s., 100000. Prac-
tically the new addition to the Post Office
Department will front on the mall and
will look upon the imposing outlines of the
structure that is to be built for the Smith
sonian. AT this one point, therefore, the
space south of Pennsylvania avenue eX-
tending not only to the mall but beyond.
and bordering on the central vista of those
grounds. will be lined with public struc
lures, thus giving a practical illustrat ton
OF the plan which proposes to occupy the
entire area south of Pennsylvania avenue
between 9th and 18th streets with public
structures.
Two Squares to Be Chosen.
The location selected for the hail of rec
ords Is the square between 18th and 10Th
and and F streets. The building will front
on the south the public space known as
Rawlins Square. which would be cut by
New York avenue If that thoroughfare
were continued at that point. 1t will be