Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02

Three times as much money was spent in
the erection of houses in the District during
the past year as expended in putting up
apartment houses. This statement may be
surprising to a large number of people VINO
are familiar with the situation. There is an
Impression and rather strong one. that
apartment houses in this city. as has been
the case i'm many other places. have
taken peoples attention from house building
as we'll as from occupying individual houses.
II has been a sort OF a fad to live In apart
ment houses. and that mode of living is still
a popular one as is shown by the additions
that are constantly being made to the num-
Der of such structures and also by the de-
rnand for accommodations In these build
ings.
Because Of the growing popularity of flats
and he activity displayed in putting them
up-and the erection of an apartment house
is something that cannot be done privately
or very easily concealed. but has 10 be pro-
claimed abroad-as an advertiser the nat
building Is far ahead of the ordinary dwell
ing house. for the former towers so far up
into the sky and makes such bulk in the
world that il IS difficult to avoid noticing 1t.
AT any rate. where one person knows about
the building of a single house. the atteh-
ton of thousands is called TO the building
of one Of those great piles called nat
building
House Building Going On.
Because OF the notoriety which buildings
of TINS class necessarily have, and also for
the reason that they are increasing so rap
idly i'm number. it is but natural for the i'm
preston To- get about that they constitute
the whole Of the building activity of the
city. slight examination of the figures
which are furnished from the building IN
spector's office of the permits granted Tor
the erection of buildings makes 1t quite EVIL
hot he hnildfnR of houses has gone
right along during all this period OF fiat
building. In tact, as stated above, there mas
not been single year during the past dec
ade when there has not been more money
spent IN putting up houses than in pro-
viding Hat buildings.
As Compared With Flat Building.
During the year 1901 some Liza houses
which includes both brick and frame build
ings-werc erected. and the total cost as
given in the permits was nearly four mil
lions of dollars.
During the same twelve months there were
seventy-two apartment houses erected. and
the total amount of money expended ts put
down as 81, 1914 GG0 In that same period the
entire expenditure represented by the build
ing permits-which includes repairs and
every sort of bulding-was $l3.3s5.2JJ. 1t
will be seen from these figures that about
one-third of the total sum went into houses.
while only about one-twelfth was invested
The wear 1904 was not an exceptional one
in this particular. and while the preceding
year showed the largest amount of money
spent in apartment houses for any year thus
far with possibly the exception of the year
which is just closing, yet during 1908 over
eleven hundred houses were erected and the
money spent in doing it was over four nil
lions of dollars.
Millions Expended.
The fact of 1t is that for several years
past while there has been provision made
for a good many families in the apartment
houses yet there has probably been more
room supplied in the form of individual
houses For example. take the record of
last year and the year before. when in the
space OF each twelve months over eleven
hundred houses were erected. Allowing the
usual number of five persons to a family
and one family TO a house. there have been
provided in this way homes for between
five and six thousand persons.
IL is quite evident that whatever else the
apartment house is doing ii Is not destroy
ing the market for houses, and. as the Off
clal figures show. there have been actually
more houses put up In the years of the
greatest activity in apartment house build
Ing than in previous periods. 1t is now
pretty well understood that there IS a need
for such buildings which can be supplied
without ntrenching upon the general mar
horse and the automobile and gas and cleo
tric light. there is place for each and for
all. as well as an Increasing consumption.
Increase in Home Owners.
In the same way the figures show that
this city is taking and making use of the