Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-14
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
The Outlook ? for the Coming
Building Season.
~
FOR LARGE GATHERING S
PREDICTED REVIVAL IN EREC-
TON OF APARTMENT HOUSES.
Additions to Be Made to the Number
Of Large Private Residences
Other Matters.

One hundred thousand dollars or one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars is quite
tidy sum of money for one to pay for
building site for ones home, but that has
been done to a limited extent in this city,
and 1t is soon to be reraated in the near
future. transaction that has been men,
ton in The Star is a sale of a portion of
the Kali tract, which is likely to be con-
summated in the course of few days
thriugh the Swartzell Rheem & Hensey
Real Estate Company in connection with
Westcott & Story, real estate brokers.
The land lies on the north side of street
between 22d and Odd streets, and is across
the street from the ground purchased by
the French government for use as an en-
bassy site. 1t is unusual for plot of
ground in the residence section, for it has
frontage of some three hundred feet and
good depth. 1t is stated that 1t is the
purpose of the purchaser TO erect there
residence for his own use, and that the
extensive grounds will be laid out a
lawn about the house.
Negotiations are also in progress for an
other large piece of ground, which will cost
over one hundred thousand dollars, and
which will be used as residence site.
A Proposed Club House.
plans have been made in regard to the i'm
provement of the property they recently
purchased, to use the building to be erect
ed, exclusively as club house for their
members. The ground which has been Sc
cured on the north side of H street be-
tween 9th and 10th streets is well adapted
for the uses which are now in mind. 1t
has frontage of fifty-five feet and depth
of some one hundred and thirty-five feet.
10 oil Low flan act ,iI and Il
will be possible to occupy the entire ground
with the proposed building. as light and
air are available from three sides.
For Large Gatherings.
The talk about erecting in this city a
building suitable for for inaugural balls
as well as for other large assemblies has, of
course been more general during the past
week than usual. for the reason that
Congress had before it the resolution pro-
viding for the granting the inaugural COM
mittee the use of the pension building for
this great function. Now that the question
has been settled for the time, the discus
cusSion has not stopped. There are some
who think that now is the time to press
for the erection In this city of building
that will be suitable for holding balls and
for other gatherings, both great and small.
1t is also thought that some material aid
could be given in carrying out such a
scheme as the Improvement of the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue.
1t is believed by those who hold this
view that one of the squares in that sec
ton could be secured and building put
up that would have practically on all sides
ample exits, so that large crowds could be
handled not only with ease, but with
safety. Such an addition would prove to
be an architectural ornament, especially in
locality where Improvements are thought
to be desirable
More Apartment Houses.
Judging from the plans that have been
perfected for the erection of apartment
houses, the coming season will witness quite
a revival In building of that kind The
structures that have thus far been decided
upon belong to the class of large buildings
of that SORT. AS stated in last Saturdays
Star, Mr.. T. F. Schneider intends to put up
large apartment house on Washington
Heights and Mr. Duehay one on New
Hampshire avenue. big enterprise of this
sort is to be carried out, resulting In the
building of apartment house at 10th
street and Kenesaw avenue. The entire de-
sign of the Ontario is to be completed, re-
sulting in practically doubling the present
structure.
There are other projects of this kind
which have not reached the definite stage of
having the contract awarded, but no doubt
will do before the season fairly opens.
There is no reason to suppose that the erec-
ton of the smaller buildings of this type
will cease and, In fact, 1t is reasonable to
expect there will be considerable done in the
way of adding to the number Of two-story
and three-story apartment houses 1t Is not
believed the entire attention Of invest
ors will be turned in this direction, and 1t is
thought the building of houses will go on
in spite of the apparent competition Of
apartment houses. While in one sense the
apartment house may be classed as a COM
petitor of the house designed for one fam
lily, yet 1t is really not the case or at least
not to the extent that is sometimes sup
posed 1t is evident from the market con-
ditions there is place for both.
City Not Overbuilt
One reason that may be given for the ex-
pected activity in apartment house building,
| besides the obvious one that more room is
needed to supply homes for the increasing
population, is the fact that loans can be
| more readily obtained than was the case
some months ago. At one time the impress
sion prevailed that the city was overbuilt
in respect at least to apartment houses, and
| as the result not much has been done
in this line during the whole of the past
year. 1t is now found that the buildings
that were in use at the beginning of the
year. as well as those completed during that
period are all well occupied. Besides this
the renting season has shown that there
was a demand for all the houses that were
vacant. In consequence of this showing the
men who invest money have reached the
Good Building Record.
The record of building operations in
twenty-five of the principal cities of the
&C untry for December makes highly salts
factory showing and is in keeping with the
splendid increases which many of the pre-
ceGing months of the year made over the
corresponding periods of 1903. According to
official reports to Construction News per-
mits were taken out in these cities for the
construction of 5,275 buildings at an esti-
mated cost of $24. 1853, 176, against 4,299
buildings involving SIG, $40 for the cor
responding month o year ago, an increase
of 976 buildings and s1620506. or As per
cent. ~
It does not seem that there is anything
phenomenal about these Increases when the
general improvement in commercial lines is
taken into consideration. 1t would seem
that operations are upon normal. healthy
basis and that figures comparable with
those for December may be looked forward
to from now on. There are no discouraging
features in the situation in SO far as au-
thorities upon the subject can see. There
is in none of the cities enumerated boom
or any great speculative movement in either
real estate or building. but constant and
,taa dy day,,and for more buildings IN yneat