Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-11
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Promising Indications of a
Busy Building Season.
STREET EXTEN SIONS
NEW HOUSES AND OTHER STRUC-
TURES TO BE ERECTED.
Sales of Property Made Recently and
Plans Made for Improve
ments-Other Matters.
STREET EXTENSIONS

ments-Other Matters.
1t goes without saying the weather for a
good portion of the present winter season
has not been favorable to building, but Still
the figures from the office of the building
inspector show that during the month of
January just passed there were more per-
mits issued for the erection of buildings
and for improvements than during the cor
responding month of last year. 1t is PROB
able the weather conditions will have the
result of delaying the commencement OF
actual building operations, but there Is no
idea that the record made during the first
month of the year will show any falling OH
as the months roll around. In fact, the be-
lief is very general that there is going to
be a good deal done in this direction during
the coming months.
This prospect renders it entirely probable
that the market for vacant ground will be
more or less active; if building enterprises
are to go on there must be sites secured
AS yet there is not much evidence that
there will be much done in the way of add
Ing to the amount of subdivided land in the
District, and some think that perhaps
owing to the extent of the present Subdi-
vision of acreage ground there will not be
a great demand for additional building lots,
Still there is considerable land within the
limits of the sixty square miles that is
computed by acres rather than by square
feet, and there is some movement in prop
erty of this sort. and occasionally change
is made in the ownership
Extension of Streets.
The extension of 18th street some two
miles beyond the present northern limits
at Lydecker avenue it is thought by some,
will have the effect of bringing the land
that lies on each side of it into the market
in the shape of lots and doubt that will
be the case. but exactly to what extent has
not as yet been developed. 1t is expected
the grading and matchmaking of the road,
which will have a width of over one hun
bred feet, will be completed from the pres
ent terminus on straight line north to it's
juncture with the Piney Branch road. This
latter point is within four five blocks of
the hotel at Brightwood, and that gives
some notion of the outward advance of the
city which is TO be made in this particular
direction.
The street cars are of course to follow
the building of the road, so that within the
course of the next few months it will be
possible to travel out the new roadway on
street cars, and pass through territory
that is not as accessible to street cars as
the residents here regard as desirable and
convenient.
In Place of an Old Road.
The extension of this street leaves un-
touched the old road to Brightwood, which
was variously known the Piney Branch
road and the 14th street road. The thor
oughfare after it passes to the north of
the stream of water called the Piney
branch Will, in the course of time. be obIit-
Grated from the map. The section which
lies on the south side of the branch will De
the extension of 18th street. Near tbs
stream the line of 10th street is met and l.
Is proposed to change the old road into the
new one for part of the way, and farther
north WanderlngS
will run across the line of 18th street ex-
tended. and it will disappear in the boun-
DIARIES of the new way.
Both 10th and 18th streets now extend as
far north as Piney branch. and when the
money is provided by Congress, which, 1t is
expected, will hardly be during the present
session. then these two thoroughfares will
be continued just as far north as the APP
preparation VIII permit. The Connecticut
avenue car line is to extend its tracks when
a place is provided for them, so that there
is a prospect of an abundance of space in
that vicinity which may be termed room
to grow in.
An Old-Time Designation
In this connection the fact is suggested
that this section of the District and in
fact, the entire territory outside the old
northern boundary of the original city
limits, which is known as Florida avenue,
is called officially and, no doubt legally,
the county. The balance of the territory
is called the city, and includes, of course,
Georgetown. In the county lies Blooming
dale, Columbia Heights, Washington
Heights. Kalorama and other sections,
which will be recognized at once as the
centers of more building activity than any
other portions of the District. The anon
alous feature Of this nomenclature is seen
when the building inspectors office graVely
records figures which show more permits
issued for buildings in the county than for
any other part of the District or for the
entire District.
The inference on the part of any one no
examined these figures and who is not
familiar with local conditions would be
that Washington, at this time. enjoy
ing a great boom in building in the sub
urhs. when. in fact, these sections are an
essential part of the city, and the growth
is merely a city growth
No Real Distinction.
The process of getting rid of antiquated
laws in this District is a slow one, but it is
probable that in the course of time some
steps will be taken to remove the desgna-
ton of a large section of the District which
is absolutely without meaning al the pres
ent time and is misleading. II the old line
that separates the city from the surround
ing country had today any such signih-
canoe as ii had some years ago, and the re
was lack Of city convenences and CORE
spending difference in the taxation. then
there might be some reason to hold on to it,
But at this time it has no value. and in the
sections just beyond Florida avenue there
are the same facilities as are found within
the old municipal limits.
The Brookland Section.
Tt is expected during the early portion
OF the coming season the work will be COM
p!eted in grading and matchmaking Rhode
Island avenue from 4th street east to 18th
street or the Brentwood road. This will
Be the thoroughfara for all that section
OF the suburbs Of which Brookland is the
center, and on account of the large popu-
lation in that locality the Improvement is
attracting more than usual attention. An
other circumstance gives it prominence and
That IS the pressing need TO supply direct
means CT communication with the city
which viii not lead through the new rail-
road facilities. The line OF Rhode Island
avenue runs TO the north of these new
works. Ii is the purpose of the authors
ties 10 continue the Improvement OF the
avenue all the way out to the District line
and an appropriation will no doubt be Sc
cured to make it possible to condemn that
portion of the avenue which extends from