Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP.
Changes Made in Buildings
and Improvements Begun.
TO CROSS ROCK CREEK
A FEATURE THAT is THOUGHT
WILL BE ATTRACTIVE.
Holdings of the Late G. G. Willard That
Placed His Name First on
the Tax List.
TO CROSS ROCK CREEK

& Spe1den, architects. The building Will
have frontage of fifty feet on Kenesaw
avenue and seventy feet on 18th street.
The first floor will contain the auditorium,
Sunday school and primary department
rooms. These rooms will be separated by
rolling partitions and may be thrown to-
gether II occasion requires.
The location and arrangement of the ves-
| tibule forms special feature Of the plan,
! the relative disposition being such that am
! pie entrance and exit is afforded to both
! auditorium and Sunday school room, while
| either room can be closed without cutting
| on the entrance to the other from either
street. The basement will contain the heat
| ing, fuel and toilet rooms.
The exterior will be faced with light, i'm
| peryious BRICK with light stone trimmings,
and the roof will be covered with red slate
! Messrs Fissel & Wagner are the con-
tractors.
A New Department Store.
Extensive changes and alterations are to
| be made in the large building 1896 F street.
which is owned by Henry Strong of Chi
| cago His agent in this city, Mr.. E. c.
| Brainerd. has recently leased the entire
| building to Mr.. julius Garfinkle of this city,
! who will open there department store.
The building is being prepared for the new
occupant, and the plans made by Hill &
Kendall, architects, are to be carried out
| by September Is.
The principal changes will be made in the
| interior of the building. where the seven
stories are to be thoroughly overhauled. A
new elevator is to be put in and the floors
are to be relaid. On the outside will be
new show windows. replacing the one al
ready on the F street front and construct
ing one on the 18th street front where there
is none in present plan.
The Rock Creek Question
Owing to the growing together more and
anI,x Of tJ,n ;npS
OF Washington and Georgetown. the lack Of
facilities for getting across, not so much
TIL; waters of Rock creek. but its deep and
wide ravine. are each day more noticeable.
Ii is, therefore, not at all unlikely that the
agitation which has been going on for sew
era years past for legislation which will
remedy the source of the public inconven-
fence will be revived at the next session of
Cor gress. 1t is really quite an important
| matter to a large number of people and
affects the value of considerable area of
property.
Ii is probable that the advantages of To-
cations on the heights in Georgetown would
be awaited of by a larger number of people
if they were not compelled to go out of
their way to reach them. passing through
not very attractive section of the city. 1t
is also reasonable to suppose that If
more attractive approach is provided for
Georgetown people will find the drive to the
Virginia side of the river and also into the
country this side much more pleas
ant and more interesting. At any rate it
is evident the growth of the population on
both sides of the creek is such to justify
a more direct means of communication than
is at present provided by the P street
bridge and those to the south The precise
den and at the present time is for bridge
at Q street
Two Views of the Treatment.
There seems to be no difference of opin-
ion among the citizens as to the advisable
ity and absolute need of some provision
of the kind. but when it comes to agreeing
upon how that crossing at Q street should
be made. then the advocates of the i'm
provement fly into two parties and there
is no longer union of sentiment. On the
one hand, there are those who are con-
WINGED that the only permanent method of
dealing with Rock creek. or at least that
portion south of Massachusetts avenue is
| to convert 1t into a tunnel, cover it up
and thus allow the space to be ot/lo:ed
with rows of houses and unite tie two
parts of the city.
other things see no beauty in that portion
Of Rock creek which is described as an
open sewer, and sin their opinion the sooner
1t is covered up and hidden out of SIGHT
the better it will be for the city.
This view that Rock creek has lost all it's
beauty and is not capable of adding any
thing to the attractiveness of the city is
not held by the people who believe in re-
tanning the present rav:ne of Rock creek
and effecting amoler connection between
the two parts of the city by prov ding an
abundance of bridges.
Wooded Ravine in City.
1t is claimed by those who hold such an
,dea that the land on both sides of the
creek could be- secured by the public and
kept as a park. with driveways on both
sides, If need be. thus forming contnua-
ton of the drive tia. now extends along
the banks of the creek. through the Zoo
and Rock Creek Park to the bounds of the
District. In this way the missin~ link
could be supplied and the connection made
between the extreme end of the District
and the Potomac river at Rock creek. The
beauty and attractvenesS of such wooded
ravine in the feart of city. with a stream
of water passing through it. cannot be
questioned, so they argue, ard if this OPP
portunity is let slip there will. of course
never tie another chance to secure fer the
city such an addition to its attractions.
The Largest Taxpayer.
Mr.. Caleb C. Willard. whose death oc-
Cured during the past week. had the dis
tinction eat the time of his death of being
the largest individual taxpayer in the Dis
trict He had other claims to distinction
and among them was the reputation of being
very good landlord and the great bulk
Of his property was in the business center
of the city and used for Offices and stores
in that particular. Mr.. Willard paid taxes
on an assessment amounting to SIPS, S0G,
and while this sum does not seem to be
large especially compared with the total
assessment of the real property in the en-
tire District of over $2O0,0OO,000, yet it rep
resents a large amount of property in the
ownership of one man.
AS Mr.. Willard managed his own property
and besides his own insurance COM
many his estate resembled in some particu-
lars such large holdings as the Astors in
New York He had his own Office. with
clerical assistance, and he had his property
ward and his corps of men of the various
trade TO see after the repairs. To all these
details he gave his personal attention, and
when a building going up changes
were being made he was a familiar figure
about the work. He was his supern-
tendent of building, as well as the general
manager of the estate.
An Excellent Landlord
He was not much given to replacing the
buildings on the property with struct-