Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16
REAL. ESTATE GOSSIP
Unusual Demand for Labor
Affects Building Operations.
EXPENSE Is GREATER
VARIOUS BUILDING NOTES, BOTH
LOCAL AND GENERAL.
Importance Of Proper Ventilation In
All Kinds Of Structures
Great Problem.

A real estate dealer. In discussing building
conditions In the city. remarked this week
that he believed great many persons who
intend to build here are holding of with
the expectation of securing cheaper labor
later on in the year early next year He
made this statement In spite of the known
large amount OF building that has been go
Ing on In the past six months. In fact
it is on account of this lively condition he
says that labor of the sort that Is required
to build house has gone UP in price. So
great is the demand that some builders who
are anxious to put up their structures in
hurry are actually paying a bonus for their
labor. it is claimed
One explanation for this condition of af-
fairs. aside from the large number Of local
building operations, is said to be the great
building activity In Baltimore, as a result
OF the fire. The boom received by the
ouiiding trades In that city has far from
subsided and Is causing many workmen, it
Is claimed. to leave Washington and take
employment in the neighboring place.
Building in Southeast.
Building along Pennsylvania avenue south
east between the Congressional Library and
9Th street has received boom. Three i'm
portant structures are either Just finished or
are in process Of erection in these four al
ready thickly built squares; an apartment
house has Just been opened at the corner
Of 9th and Pennsylvania avenue and an
other is nearly completed at the corner of
4th and the avenue, while In the middle Of
the block between Sd and 4th streets the
excavation for the new East Washingtong
Savings Bank Is about finished Residents
| of this section. and especially the business
men along the avenue. confidently expect
better business conditions for the main
thoroughfare of the southeast, as a result
OF these improvements.
Question Of Ventilation.
The question Of ventilation Is one that
nowadays interests. all classes of society,"
which is at last beginning to realize that a
constant and abundant supply of fresh air
Is not merely theoretically a good thing
but that it Is the most essential element of
life. People are coming to understand that
starvation Is d matter of days with solids,
Of hours with liquids and of minutes with
air."
In spite of the growing appreciation of
the necessity of pure air for the mainte-
nance of health and happiness, and Of the
dire effects of brea thing a foul and yitiated
atmosphere, 1t is still a lamentable fact as
most architects will testify, that when a
man comes to criticise the architects plans
for s. dwelling, a board of trustees or
directors examines the plans for modern
sky-scraper he and they will cheerfully
agree to large expenditure for ornamental
StoneWork, cornfces and elaborate finish,
but hesitate TO appropriate sufficient means
to provide an adequate or any system of
ventilation. In fact, the majority of human
habitations have no special provisions for
ventilation during the winter months, when.
of course. the windows cannot be relied
upon as a constant satisfactory or safe
means of changing the air. -r
All candid architects will admit that but
| few of them are experts the subject of
ventilati lion. and that they do not know of
any moderate-prced. efficient and economi-
| cal system that will bring in the compare
| lively pure external air In abundant sup
ply without draft, and diffuse this air
| throughout the room and. at the same time.
| remove corresponding volume of the air
which has become foul with human ex-
haIationS.
In view of the results of every scientific
investigation that has ever been made upon
methods Of ventilation. 1t must also be adj
mitted that architects, a rule. have
hitherto adhered almost wholly to the in
trioate, costly and often pernicious schemes
of mechanical ventilation that are more or
less In vogue, and have overlooked or ne
elected the claims of natural ventilation,
intelligently and scientifically adapted to
the special requirements of the buildings to
which 1t may be applied. for there Is the
strongest evidence to show that natural
ventila ton has been completely successful
In buildings of every description where me-
cnanical methods have been tried and
failed.
A decision of importance to builders gen
orally was recently rendered by Judge Tu-
ley of the circuit court of Cook county, in
which Chicago Is situated. The court held
that the Masonic Temple must be remed-
eled as to comply with the present build
ing ordinance of the city, and the decision.
in fact, has a bearing upon the status of
nearly every building in Chicago In its re-
lation to the building department. If the
decision Is sustained in the upper courts 1t
means that the owners Of the Masonic
Temple building will be forced to tear out
the present marble staircases extending
from the ground to the roof and rebuild
them at a considerable expense, otherwise
the eleven halls the upper floors must
be abandoned for meeting places and lodges
and other bodies will be forced to seek
quarters elsewhere. Perhaps the most strik-
ing feature of the decision Is that it repu-
dates and destroys the contention of build
ing owners that their structures are i'm
mune from interference after once they
have been built according to plans which
conform with the city code and have been
approved by the building department. In
paragraph that affords precedent for deal
ing with any building in Chicago Judge
Tuley says: 1t is within the province of
the city council to require any change
that tends to increase public safety so long
as the change is not unreasonable"
Lightning Rods.
The lightning rod, from which for a long
time very little was heard, has again come
to the front and has beer made the occa-
sion of much study recently. For four years
past a lightning research committee Or
ganized b ythe Royal Institute OF British
Architects and the Surveyors Institution OF
London, has been conducting series of
lightning rods. The recently published re-
ports. says the American Homes and Gar
dens Magazine, sums UP and recapitulates
much new study on the subject, the prac-