Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-17
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
A Large Building Enterprise to
Be Carried Out.
SEMI DETACHED HOUSES
Property Oh Virginia Side of Potomac
and It's Future.
a NEW INDUSTRIAL CENTER
Increase in the Number of People
Who Own the Houses They
Live In.

altogether about $50 houses on this plan
They are to be three stories in height and
VIII contain ten rooms, and will sell from
ten to twelve thousand dollars each.
More Light and Air
While the building of houses on the
semi-detached plan. as it is known has
been done to some extent in this city from
time to time, yet as a rule the more COM
pact plan in rows has been followed owing
to the more economical use of ground 1t
is recognized however, that when the in
terror plan of a house calls for four rooms
on floor the provision for light and air
is not as ample as is always desirable
When, however three sides are left open.
then 1t is possible to have windows on the
side as well as at two ends. and in this
way the supply of light in the interior is
more abundant.
New Apartment Houses
Three two-story flats are being built by
Mr.. l.. L. Breuninger at the northwest cor
ner Of 1lth street and Whitney avenue
They will be semi-detached and will CON
tain suites of five and seven rooms each
On the south side of Roanoke street be-
tween 18th and 14th streets Mr. Breuningcr
Is building four-story apartment house
which will contain twenty-seven suites
There Is to be provision for cold stora ge
IN each, and as the building will stand de-
tached with lawn space on all sides the IN
terror will be well lighted
Inc same builder is also putting up two
houses on the south side of Kenyon street
between 18th and 18th streets.
On the Virginia Side
The change made recently, as announced
In The Star, in the ownership of the tract
Of land known as RossIyn farm at the
southern end of the Aqueduct bridge Will
be followed so IT is stated by immediate
improvements. This tract of land, COM
prisng the high ground at what is known
as RoSSiyn, has been bought by men who
are Interested in the Old Dominion rail-
road, which passes along one side of
the property. In addition to building q
road from the Aqueduct bridge To Great
FANS, TINS company has also rowe. house
which IS capable of enlargement as the
need may arise, so that 1t can h., also a
power and lighting company VIXEN the mar
ket for these essentials is provided
Inc interesting well as the mr0rtant
feature about this purchase is that it is
a part of comprehensive plan for build
ing up that section of the country and
drawing population there. 1t is the inten-
ton OF Mr.. Coin II. Livingston who is
one OF the promoters of this enterprise to
SuhdlVldc the Rosslyn farm into building
lots and place them on the market at q
moderate figure. so that there will be an
inducement fer people to buy who want to
acquire their own homes as well as a place
for those who want houses TO live in near
to the places where they do their work
For Manufacturing Uses.
1t is expected that with power facTties
a. hand, as win be the case with the power,
plant of the railroad company, manufac-
turing concerns will locate there. and to
encourage this. suitable sites will be avail
able for such purposes, and home sites ana
homes for those who would be EMPLOYED
The town of Rossyn, which is now in its
infancy, so TO speak, if there is any growth
at all, will be changed into a thriving mod
ern settlement with a residence section and
a business locality and manufacturing
plants and the other essentials of a pros
porous community. = loan and trust COM
pany has been organized and the other
things will follow-at least, that is the ex-
pectation Of those who are interested in the
promotion of these enterprises
Increase in Home Ownership,
1t has been said by certain prominent
foreigners who have been in the. United
States to study economic, Industrial and
social problems here that none of the re-
suits of their investigations have impressed
them more than the information they Sc
cured as to the great extent to which
American workmen and persons filling the
lesser clerical positions own their own
homes.
This widespread ownership was readily
accepted as proof of a higher state of
material existence among the masses of
the United States than ,nat which pre-
wallis among the masses of the countries of
the old world. Individual oWne-ship of
small holdings is, In fact, a distinctive fea-
ture of American life, even much more
so than in France, where especially the
impelling ambition OF the workman, and
notably the farmer, is to be the master of
his own domicile.
Cause of Building Activity.
Il L..
but of course it is difficult to deal in ex-
act terms on this subject, not only be-
cause the information as to individual hold
ings is lacking. but also because the move
ment which has been going on for some
years past seems to have had additional
impetus during the past three or four years
Within the last named period the number
of home owners has greatly increased as
is made evident from the additions to the
houses in all parts of the city, well as
throughout the region that is tributary to
the city.
The causes OF this home buying. as it
might be termed, may be attrlbutt largely
to the facilities afforded for paying in in
stallmonts. With comparatively small
amount of cash d man can enter upon a
career which will end in his becoming his
own landlord Ut course 1t Is advised that
the cash payments be as large possible.
When 1t happens to be small. however. it
is no obstacle. and a series of payments
are arranged which are suited to the in
come and the resources of the individual.
In this way a large number of families have
become the owners of their homes, and at
the same time the city has made substan-
tial progress.
On the Installment Plan.
1t became apparent some years ago to
certain wide-awake men, who had been
paying a good deal of attention to the
system and growth of building and loan
associations, what a wider opening for the !
purchase of homes by wase-earners could |
he offered and as result they started the |
scheme of the sale of property on the in |
stalimeut plan.
There are, of course. adverse arguments |
presented against this mode of acquiring |
homes the tenor Of which Is that the wage /
Garner by obligating himself to buy a house !
often places himself under financial oblfga- |