Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
| REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
One Class of Profitable Apart
ment Houses.
DWELLINGS IN GOOD DEMAND
Recent and Prospective Business De-
velopments in Northwest Section.
PRESSURE FROM THE CITY
Changes That Are Possible Due to the
Necessity for Adding to the
Building Space.
PRESSURE FROM THE CITY

The building operations OF Mr.. Franklin
T. Sanner for the coming season will be
begun by the erection on p street between
21st and I'D streets Of three apartment
houses They will be Of a type that Mr..
9anner has found to be profitable not only
as revenue producers. but easy to handle in
the event a change Is desired in owner,
| ship of the holdings Each building will be
three stories in height and Will contain six
suites OF rooms. two on each floor
The Demand for Houses.
A feature of the market that Is not without
interest at this time is the continuance OF
the applications of people who are-stn
search of houses The number of customers
Of this sort who find their way from one
week to another to the various real estate
offices is very large, when the time of year
Is considered.
who register these requests as they are
made. and do their best To find the kind Of
property that is desired, there does not
Seem to be any restriction to particular
classes of property asked Tor. WING, OF
course, If all the applicants could be class
flied, 1t would be found that the ma urity
are for houses that are moderate IN size
and in price. still that Is limitation apply
Ing to the entire market. There Is always
a wider market for low-price1 pro perty
than for the opposite kind and the very CD
vious reason is there are more people of
moderate means than there are of wesith
or large means.
Large Residences Wanted.
At the same time there are not lacking
| those who want big houses, and are will
ing to pay good prices IL they can get the
right kind One broker remarked this week
hot he f{xro i'm Iln
wanted houses to cost 100000 and more.
1t seems, however, that there is & dItheulty
about the supply of residences of that
grade: but the important fact Is that the
market for them seems to re as good as
this sta teEneflt would Indicate
Some people who are looking Tor large
establishments have about concluded they
can't get what they want ready to hand,
and build 1t is likely that a nurnebs of
| houses of this class will be put up during
the coming season.
Government Employees as Buyers.
The buyers of houses and of residence
property who are in the majority. namely,
those who want houses of moderate size
and price, are increasing in numbers ap-
parently. Exactly who they are 1t Is not
SO easy to say, as that Is information which
is not so readily available, for the reason
there is nothing to bring 1t out.
However, 1t is reported that among the
buyers the employees of the government
are represented, and SO it is likely that
when Secretary Shaw takes his next census
of the financial condition Of the clerks in
the Treasury Department he will find there
are more who have something substantial
to the windward than the summary CT the
figures which he gave recently appears to
Indicate
However, if the term of the sesvice OF
the majority of them is to terminate at the
end of a six-year term, as Secretary Shaw
has suggested, it is quite evident very few
of the clerks would think OF locating their
permanent homes in this city. In practice
1t looks II 1t would be return TO the
condition here when the four-year term
prevailed prior to the civil service law
Then q change IN the administration
brought about a shifting in the personnel
Of the clerical force .z.-.
1t is perfectly natural that Washington
property was not then held in much favor
as an investment for government employees,
and in consequence few OF them thought or
buying land and putting up house Now,
however. since permanency has come TO
the service during good behavior, the en-
ployes quite generally see the advantages
of owning their own homes instead OF
being rent payers, and the class OF house
buyers so much in evidence In the market
at present is to considerable extent re-
cruited from the ranks Of the government
clerks.
DEVELOPMENT Of Business Center.
i
the northwest corner of New York avenue
and 14th street, which is to be done by MIR.
Thomas F. Walsh, marks another forward
movement in the development of the bust
ness section. A few years ago the locality
of Nth street above G street was not looked
upon as a suitable place for Office purposes
or for retail business. Now, however that
locality, as far north as New York avenue
and H street. has no other character. 1t is
i tzl{n xrnl n 10 n a n
| ognized by Mr.. Walsh when he decided that
| the Improvement of his large holding OF
property there should take the form of an
office building rather than a hotel as IL was
| originally announced he proposed
| The latter idea in regard to the nature of
| the building to be put up was formed at
! the time when he acquired the property
| several years ago. Then 1t seemed to be
| the place for a hotel and. considering the
| size of the ground, about the only available
| way of utilizing 1t.
| 1t Is now recognized that the Office build
| ing plan is practicable one. This location
| is not generally looked upon as too much
| out of the way or distant from the center
| Of things 1t will be only block from the
| office building which Mr.. Walsh erected at
| the northeast corner of 14th and streets,
| and across New York avenue from the pro-
| posed structure is the Bond building,
| other Office structure.
| It is supposed the tendency toward the
| north and the west which is observable in
| this locality, will acquire additional impetus
| when the new union depot Genes into use,
| as 1t is thought the tide of travel that tends
| toward such center win seek the most d.
| rect route. and In consequence and II
streets and New York avenue will be bene-
| flied in a business way.
| Biggest Office Building.
| Whatever may be the force OF that reas-
| oning. at any rate. the new office building,
occupying as It will more than half
acre. viii be the largest structure of the
sort in the city. 1t will be about two and
a half times the size of the Colorado build
| ing, and as the latter contains ia rooms.
! some idea can be obtained of the great ex-
! tent of the proposed structure.
1t Is to be ten stories in height on the
/ New York avenue front and nine stories on
to the change In the grade at two points.
The wide frontages on New York avenue