Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-10
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
A Wise Investment for Men Re-
ceiving Salaries.
HOME-BUYING MADE EASY
Why Parks Are Needed in Various
Sections of the District.
IN THE BUSINESS LOCALITIES
More Attention Being Paid to the
Design of Buildings in Various
Cities of the Country.

Cities of the Country.
Work has been begun on the extension of
the Raleigh Hotel building. The new part
will be a continuation of the 18th street
front, and will be of uniform height with
the main building of the hotel, and, like the
latter, will be fireproof throughout. 1t will
cost about $125,0o0. The plans contemplate
an extensive enlargement of the public
apartments of the hosiery, as well as more
room for the guest chambers. The banquet
hall on the top floor will be enlarged about
80 per cent, with very much increased and
improved reception room and ante rooms.
The addition will extend north from the
present building about forty-six feet
The directors of the hotel company have
awarded the contract to the George a.
Fuller Company.
The Wisest Investment.
"The condition of the market is healthy
said man who is a good judge, "and the
steady demand for small holdings is one OF
the surest signs that we are on the eve of
marked activity.
To-day under modern conditions perhaps
the wisest investment for the wage-earner
who is married, or who expects soon to be
in a. home. In all of the larger growing
cities the rent of home Is out of proper
ton to the investment in cash.
Undue wear and tear is expected of all
tenants, and to provide for this and to cover
repairs and to insure incomes to owners
the rent rates are high.
Choosing wisely site for a home, a
young man may use his judgment perhaps
profitably in this in any other propo-
sition If his prospects and his credit are
good he can build a house as a reasonable
future investment, and at the same time
have its benefits as a home.
eff he does not want to build himself he
can buy a home the easy payment plan
by making small cash payment down ana
pay for the balance monthly, the same
if paying rent. And at all times he has
an investment which will readily absorb
his surplus earnings and reduce the interest
charges, and pay him much higher rate
of interest than he could realize by putting
it in the savings bank. Therefore my adj
vice to the salaried man Is, invest your
savings in a home"
Proposed Open Places.
During the past week the District Com
missioners sent to the District committee of
the House of Representatives recommended
tons favoring the acquiring of the land for
what were termed two parks. In both in
stances they are rather small pieces of
land, one at the northwest corner of 14th
and Columbia road and the other at the
northeast corner of 10th street and Florida
avenue but the fact of such recommended
ton calls attention to a condition which
ought to be remedied in some systematic
fashion, and in that way correct as far as
it would be possible the defect n-much of
the street plan adopted for the section of
the city outside of the old municipal
bounds.
1t can be readily seen that the provision
in the recent newer part did not to the ex-
tent of the old plan make a feature of
n q i6St of off
streets for permanent open places. One of
the so-called parks referred to by the Com
missioners is described as not larger than
Farragut or Mcpherson squares, and yet
the public utility of such places is suffi-
GENTLY established to call forth at this
day recommendation to- the Congress. 1t
has not been left to this OCCASION however
to Yindicate the wisdom of the original
plan of the city. as that seems now TO be
generally granted, but in many practical
ways its excellence does not seem to be
conceded.
Wisdom of the Founders.
There was no disposition shown by the
owners of land when they laid out their
property adjoining the city into building
lots to initiate to the fullest extent the wis
dom Of the founders of the city in this re-
spect, but rather they followed the policy
of getting as many lots as possible out of
their holdings. belated law put stop to
that procedure by requiring all subdivisions
to conform to the plan of the city. and If
there had been ampler provision made in
the highway system that came to be adopt-
ed too late to prevent the mutilation of the
plan of the city by attaching all the crook
ed subdivisions that had been made by In
dlvdual owners, then the newer city that is
springing up beyond the bounds of the old
would have the same advantages which the
wisdom of the founder of the city provided
for those who live within the bounds set
more than 100 years ago.
1t is not likely that the early citizens of
the city were any wiser in their day than |
those of this generation, but fortunately
for their descendants they did not have the
power to change the original plan That
could only have been done by Congress- and
without taking into consideration the diff
Guilty of getting legislation of any sort from
that body no doubt legal questions would
have been raised as to the right to changes
to any radical degree affecting ground
which had been sold and individual nron-
erty rights created. At any rate the nlan
of the city as approved by Washington has |
been preserved essentially, and now the |
modern effort is to make the added portions |
OF the city as much like the old plan as pos |
sible.
An Uptown Movement.
1t has been the experience of Stone &
Fairfax since opening their uptown office |
at 1912 New York avenue that the bulk
of their customers found 1t more conyen
lent to go there than to continue to come
to their other office at so4 street. The |
company has decided to recognize this |
condition of affairs, and as soon as the |
addition to their uptown office is COM |
pleted and the necessary room is provided |
they expect to consolidate their business
there.
1t is probable that the work of complet-
ing the addition to their office will be |
finished by the first OF the coming |
month. and If that Is the case the change |
viii be made at that time. An Office will. |
however. be retained in the downtown |
building. where rents will be collected |
and other business of the sort will be |
done.
Improved Taste in Cities.
Improvement in the style of city archi- |
lecture is a matter that has come to be |
of sufficient importance to be the cause |