Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Some Notable Improvements of
the Past Season.
PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE
Increased Facilities Provided for the
Business Of the City.
SOME NEW PUBLIC EDIFICES
A Great Deal Done in Adding to City's
Attractiveness and Enlarging
Its Business.
PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE
SOME NEW PUBLIC EDIFICES

ABOUT the city cranlng tnelr nechS anu eFi-
IDENTIFY trying to take in all they can. AS
a rule they put down as sghtseers.
class of people that is increasing each year
in numbers the fame of the city, as not
only the capital of the country, but the
most beautiful city in the world, grows and
expands They are not, however, all strang
ers in the city. This curiosity is not shown
at this time altogether by strangers, but as
the citizens begin to come back from the
summer vacation they are naturally inter-
ested to see what has been done in their
absence in the way of improvements
1t seems to be taken for granted that i'm
provements are going on, and 1t would be
a strangely constituted resident of the city
who remained in ignorance of the enormous
expansion of the city in a material way.
AS there is no section that Is favored in this
respect II is not necessary for any one to
go out of his way In order to see something
of what Is being done in the way Of new
buildings or the alterations In existing
buildings. Even an absence of a few weeks
from the city shows many changes in these
respects, so that the new things to be seen
are increased In cases where the stay from
home has been extended over a longer
period.
Increased Facilities.
No doubt It would interest those who are
still away If they could have the advantage
of seeing through the eyes of recent home
corners and in this way learn something of
what has been done during the past sum-
mer in the way of adding to the home ac-
commodations of the city or providing for
better business facilities.
In the business section of the city or
more properly speaking, In the expanded
portion of 1t. which is found on 18th street
south or Fl street, progress is being made
In replacing old structures with modern
edifices at the southwest corner of 18th and
III streets. The walls of the Colonial Hotel
are almost down. and the work of remov-
ing the old building is steadily going on
under the direction of the owners of the
property, the Union Trust COMPANY. for
here Will be the site of the new home which
the company Is to provide for its own use.
Gs well as for the convenience of those who
wish 10 have offices in that neighborhood
Large Business Buildings.
Or the opposite side of the street there
IS vast hole in the ground, which ts to
be the basement of the new buildings
that are to be erected by the SwartzelI
Rheem Hensey Company and by w.
u. Hibbs & Co A remodeled house adj
Joining the Colonial Hotel on Fl street
is occupied by William Corcoran Hill
with his real estate office. and he has as
tenants the New York Herald and r. s
Donaldson & Co, real estate brokers.
Further south on 18th street the tall
steel frame of the building under CON
struction by the Metropolitan National
Bank is being filed in with marble
docks, which are to be the attractive ma
terlal that is to be used in the front of
the new structure. Around the corner ON
+ street, adjoining the Corcoran building
is the hve-story business and office build
ing that is being erected by Mr. Henry 4
Willard The light brick front is about
completed, and the interior finish is now
gong on.
Expensive Undertakings.
Building operations have not as vet
been begun on the Office building that IL
Is proposed to erect at the northeast cor
ner of 14th and F streets. and the same Is
the case with the hotel building which
has been planned for the northeast cornsr
OF 14th street and PENNSYLVANIA ayenue
The building adjoining the corner of ;I,h
and r streets is being remodeled and
when II is completed IL will be occupied
by the shoe establishment of Arthur Burt
who is now located on the block immeI,-
ately to the west.
Outside the changes that are being
made In the business district progress
may be noted in the course of the cree
ton OF structures for various uses
The large home of the Metropolitan Club
at the southwest corner of 18th and III
streets is being pushed forward, and now
the outer walls are up to the fourth
story, and the combination of a light
co!ored brick and stone as brought out
In the French design gives promise of
presenting a pleasing whole when fin
ished
feature of the building season this
year Is the unusual number of public
buildings that are going up. The result
OF the summer activity is seen in the adj
dluons made to the height of the walls
OF these great structures In some cases
the superstructureS We're not begun at the
opening of the summer. The municipal
building on Pennsylvania avenue was in
inns class. and now the white granite
walls show up to the height of the sec
ond-story floor.
New Public Buildings.
The House Office building to the south of
the Capitol building has it's superstructure
half way up. while the walls of the Senate
office building on the opposite of Capitol
Park are beginning to show above the top
of the fence that surrounds the site. Good
progress has been made in the erection OF
the wings of the Agricultural Department
building near the site of the present struc-
ture, while the National Museum building
the north side OF the Mall begins to
show an exterior that has neariy reached
the proposed height.
AL of these five buildings will be notable