The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-20
RICHMOND, THE
C.ONGE|S'T |. CITY
Some Startling Facts Shown BY
purcclls Atlas Of This
Thick Town.
DAMP DAY ON REAL ESTATE
Activity Yesterday Confnc,I TO
Discussion Of Better Streets
For West End.

Z
1t could not he expected that In tile
absence OF a real estate exchange and
on n market where most Of tho selling
and buying OF realty IS done on tho
ground, much business could be donc
on n day like yesterday with the rain
coming down In torrents from early morn
3 IL dewey eve.
Tho wet day and tho sluices of rain
water that rushed doHh tho unpavcd
streets In the West End ana made mud
holes and piles that forbade tho dwcllcrs
in many handsome Houses that havo re-
Gently gone UP in that part Of the city
coming outdoors, caused people to stop
end discuss tho duty of tho city in the
matter OF providing for the comfort OF
builders and owners OF homes out that
way. Bricks and mortar make values
and the taxable values OF Leo District
and tho West End have thus been tn-5
Ilienscly Increased and are being in
creased every day. Some of the people
who have movd out that way had to
wasthrough n considerable lot OF mud and
slnsh yesterday to reach tho street cars
and come down town TO business and
when they did get down. and got n
some very decided opinions on the sub
chance Mt Councilman they expressed
.Act OF pavement and sidewalk building.
One Mans Views.
Said one OF these: THE assessments OF
property have been more than doubled
III Lee District and contiguous territory
and che people are now paying taxes on
the basis OF tho increased assessments.
The city Is not manifesting much OF a
disposition to show Its appreciation. Mon
ument Avenue being the highway to all
or the most OF this improved property.
ought to have some good work done on
IL by the city this spring so that peopis
will be able to drive out that way In
any kind of weather. Thus moro en-
enlargement would he given to builders
In that section ana the city would quick
~ get Its money bfax In Increased taxes.
That Is the way 1t looks to me-
So far as could DO learned no sales OF
great moment were made yesterday, or
1t least no large deals were closed. A
lot or two was sold here and there on
strictly private terms that the agents
'efuscd to confide to The Times Dispatch
nan, except that they were small trans
actions. But the real estate men werc
not at all idle. They were laying their
olans for big weeks business II the
clouds roll by in time to allow them to
Ihow property.
1t Is understood that contracts were
closed yesterday for the erection OF three
more handsome. homes In the Lee Dis
trict. but particulars could not be OBJ
tanned. The workmeu have commenced
to lay the foundations for the elegant
home that Contractor w. B. Newell Is
to build for Mrs. James Leigh Jones.
This splendid home. which is now going
up on Monument Avenue. between Mead
ow and Allison Streets. will cost In the
neighborhood of $4,000 when completed.
Map Showing Congestion.
Mr. ". f.. Purcell. craftsman. has
completed and put on sac a full and
1t is in large book form. containing 81
lincn-backed pages or plates and Is a
perfect atlas OF the City. showing oycry
street and alley, every monument, public
building and park, and every lot with
the name OF the owner. The Interesting
document Is complied from the court
records and from other authentic sources
of information.
This map shows as nothing else does
the congestion OF the c4ty. 80 much talk
ed OF. 81 ~
For instance: Plate II, which marks tho
property from Broad to Leigh Streets
and from Adams TO Graham, shows Y75
houses In that territory and only one
vacant lot. That one was recently bought
by Mr.. I. Wason and 1t goes without
saying that a house will soon be erect
cd on 1t, as that is what he buys lots for.
one section insthe territory named. as
shown by Mr.. Purcell's map, has thirty
nine houses on one small square OF 200
by 20 feet, and NIL OF them are occu-
pied. OF course they are very small
houses. the most OF them being on lots
that front Is feet and run back only
IS. the houses covering every inch OF the
ground. There Is one alley in this sec
ton only fifteen feet wide upon which