Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08

time to time. till II Is now a handsome
country estate. and the home in the midst
OF 1t Is worth a long journey to The
same Is true In a large measure OF the home
tract at-Friendshtp, though the natural set
ting is perhaps not 50 attractive. But both |
or these big tracts are protected by their |
own size from ever being built up against,
and have the additional advantage that |
they are surrounded by the great purchases
of the American University and the Episco-
pal University and the Cathedral Close |
which take up much of the ground In their |
Immediate vicinity. and are certain for
semi-public parks.
Typical Subdivision.
Taking the more closely settled portions of
the same region. one may consider Cleve- |
land Park as typical northwestern sub
urb, and an example OF what man of
even moderate means can get by moving |
| into the country to live the year round |
without divorcing himself from any of the |
comforts and conveniences of city life OF
course, every one knows part of the Cleve- |
land Park tract used to be the famous
home OF ex-President Decentralization |
But the tract has now been subdivided and
so built up that it looks like a part of the
city, except that. while II has sidewalks
sewers and gas 1t still has macadam roads
and the houses are not damned together as
they are In the city, and the trees and nat
ural shade have not been sacrificed any
more than was necessary in building the
houses. Each house has ground of its own
around 1t. and the whole tract has the yi1-
tues of the country and city combined
about as well as 1t Is possible to have them
property values In Cleveland Park are
steadily increasing. With an elevation of 800
feet above the the park enjoys a COM
mandng position from which excellent
views are had of the Potomac river and
the surrounding country of Maryland and
Virginia. Not far distant is Rock Creek
Park. consisting of nearly 5000 acres on
which the government has already spent
more than S1,OGG,GGO Among the historic
residences nj ic tha htoI,l
was occupied by Gen. Forrest, an aid-de-
camp to Gen. Washington
Heal estate in Petworth has experienced
boom in the last six months Until re-
Gently land values in this subdivision had
declined, but they are now on the rapid in
crease owing to recent evidence of public
worth
The numerous improvements recently
made at the subdivision known as Drum
mond just beyond the grounds of the
Chevy Chase Club. have caused a marked
appreciation of the value of realty at that
place.
With the completion of the new branch
Of the Pennsylvania railroad extending
from Landover, Maryland. to the Union
station marked activity in real estate
matters in the vicinity of Landover is ex-
pected. In anticipation of this plans have
already been made for the development Of
the natural resources of the place.
The people of Washington are coming
more and more to appreciate the comfort
of country and city life combined and to
see how IL Is possible to live comfortably
on the outskirts of town and at the same
time give their children the country to live
In instead OF turning them out to the more
or less questionable attractions and COM
partnerships of the city streets.
Proved by Experience.
1t has been proved by experience also that
when one is buying real estate for home
1t Is a profitable investment to get 1t in the
property has appreciated in value In the
past ten or twenty years, 1t has been
impossible for the ground in the city proper
to do. It has not been so long ago that
40 or $15 a foot was top notch price
for property In the heart of the business
section. This has possibly doubled In the
more desirable quarters up to date. But
while the out-of-town property in the
| northwest was bringing 500 an acre a. few
years ago 1t is now worth from Is cents
to 90 cents square foot. Even allowing
for a wastage of third In the subdivision,
this would make the same property now
worth something like $4,000 an acre. At
the same time. as one leaves the business
section and goes northwest, residence
property that twenty years ago was going
begging at a dollar a foot is now worth
SO a foot. But this, of course, is nothing
compared to the appreciation of the farther
outlying property.
When one takes the trolley and goes out
Connecticut avenue extended toward Chevy
Chase there Is wilderness of apparently
valuable and available building sites. The
land is In the market, but almost at city
between Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase
circle bought an acre of 1t for $500, and
the recent sale of the tract to the Carnegie
Institution on the other side of the road
was made at s4,5 800. All of the Intervening
ground will Of course be ultimately bought
up in small holdings. But prices have
reached point where a holding of half an
acre VIII denote man of some means and
the most Of the tract will be cut up into
generous-sized city building lots.
Money Expended in Development.
1t has possibly been forgotten by many
people that the California syndicate which
holds this immense tract spent a mint of
money in developing 1t. The long road that
was built from the city to Chevy Chase was
not only presented to Washington, but was
graded and laid at the expense of the COM
pany The water, sewer and lighting sys-
tenn which was put In was also at the ex-
pense of the company, and 1t Is said that
the road alone represents an expenditure of
$450,O00. 1t was big price to pay, but the
results have shown that 1t was money well
invested.
This brings up the question that is per-
ennial In Washington whether or not the
other improvements that cannot be paid for
out Of current revenues. There are two
| views taken of this by opposing factions OF
| real estate dealers and other citizens Some
! say that Congress has not lived I'D to the
| compact made with the city in 1878 and paid
| its fair half of the cost of the District They
| point out that taxation in and around
Washington has risen to an enormous ex-
| tent, and even granting that taxes are
| equally assessed, which is always a bone
| Of contention among property holders, the
District government has right to assess
property. especially unimproved property
! so heavily as 1t does. They say that there
| is no more reason for curtaling Washing
| ton public improvements merely for lack
| Of ready money than there would be for the
| United States government to stop building
| the Panama canal, merely because 1t could
not do so out of current revenues. They
| say that the proper and logical way is a
bond issue: that the borrowing capacity of
Washington is perfectly good and that II
| the money were acquired and spent judic-
| iously in public improvements that it would
| help the sale Of all property immensely, and
| especially would cause the tide OF city life
to move out from the congested centers to
| the outskirts, where there Is more air and
a more healthful life could be led. breeding
| better race of citizens to continue the