Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-15
AS A BUSINESS PLACE
Feature of the City Is Not Gen.
orally Understood.
EXPANSION OF A SECTION
Investment Buying Main Feature of
the Market.
BULK OF TRANSACTIONS LARGE
So Conducted as Not to Interfere With
the Comfort Of City as Place
of Residence.
EXPANSION OF A SECTION
BULK OF TRANSACTIONS LARGE

one or the most Interesting features of
the realty market are the possibilities in
the way of future development of what
may be termed the business section OF the
city. There is nothing that Is taking place
just at present in connection with prop
erty OF this class that gives 1t any special
prominence. In fact. the reverse is almost
true. for while something is going on all
the time the movement In property OF this
class has OF late been rather slow.
There is nothing remarkable in that
when the general business conditions and
the unsettled conditions of the money mar
ket are taken into account. At such times
men are not looking for investments. They
are rather inclined to turn what they
have into money. and to hold on to the
cash until they see what Is going to hap
pen. Such an extreme phase has not been
reached, for In such a case 1t would be a
genuine panic; still there Is a general ten
dency to move slowly in all matters re-
curing the use of large sums OF money On
account Of current conditions 1t may be
said that just now the realty market Is not
in a condition for any great degree Of ac-
tivity.
Demand for Property.
The demand for property in the business
section Of the city is thus affected To
large extent the buying there is for invest
ment There is. OF course. some speculative
buying which is more prominent in periods
of rapid movement, when there IS a great
deal being done and property is rapidly
changing hands. At such times the specu-
lator has a chance with a small amount Of
cash to get control of expensive pieces of
property, and before the time comes for
settling up he may be able to find a buyer
who will take it off his hands at a profit
There is no such market as that just now
ha fhar for Gem
in spite of that fact and also of the gen.
eral conditions the influence of the changes
that are going on in the city along the line
of its material development is felt strongly
in what is known as the business section,
and especially along the border of that Sec
ton.
Changes Going On.
Property Is being changed from residence
uses into business placess. Buildings that
are now employed for such purposes are
being enlarged and improved, and some
thing is being done all the time So that
the entire sum Of years activities In such
direction makes quite an Impressive show
ing. Slowly at times, and then again more
rapidly, the borders of the section are
being extended and pushed onward SO that
even those who familiar with the 10
cality are scarcely conscious that any such
movement is in progress.
Those who have been absent from the
city for time or those who have trained
eyes and come from other cities are apt
10 see more plainly the trend of the city
than those who are residents. In this way
Is explained those transa ctions which occur
frequently when some man from abroad
comes in and makes a large investment
In such cases a clearer vision is given OF
the years that are to come and their influ-
ence upon property.
Expansion of Resources.
he Of
as is shown in the addition to the number
of buildings used for such purposes and the
enlargement of that area, the amount of
money employed is much larger and in
every way there is expansion. II is for this
reason in part that the banking resources
OF the city have about doubled during the
past ten years. Profitable use has been
found for this enlarged capital in this city
There is no question that the end is yet
afar off and that the commercial impor-
lance of Washington is bound 10 increase.
At the same time it does not seem prob
able that the reputation Of this city i'm the
business world is likely to change very
much, and, in spite of the figures which '
show that millions employed where o.
comparatively few years ago only thousands
of dollars Were sufficient, Washington seems
doomed to rank as a place where there is
mo business" There is no doubt that
certain compensation comes from this I'M
appreciative attitude toward the real COM
mercial merits of this city.
Business City.
In spite of an unbeievng world the bust
ness of Washington does grow year by
year, and at this time has reached proper
lions which make really impressive show
ing when all the details are marshaled in
the orderly array of a statistical table.
But it Is not needful to gain convincing
proof to place reliance upon mere figures
which after all are not understood by the
great bulk of people and not duly
credited by another large proportion.
| The business of Washington, the COM
mercial side of this city, at least
! portion of it, can be seen in tangible form
| in the buildings that devoted to the
uses of trade, in the office buildings and in
| the throngs that found In the business
| sections of the city.
Exists Just the Same.
| At the same time, this activity is not
accompanied by the objectionable features
| such as are found in other cities, and that
| has good deal to do with the impression
| created of lack of business In this city.
| 1t does not go on in quite the same fashion
| as 1t does in other places. and the lungs of
| the people, to say nothing of their homes,
are not filled with the smoke and the SCOT
pouring forth from chimneys which not
nod xxyif for