Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
SLOW PROGRESS THEN
Early-Day Conditions East of
Judiciary Square.
IMPROVED ONLY IN SPOTS
Value of Ground as Low as Half a
Cent Per Foot.
RAvINE THROUGH ONE SQUARE
Tavern Erected on Lot 1, Ben Oden
Tract, and Property Assessed
at $4,000.
RAvINE THROUGH ONE SQUARE

| the 23d instant the city's progress in the
early days was not rapid. 1t was not
| until tWenty-one years had passed that
| any perceptible growth was apparent, and
| then it appeared in spots. Though little
OF the ground had been taken up for home
sites, much of it was put into use through
conversion into building brick. and used
elsewhere. That some possessed optimist-
| ic views is seen by the investments of
Samuel Blodget Solomon Etting. c. Van
| Mannerick, BENZ. Stoddert and others.
| The appraised value of the ground of
one-half to one cent per foot, which pre-
vailed for more than twenty-five years,
with infrequent transfers of title, shows
that the early investors did not possess
| a bonanza.
AS stated in a former article, a little
farm occupied a portion of this section,
the farmhouse being located bout Sd
| and E streets. A small stream coursed
southeastward. crossing Indiana avenue
| to the Tiber east of list street, much of it
| through ravine. 1t was south of this
| stream. near the corner of I'd and D
| streets. that the initial Improvement in
| square o32, In the Ben Oden tract, which
square In 1892 was plated for sixteen
| lots and allotted equally to the United
States and David Burns.
| Edward Burrows bought this lot in
| 1893 and erected a tavern on it, which
after the corporation took charge in 1892
| was assessed on $1,000 value. Manner
| lex In 1893 purchased six lots, and in 1901
| L. Clements had lot on E street, Ben
jamin Sharp that at 4th and streets.
| and NJ. Corliss two lots on 4th street
The Tavern Title.
In 1903 DR.. Frederick May and S. Ell
:. hot, jr.. had title to the tavern property,
| and six years after it went to Moses
Young with part of the adjoining lot on
D street. and in 1918 he bought the re-
mainder of lot .. which then had a brick
building upon 1t. Mr.. Young's property
| in 1926 went to his daughter, Mrs. Ann
G. Bailey. In 1918 H. Bronson owned part
| on 4th street and w. Newall and W.
street. In 1920 G. P Maxwell was on this
| lot; In 1879 part of lot was in the name
of J. Stewart, and the next year s. B.
Anderson owned in lot 4. In 1881 S. B.
Stewart owned lot 10 on E street, which
in 1895 was transferred to C. W. Davis.
In the thirties the ground was valued at
2 cents only. and the property was listed
as follows: Moses Young. 5000 and $500:
]. Bailey. $500, and G. P. Maxwell. $500.
| The original valuation of the ground vas
half cent per foot
The square known as No. 572, laid out
in two lots in the lines of Indiana avenue
D, I'd and Sd streets in 1895. was not re-
garded as very desirable for building
sites. much of it was in a ravine One
lot went to the United States and the
| other to Burns and Oden. 1t is not re-
garded singular that for many years it
| lay idle, borne on the assessment books
| for taxation al half a cent and one cent
per foot.
In 1903 lot =. the west end of the square.
went to w. Simms and in 1920 to Moses
| Young and afterward to his daughter,
-
cal use made of it was by Anon Baldwin,
carpenter and builder about the year
1910 in the establishment of a sash, door
and blind factory in connection with his
shop at Indiana avenue, D and Sd streets.
| The southeast corner of the square in the
campaign of 1860 came into prominence
as the location of the headquarters of the
Wide Awakes, as the Lincoln Club was
called and of the printing office of the
| National Republican. Many threats were
made by political opponents, and once or
twice was this building stoned during the
campaign.
Ample Size for Gardening Purposes.
Between D. E, Sd and 4th streets was
square so, laid oht for but six lots, of
ample size for gardening purposes. 1t
was portioned in 1885, but it was six
years after before sales were made. when
lot g. corner Of Sd and E streets, went to
Sd and l. streets, to a. Wayman: this
latter lot soon after going to \. King.
DR.. F. May about the same time bought
lot 4, corner of Sd and E streets, and
| George Murdoch succeeded to the title.
The next transfer was in 1916, when
| Richard T. Queen bought lot 2. corner Sd
and D streets, and nine years after
Raphael Semmes and John Pickrell had
lot +, the corner of Sd and E streets, and
I,,ty lN$s % -<Nf0 \ n
! In 1920 John P. Ingle and Gen. Van
| Ness owned several lots. and Benjamin
| Pollard acquired the south front of the
square, lots l and .. The latter made
subdivision lots A to G; which In 1880
j. Middleton, w. G. Deals. Benjamin
Bean, V. Camalier, ]. G. Robinson and
w. w. Lowe.
The improvements were charged at
81 POO, $500, two at s1,7Oo each, two at
1900 each, and one at $780, and the ground
| was assessed at from to cents per
foot Later the name of Mechanics
row. attached to the improvements and
was SO known for fifty years.
| In 1888 r. c. Washington and Darius
Clagett owned one of the subdivisions, and
in 1885 Jerome o. p Degges owned the
brckyards in the square The next year
| Andrus Brady owned subdivision c and
| Mr.. Pollard lot on ID street. Mr. Degges
in 1887 bought at the corner of I'd and E
streets and John NJ. Dom bought subdi-
vision G, as did C. w. Boteler the year
after, when Mrs. Hannah Gather had
| sublot G.
Divided Into Sixteen Lots.
North of the above described the square
known as No. 531. between Sd, 4th. E and
F streets, was cut into sixteen lots. which
in 1902 were apportioned between the gov
eminent and Mr.. Burns. The English
building company, as Pratt, Francis, Mil
Ter and associates were known. bought in
the square lots and 10. I'd and F streets.
in 1901, but there was no development.
Half a cent per foot represented the
ground value till in the thirties. when 1t
rea ched 21h cents. and this increase was
out of proportion with the progress of
improvements. In 1918 lot l. corner of +.
and Sd streets was leased to E. Car
michael, who assigned it shortly to Sam
uel Phillips. In 1923 Briget Connolly
bought lot 2 adjoining on the west. G. c.
Lee, in 1929. owned lot 8, corner Of 4th
and F streets, which the next year went
to E. P Cranch and David A. Hall. the
latter after buying lot i, on 4th street.
The only improvement noted up to the
thirties was that of Mrs. Connolly, of
81 800. and two pieces at $50 each on lot 2
on street.
In square 56S were thirty-three building
lots, laid out in 1896. all vested in the