Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-14
OLD BUILDINGS GOING
Historic Piles in National Capital Give
Place to M odernity


Special Correspondence of The Herald.
WASHINGTON, July Gone by one
historic old buildings in the national cap
ital are going down before the irresistible
sweep of modernity. 1t is seldom, though,
that they pass out in blocks of six, as
was the case this week when an old row
of imposing dwellings, the homes of for
eign diplomats more than a half century
ago. was the subject of transfer that
will result in their being remodeled and
refurbished. The walls that once re-
sounded to the dignified chatter of many
tongues are to be given over to the cause
of higher education, and vandal carpen-
tiers and masons are already at work in
bringing about a transformation.
Once the change is effected, the six
houses are to be utilized by the George
Washington university for some of its
depar tments that have outgrown the prse-
ent quarters. Two of the houses will be
occupied by the college of engineering;
the department of education and the de-
partment of architecture will occupy two
more while the Women's college VIII
take up the remainder. The buildings are
especially well adapted for classrooms'
for the ceilings are high and the win
dows generous.
But to return to the historical side of
the matter. The row, once the most I'M
posing block of houses in Washington,
was erected in the SOS by w. w. Cor
coran who dedicated to the government
the national gallery of art bearing his
name Mr.. Corcoran discovered that the
representatives of foreign governments
could not find suitable living quarters in
Washington, and with characteristic pa
triotism he set about remedying this
fault, for he considered 1t a blot on the
good name of the United States in gen
eral and Washington in particular that
such a condition should exist. The
buildings, most elaborate for that era
were the result.
One of the houses was the scene OF "a
tragic occurrence some years before the
war The Russian envoy, one of the
most brilliant of the diplomatic set ana
his wife were the most lionized couple
in society The ENJOYS wine cellar was
a poem in old and rare vintages, and ne
had brought most of its stock from ms
estate in the cars realm. with MIN
also came an old butler, Russian VINO
had been for years in his employ, and
hundred-odd bottles of claret that
was worth it's weight in gold.
In the height of the social season the
envoy found his wine disappearing. the
thief devoted his attention to the price
less claret, and about twice week
empty bottles were found IN tne cOp-
webbed bin that contained them. The
butler kept close vigil. but to no avali.
The bottles continued to disappear.
Finally. in desperation, the envoy
carefully opened a bottle, treated tne
contents with powerful poison and re-
placed it in the bin where the hanu u
the thief would most naturally ran upol
it, The next morning he sought ms wine
cellar. There he found, lying STARK up 9u
the floor, the hands clenched ana ene
dead eyes holding in their depths ioI ,a
of frozen horror, the body OF ms o,u
servitor, the butler. So far as rhe ~ 80
ords show nothing ever was done ~ ~
case The United States could nov ac.,
for. in a diplomatic sense, the crime was
committed on Russian soil. ~,
1t is not unlikely that the houses WIN
ultimately be restored. Their occupancy
by the George washington university Is
only temporary, for the institution Is
making ready to erect notable Group OF
buildings of its own. It's amoltion 70
becomes the great American university
gives promise of fulfillment, and sub
scriptions to the endowment fund con-
| tinue to come In.
|