Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-16
Many Land Subdivisions.

In place OF lot number and block In some
subdivision there will be a lot number ii,
some square. There now some 80 sub
divisions of land in the area outside Of the
old city bounds. Some of them are of con-
siderable extent and others are small COM
prising In some instances only a few acres
OF land. But they all have names Instead
OF this confusing aggregation of distinct
parcels Of property Mr.. Richards has sub
stituted the uniform and simple method
which applies to all property within the
original city.
Each lot under the new plan has a num-
Der and is in a square. and. as is the case
In the city, the size of the number OF the
square gives some suggestion of its rela-
tive location In the plan Of the city. Mr.
Richards found that the entire number OF
squares Of land within the old city limits
Is LILO. He added to this the number
of squares in Georgetown which had dis
tinct notation, and then proceeded to as
sign numbers In regular sequence to the
region lying beyond Georgetown and west
of Rock creek. In cases of land not yet
subdivided into squares or blocks with
streets Mr.. Richards allotted a sufficient
portion of the numbers so that when "A
subdivision is made, which. Of course. must
conform to that of the street extension
plan, the new squares will fit right in with
the existing and surrounding squares.
Just Like the City Plan.
According to this system, the numbers
of the section west of Rock creek out
side Georgetown, run from 1901 to 300.
and for the section lying between
Rock Creek and North Capitol street.
and, of course. extending north to tho
bounds of the District, the numbers range
from 2500 to $500. Then the next section.
between North Capitol street and the East
ern branch. has the numbers from $3.50 to
5000, and the region south of the Eastern
branch the numbers from 5000 on. This is
The final and definitive system covering
the entire District and providing for all the
land within those limits. Just as was done
NV h<a cent vet NJ boil, l.a
squares of the original city, put into opera
ton when the plan Of the city was adopted
more than century ago.
1t Is estimated by Mr.. Richards that when
the entire area of the sixty-nine square
miles within the District Is laid out in city
squares that the number OF such squares
will be about $500. or nearly six times that
within the original city plan. The progress
made in the expansion OF the city beyond
these limits is quite clearly shown by the
records of the subdivisions. for while here.
as elsewhere. speculative movement in
land Is apt to precede that of substantial
settlement, yet II has never yet reached the
proportions Of craze or boom.
An Indication Of Growth.
While of course. there are subdivisions
of land about tho city which arc not built
up to any extent. and few Instances
where the building phase has not as yet
set In. still, generally speaking, the sub
divisions mark the course OF population.
ritory within the limits OF the District Is
therefore found to that extent IN the rec
ord of land subdivision.
Ii Is the estimate OF the surveyor OF tho
District that the area outside of the origi-
nal city is three and half times greater
than that which was included within the
urban bounds. He further estimates that
of the first-named territory the amount al
ready included within subdivisions of lands
is one and one-half times the city area.
There are therefore within the District
two and one-half times the amount of the
land In tho old city which Ii yet to be sub
divided into building lots or is available
for such purpose, There are twelve square
miles within the original city limits and
sixty-nine in the entire territory of the
District The amount of land that Mr..
Richards calculates il still available for
subdivision into building lots is about forty
two square miles,
In order that the new system of desg-
mating building blocks will become at once
available for the use Of every one Mr.,
Richards has had prepared list of all
the squares In the District with the old
designation tn an eppesite column, and
also list under the old names with the
square numbers in an opposite column. so
that q reference to the old or the new name
will be easily accomplished