Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-13
HIGH PRICED HOUSES
Costly Structures in This City
Not on the Market.
COST OF WILKINS HOUSE
Report That Senator du Pont Paid
$250,0o0 for Home.
RUMORS OF LARGE OFFERS
Increasing Number Of Fine and
Costly Buildings for Use
Of the Owners.
RUM0RS OF LARGE OFFER
ANN&
NH1N

A quarter of a million of dollars seems
| q large sum to pay for home Even If
the prospective buyer is a multimillion-
aire, that would be the view of IL in the
great majority OF cases. Instances OF
where men have paid that much and more
for a house to live In are not unusual In
such a center as New York but ever
there, as is the case in this city, II 4.
rather uncommon for a man to arrange
for the purchase OF q place to live which
would involve such an outlay
1t is more usual for men to start out tc
build a house and become interested in
the enterprise and add items to the cost
| until the ultimate outlay is possibly four
and Ave times what was originally con-
templated. That is quite different from
agreeing to a business proposition to pay
out in a bulk sum any such amount az
that mentioned
A Recent Instance.
In this city transaction for the trans
fer OF a single residence for such a sum
Of money was recently closed when Sem
ator du Pont agreed to buy the wilkins
| residence. at I'LL Massachusetts, avenue.
In fact. the exact consideration is not
given, nor indeed any consideration. and
some who discuss the transaction are of
the opinion that possibly $4,000 was paid
In excess OF the sum spoken Of How
ever that may be. the purchaser acquired
a lot with about 22.O0O square feet and Q
large residence in an attractive locality.
There are a good many houses in this
city which are said to have cost more to
build than the amount given in the trans
action in question. But such houses are
built for the use of the owners and sell
dom come on the market, and for that
reason. while there is a good deal Of
property Of that class in this city. yet the
transfers are very few, and hence when
one is made II attracts a good deal of at :
tention. mainly. ii is thought because Of
the unaccustomed figures used in connec-
ton with the sale OF a residence.
Seldom Changes Hands.
A year or two ago Mr.. Kirkporter. at
that time a representative in Congress
from Pittsburg. bought the residence at
the southwest corner of 10th and / streets.
and the price named was also quarter
of a million. At that time il was said to
have been the highest price paid in this
city in the case Of a purchase of sin
gle residence. AS stated. there are quite
number of houses here which have
cost the owners more than that amount
to build but thus far they have not GOMEZ
on the m.rket and the record in the SALE
OF property of that class is not lengthy
one
II is currently reported that Mrs Town
send at one time received an offer of
$4,000 for her residence on Massachu-
sets avenue while it is also said on the
same authority that Mr.. Larz Anderson
asked 81 .O0, 900 for his home on the same
avenue and in the same vicinity as that
of Mrs. Townsend 1t is quite apparent1
that the market figure for such property
has not much in the way Of precedent to|
depend upon, and il Is also quite evident
that realizing tie rea! value In such cases
appears to rest somewhat on the within OF
the person who happens to be interested
and sees something that he likes.
Permanent Values.
There is no question but that there is|
real value in such property which is evil
dent even to the cold calculation of those
who loan money II is found In the To-
cation. the worth of the ground and that
of the house. The stability of the realty
market in this city gives property --alues
a certain permanency. while the method
of building the best class results in the
highest form of construction. II is pos
sible in the residences of this class to
find the construction similar to that en-
ployed in the steel skyscrapers, namely.
iron frames Of steel with terra Gotta moor.
ing and partitions.