Evening star., 1909-07-19
Prominent Singers in Choir.

time the services attracted from distant
parts of the city the eloquence of Father
Mcguire and others and the music of the
choir, In which Cecilia Young's, Anna
Melchors and other voices were promi-
nent, being drawing cards Rapidly grew
the congregations, and l street having
been opened, the incentive given to build
Ing was accelerated by the location of
Wenders printing ONCE on North Capitol
street.
The young but large congregations in
the infancy of the church dt hing the civil
war came near being shut out of the
building. The government was about to
purposes and had lumber on the ground
before the intention was known. Rev.
Father Wtget protested to the officer In
charge and many of the congregation
proper for the purpose At the same time
the use Of the ground in the square north
was rendered. After. few hours the
members offered to erect the buildings.
and they did. In a week wards sufti-
cient for two thousand patients were in
place and ST. Aloysius Hospital in service.
In 1858 Georgetown College conveyed
a portion Of its holdings on K and 1st
streets. as also the old Washington Sem
mary property on F street adjoining st.
Patrick's Church, to Gonzaga College. in
corporated that year. The latter. how
ever. did not move to the new holdings
till 1871.
The western portion Of the square was
subdivided by the Sisters of the Vista
ton in 1860 and among the first owners
was Paulus Thyson.
The history Of the square south Of 623.
of the same size of the above. Is very
similar to the civil war. From Gonzaga
College the title passed to the Sisters of
the Visitation for the west half. which
after the civil war was bought by A. r.
Shepherd for $4,000. Many sublots were
made. and later the alley became Defrees
street. now as we'll known as the other
streets we'll built up.
On G, H. North Capitol and LIST streets
west. on which Is the old as well as the
new government printing office buildings.
no less than seventy-eight building lots
were laid out and those In the west part
Of the square have been cut into smaller
subdivisions The same history applies
for half century. during which 1t was
unproductive. In 1852 Richard Dart be-
James C. MCGUIRE owned most of it and
made a subdivision. In 1859 Cornelius
Wendell. who was the contractor for the
public printing, bought portion of the
square; fronting 2Ss. 70 feet on II street
and 1925 on North Capitol street. and
erected there what was then considered
a mammoth printing off1c4of two stories
This was purchased by the government
in 1860, the deed passing In December,
and the consideration was s135.O00. With
the location Of the plant here the neigh
borhood was soon built up. and was
largely composed of those then employed
in the building. in year or two but
few of the sublots lying idle.
Where Tiber Flowed.
The squares east Of North Capitol street
we're handicapped for building purposes
by the Tiber cutting through them, and
that north of I street a smaller stream
ran. They, however, were included. in
the Greenleaf operations. but improve
nent was not in evidence till late day.
That between I and X streets was Of
twenty-eight lots and the others of eight
lots each, and in the apportionment the
government was vested with title to half
the lots and Oden and Canale with the
others. .Iany years Godfrey ct al. hold