Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-04

The "farthest north thus far attained
by houses in rows is Michigan avenue,
just east of North Capitol street. Along
this thoroughfare, which borders the
grounds of the Soldiers Home on the
south. has just been completed row OF
two-story houses by Francis A. Blundon.
Some of them are already occupied by
the new owners, while the finishing
touches are being applied in the case OF
others. This row turns the corner of
North Capitol street and extends some
distance south along that thoroughfare.
This advance of the line of houses in
rows, which. discloses the city and it's
growing population. is not surprising
when 1t is considered in connection with
the locality known as the Bloomingdale
region and which for some five or six
years or more has been steadily growing.
so that if there was to be a continued
advance 1t must take place to the north
in the vicinity of the grounds of the
Soldiers Home, for all other available
building space from block east of
North Capitol street to the built-up sec
tons of the city at Florida avenue and
Sd street and LIE Droit Park has practi-
cally been built up with homes.
Inclosing the Home Grounds.
However Michigan avenue. or the
southern boundry of the Soldiers Home.
does not mark the farthest north reached
by the city, except in that locality, for
already the broad acreage of those beau
tlful grounds has fallen within the prog
ress of the advance Of the city's popula-
ton and is being gradually enclosed with
in the area of the closely built-up sec
ton of the city. What has been done on
the south has been referred to above
On the north of the grounds and along
what is known as the Rock Creek Church
road are to be found improvements going
on in the shape of houses in rows.
There is no reason to doubt there will
he in the future an extension of such
improvements along Michigan avenue to
the eastward, SO that the line of city
building will be continued, but whether
this movement will be carried to the eX-
tent of attempting an encfrcing of thle
grounds Of the home it is impossible to
say. The grounds are guarded on the
south by the parklike property of the
filtration plant, and the course Of Michi-
gan avenue around these grounds and the
reservoir makes one of the most delight
full drives In the vicinity Of the city.
On the one side Of the avenue as 1t
passes to its western extension in the
street that corresponds to the eastern end
Of Columbia road stretch the lawns of the
filtration plant and the broad lakelike
hand are the wooded heights of the Sol
diers' Home grounds. The houses in rows
come quite up to the southern border of
the grounds OF the filtration plant, and
now the city has reached its finish in
that particular direction.
Change From Old Views.
At the same time this new region CT
homes has quite the air of it's hand
;o h~nr h
out in the care evidently bestowed upon
the parkings and the shrubbery as Wen
as in the attention given to the
maintenance of the houses. 1t is appar-
entity the purpose of the designer of the
houses that the occupants should have a
chance, If they wished one. to live good
deal in the open. and so there is ample
provision of porches. both in front and
rear. The former is a comparatively new
feature of house building in this city, as
it came in with the custom of using lots
that were not cut down to the narrowest
dimensions as to their width.
The broader space allows for room for
the porch in front and so the building
line of a row of houses Of modern type
is broken by the outline Of the porches
rather than the bay windows, as was
the case with the old-time row. Another
advantage of the wider building lot is
the introduction Of the type OF house
known as the box house, where there
are no back buildings. with their dark
and sunless areas. but where the kitchen
shares with the dining room the rear por-
ton of the house.
In such houses the parlor, as 1t used to
be with it's elaborate and useless furni-
ture, has given place in many instances
to the more practical and honey" living
room In this way all the space in the
house is used in the family life and there
Is not that stretch of rooms on the first
or parlor floor which in the average
houses plays but small part in the life
Of the household.
Rhode Island Avenue.
The development of this section of the
city seems to be awaiting the opening of
Rhode Island avenue east of Lincoln
road. At least that Is the impression an
observer would get In looking at the sit
uation as it is today. The line of build
Ings has come up to that point and along
the avenue and now seems only to be
a chance to go onward to the
east.
The matter Of the extension Of the ave-
nue. east from Lincoln road to 4th street
east. thus supplying the missing link in
the entire line of that thoroughfare which
extends through the city and on to the