Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-07
Filing Of Proposals.

Filing Of Proposals.
Vendors 1t is provided, "must pay all
expenses connected with the furnishing OF
evidence Of title ana deeds of conveyance.
No special form of proposal is requiredsor
provided. but the proposals must state q
lump price for the land offered, including
the improvements. and in addition the
price per square foot for the land with
the Improvements added as a separate
item. The right to reject any or all pro-
posals is reserved. Each proposal must be
sealed. marked Proposal for the sale of
land for charging the Capitol grounds
and mailed to Elliott Woods, superintend-
emit of the Capitol building and grounds.
The proposals will be opened at O'Clock
in the afternoon OF August TO-
Owned by Baltimore Company.
BY long odds the greater portion of
the land is owned by the Real Estate and
Improvement Company OF Baltimore city,
which corporation holds the property for
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. In view
of the immense advantages to the rail-
roads that will accrue through the &C.
Quirement by the government of the land
surrounding the Union station. and be-
tween that great structure and the Capt.
any difficulty in bringing about an agree
ment between the commission and the
Real Estate and Improvement Company.
There Is ground for this belief in the
fact that when the government a couple
Of years ago, purchased the site near the
last session authorized the construction
OF q monumental new. city post office
the railroad sold the land to Uncle Sam
for slightly less than One-third more
tlN~r, st. vA1, b.
sessed valde is supposed to be two-thirds
Of the actual value OF property in the
District Of Columbia. 1t has been held
that the government was treated with
great fairness and got the land at an
exceedingly reasonable price. If the
Real Estate and Improvement Company
of Baltimore, the holding company for
most of the land now desired, offers any
where near the same terms the commits
sion will probably be well satisfied.
Value Of the Land.
declared its intention of purchasing there
are 1,167 500 square feet. The assessed
value of the land is $1,711.2O7, and of
the improvements $663,973. a total of
$2.275, $50.
Congress in estimating for the appro-
priation of $5OO.OO0 a year for seven years
for the purchase of this property evil
IDENTIFY considered $3,5OOOOO a fair price
for the whole, being an increase Of about
one-third over the assessed valuation.
In it's effort to secure information bear
ing on the reasonable value OF the prop
erty I'm question the commission has Sc
cured from the assessors Office the three
prior assessments of this property and the
assessed value since the nrst of the pres
ent month. The greater portion of the
land Is unimproved or only slightly i'm
proved with buildings originally of mod
crate cost mat have been deprecated by
the change of grade resulting from the
improvement In the Union station plaza
OF the total assessment value of the i'm
prOvements-&663 ,973-Over two-thirds, or
x47j, 100, il assessed against the buildings
in the three squares north of and adjOin-
ing the present Capitol grounds.
When the proposed new post Office ad-
joining the Union station shall have been
completed the group of buildings around
the Capitl will represent q first cost of
more than $4,000, 900 and a present value
far and away in excess of that amount.
The Proposed Improvement.
The property to be acquired by the
government will extend from the Capitol
grounds to the Union station plaza, CIV
ing the government control OF the squares
surrounding the plaza: Of both sides of
Delaware avenue: will permit the widen
ing of that avenue by moving its central
line suficiently to the west to make it
on the axis of the dome of the Capitol
and the center Of the Union station, thus
providing a dominating. dignified and
adequate approach to the Capitol. 1t
will also provide for the opening Of a
new avenue, wider than Pennsylvania
avenue, from the Peace monument on a
direct line and at easy grade to the Union
station plaza, there being now no direct
approach from the Union station to
Pennsylvania avenue. which every four
years becomes a national highway for
the Inauguration of the President.
BY the enactment of the provision re-
ferred to in the sundry civil bill. Con-
gress registered its opinion that the
Union station is the gateway of the ma
ton, through which the people Of all
parts of the country pass and get their
first view and impression Of the capital
city OF the nation. 1t is held. in conse-
quence, that no site in the District equals
this In importance or is more worthy OF
appropriate development. and that nc
Disagreement or mistreatment Of the area
between the Union station and tho Capitol
I>o al