The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-05

An interesting discussion has been go
ing on among real estate men and busi-
ness men recently regarding the fate Of
| Pennsylvania avenue as a business
| thoroughfore.
AT a recent meeting OF the Board Of
Trade a report was adopted favoring the
legislation pending In Congress which
provides for the purchase Of the property
between the Avenue and the Mall for
government purposes.
A little later Senator Hepburn was
guest one evening at the Commercial
| Club and made a short address upon this
| subject Among other things he de-
| clared that when the government should
purchase this land and begin It's improve
ment In the manner provided for in the
pending legislation. it would invite BUSH
ness houses back 20 Pennsylvania avenue.
and the uptown movement OF mercantile
houses would be effectually checked.
Talk the Matter over.
Half dozen or more real estate men
| heard Senator Heyburn's address and
were much impressed with his views.
/ The subject was discussed that night
| during the social hour after dinner, and
| several OF the real estate men took the
ground that the Avenue Is the natural
business street, and that the roofing out
of the Objectionable features OF the terri
! tory south of the thoroughfare would
surely have tendency to check further
emigration Of business houses. II it did
not bring some of those back which have
moved away.
One OF the party at the Commercial
/ Club, who has been in the real estate
! business a score Of years. gave his views
upon the causes which seem to have been
/ operative toward carrying the business
district up town. First Of ALL he said.
| the city itself has been going steadily
northwestward since 1860. This has been
| due largely, he thought TO the efficiency
OF the street car service on the Metro
politan line and on the Avenue and
Fourteenth street lines OF the Capital
| Traction Company. These three lines
! were among the first 10 be constructed
in the city. and patronage had seemed
| to lead the companies 10 maintain the
best. service toward the northwest. The
/ fact Of transportation. this man said, was
! early taken advantage of by real estate
men 20 develop property in that direc-
ton, and In the years from 1870 TO the
present time two houses have been con-
structed in the northwest TO one in
other sections Of the city.
Car Service Northward.
About five years ago" this man con-
tinued, q" the car service to the northwest
ward and the northward began TO I'm
/ prove, and we now see enormous deve y
ment in those directions Following
this idea Of transportation and a. ssh
bilty to the lines Of car service some of
the business men years ago built stores
In F and G streets. where property was
then much cheaper than it was on the
| Avenue. The movement starting IN this
| way ha% continued for a time, when
| property values in the uptown section
became even greater than along some
parts Of the Avenue But some of the
better sites for building purposes on the
Avenue belonged TO estates which were
more or less tied up in litigation. and at
the time when men were looking for sites
for big stores and Office buildings they
were not TO be had on the Avenue
In addition 90 this" the real estate
man continued, men are much like
sheep One let the belwe5her or an
old ram take jump over a stone wall
the whole flock follows without knowl-
edge or concern of what may be on the
other side. The uptown movement hav-
ing once gotten underway merchants and
business men have kept moving into the
uptown district.
Railroad Station Moves.
Then came along the moving away OF
the railroad station from Sixth street to
Massachusetts avenue and the fact be-
gan to have an important bearing upon
the condition of Pennsylvania avenue.
Then the moving picture shows came in
! and have been probably the most active
I force In driving out the old business
| houses. But there is one significant
thing about the cheap theater business.
| They have located where the crowds are
continually passing. and the success
which has attended these ventures shows
that Pennsylvania avenue is still the
great popular thoroughfaTe Of Washing
ton. There is not q moving picture show
| in T street and not one In G street above
Ninth, and to my mind this fact is the
| most significant pointer for real estate
men and business men to consider
81 do not regard Senator Heyburn's
statement as at all exaggerated.
once get the south side Of the Avenue
cleaned up. with open spaces and fine
buildings there, and the popularity Of
Pennsylvania avenue as a business street
would Immediately return. Ny opinion
is that all the business interests should
get together on the proposition that the
/ government should buy this land and
root out the slum element which gave
| the thoroughfare a black eye twenty
years ago With that sent to limbo
| believe the prices of real estate in
Pennsylvania avenue as compared with
those further up town would be such as
to bring business back into the Avenue
| again where it ought 10 be.
Discussion Goes On.
The discussion did not end that night
with the talk Of the real estate men
around one of the tables in the club. 1t
has been carried on in a desultory way ever
since in real estate offices, stores and
banks where men meet. The subject Is
one of deep interest to real estate men.
for if they could foresee a return Of bush
ness houses to Pennsylvania avenue in
the coming years it-WOuld mean good
business and big commissions 10 the Of
fees that might bring about sales OF
property there. Moreover. If real estate
men could influence such a movement it
would be many dollars to the advantage
- -. -. a........,A L. -