The Washington times., 1910-10-01
CAPITAL REBUILDS
ITS OLDER HOUSES
Undesirable Residences
Made New and Rental
Profits Accrue.
RESIDENCE SECTION
MADE BEAUTIFUL
UnimprOved Property There Scarce
Investors Get Good
Interest.

A4AtSA Isl
Washington has entered an era OF re-
modelling and rebuilding OF residences.
Houses which occupy valuable property,
bat which are themselves undesirable
because they have not kept pace with
modern standards OF building, are being
transformed by TesourcefuI architects
into modern residences.
Residence properties which once were
good revenue producers, but which now
remain vacant and non-prOductive on
account Of the supply OF new houses,
are being made over by the expenditure
o. small additional capital into attrac-
tive modern places. which amply justify
the expenditures made.
Much Work Ahead.
That much OF this transformation is
to be done here in the future was
pointed out today by Edward W Dom,
IT, Of the firm Of Wood, Dom & Dem
ing, architects, who have been enga SD
upon much Of this sort OF work through
out the summer.
Dom said that the chief business Of
the firm this year has been 20 make
new houses out Of old ones Il Is now
urtmproved property IN the most desir-
able residence residence sections Of the
city Practically al OF It has been built
Up.
But in many cases Improvements are
houses which are too good to destroy
TO make way for new ones COuse-
queutly- the architect has been called
in 70 solve the problem Of providing
new houses in crowded and old sec
Not only do seekers for homes buy old
properties for the purpose OF making
out of them the kind Of residences they
desire, but Investors who are receiving
little OF no interest on their invsStru entS
in old residences are putting additional
capital into them 10 bring them up 10
date, and thus render them income pro
duCeTs again
One of the most successful attempts
at this sort OF HlOderniZauOn is shown
in the recent change Of the old home
Of Mrs, Alexander n Shepherd. Z13
the fashionable residences of the city
when Il was built about thirty years
ago, but which has lOng been an old
and unreutable place
Pays To Improve.
The old house vas z three-stoTy anC
basement, red brick building. whose
only exterior decorations consisted in
rather UnattraCtfve variations in the
method Of laying the bricks around the
windows and entrance II was a good
house and vel built, but neither its
exterior nor its interior could compete
for an occupant with the many new
The house brought in only $500 a year
when il happened TO be rented Now
the income is $4,000, and il is constant
Walter TlCkeTman, the owner, con-
property He was told that the old
house could be made over into a thor
oughly new one, both within and with
out The cost would De about SAW
He gave orders to 20 ahead
While the old house still remains, no
one passing would recognize il in the
fouT-story white stIcco one wIlIch Nv ~
bears the old number. 12l3- The front
is plain white with an artistic entrance
and a Spanish roof
The basement, which once accommo-
dEted the furnace and coal. is now the
spacious real estate office Of Randall H
HagneT, with four rooms, richly finish
ed. Two sets Of physicians Offices and
two bachelor apartments take the re-
new Where there was one bath
room there are now eight. Moreover,
the place is once more an architectural
credit 10 the street
Just across the street. at the corner
Of Eighteenth street, James NJ John
Ston has remOdeled an old residence
into combination OF stores and apart
ments-
Other RenOdeling Plans.
The five-story. residences, 1915 and 12l7
Connecticut avenue, are also to be re-
modelled into business and residence
structures z G BrzInerd. the owner
of 1215, is planning TO remodel his build
ing at a cost Of $1,000, from plans now
being framed by J. H. de Sibour.
The adjoining house, 1917, has just
been sold 10 local investor By Nh
Brainsrd- for Mrs Rufus -Peckham for
about $500, and is also to be remod-
eIed from plans by Mr.. de SibOur
Story & Cobb also assisted In this trans
action.
The two bTOUuSJOne residences next
&c the Church Of the Covenant are also
10 be remOdeled for business purposes
rapid change this section Of Connecticut
avenue IS undergoing For years the
most fashionable section Of the CITY, Il
is now fast becoming a business
thoroughfaTe-
This week leases have been closed
with Tniiliner and a New York jewelry
company for the stores in the Johnston
building al the intersection OF Eight
eenth street at rentals aggreEatinE
g 500
Mr. de Sibour is remodeIing house
at 2009 Massachusetts avenue for Rob
ert Roosevelt
At the corner Of TWenty-second and
r streets former Senator Marion Butler
is having two old residences made into
new one and many other examples
OF this sort Of remodeling are in
progress
PITTSBURGERS BUY
FADM FOD en- 00n