The Washington times., 1912-11-16
ELECTRIC COMPANY
NOW OCCUPIES NEW
OFFICE STRUCTURE
Splendid Modern Building
Recalls Development of
Electric Lighting Here.

The Potomac Electric Power COM
pany's new office building at the SOUTH
east corner of Fourteenth and c streets
northwest has been completed. The
company moved in during tho past
week.
The new building faces sixty feet on
& street and 100 feet on Fourteenth
street The plan is attractive, the ex-
terior being terra Gotta and white brick,
with Indiana limestone for the trim
ming. The interior Is well arranged to
accommodate the public and the officials
and clerks of the company. There are
separate rooms for the display of light
ing, cooking. and power appliances Of
various kinds. so that customers can be
shown how the devices are used and
what the effect is of the use of the diff
ferent electric lamps.
The lighting fixtures on the first floor
are of the semi-indirect kind. The illum-
lnation which this style OF fixture fur
nishes Is uniform and the general effect
decidedly pleasing. Miiburn. Heister &
company were the architects of the
building and James L. Parsons was the
builder.
Founded on melancholy Failure"
AT this time II seems almost incredible
mat the success In Washington OF cleo
tric lighting was founded on a "melan-
choiy failure but such was a fact AS
IL evidenced by the following extract
from Crows History Of Washington:"
=, In the fall of 1881, the survivors OF
the Army of the Cumberland gathered
together In Washington to dedicate
.neir satue OF General Thomas, in
ihofias Circle. The people of Washing
ton contributed to the success OF that
occasion, and committees were appoint
eu 10 carry out various plans for the
entertainment of the visitors. One of
the new Ideas proposed was to iIlun,In-
ate pennsylvania avenue from the
Peace monument to the Treasury De-
partment. with the electric light, at
lhat time beginning to be used in a
lew cities. but entirely unknown I'm
washington. Guys were stretched at
intervals from housetcp to housetop,
ana arc lamps suspended therefrom
over the middle OF the street A dyny-
aHo was connected with the engine of
a saWmlll on Thirteenth street. and II
lhe appointed time thousands of rlti-
Zens and visitors thronged the avenue
10 witness the novel display and to be-
hold night transformed into day
strange to relate, however. the attempt
70 LSht the avenue In this way was a
melancholy failure"
The interest which this experiment
aroused grew, and some time after the
vain attempt to light Pennsylvania ave-
nue.. company was organized. of which
the Potomac Electric Power ComDany
is the successor, for the purpose OF
int.p,S iHupptS,hg electric light for street and
Columbia.
M.,u Ex...,;. Ml
"Aaue
'nat '''''e series arc lamps were
the only available electric lamps, and
us they were or II very high candle
power their use was confined to ex-
terror lighting or tbe ,I,uuino,,,, -,
train sheds depots nr other hu,idf,gs
the rooms of which ,vero n, Iaron 10
In Nav IsSa an order vas g7,.on h,;
incandescent lThtinr Tn No,emhs, or
tho same var tharo n,aro ~, onnra,,o,,
nInot,'nn co., I,, 49, ,hn 90 pp.ia.ioI'
cent Iamns In iSSi aha no,,na tvV ~, 60
staIiaS ~ unda,po,,,,a lSS,, nc SS'pa"S ,1ip, ~
penns,,Wanta a,anHo 90 nthn .ron. nionS
n,hara 4, haS sar',i ,,aaT u ''"., Si a't. ,L,'
,nr man Je, see ,,1'"S. n,,o,.', Si.e tmen
hn,,cs 49,, ,aIn ,,r, ,r.,,
maneratora ,nrn rnhosad ~ rh' ien' e,,
seI auo1s tS Mere pu.enaseu; wnlCh en-,
aDIeu tne op'npamS 10 Supply service III
tnr ou.iSnns seStiuis oi Ine ults' A..
me SfiElnai p,ait, wnicn was N tne
rear oi me ouilulnS at the northehst
corner OF ienth ana SsreetS, tSI was des,
~ uS nIe uS 40, ,H'' nt,s mts so' ona
tne So,,ipany ay W S.eh new luai nnu
MIiie " VT n.r u Tvs plalt was syn ,. niaH
hs' aiIansellents were n,iut 10 ieaSe
ph t,S VI tnsii'aI depot ] ol .nt nat'inoIe n % anu
Hoi.nwtst, NicIe 10 nom ioca'eu the
phlteu SUITES SeflsuS ollce.