The Washington times., 1912-08-25
Description of Areas.


Section ] on the District map. com
prising the small-home area embraces
southwest. southeast, and northeast
Washington, and nearly all OF that resi-
dence section of northwest lying east of
Fourteenth Street between the business
area and Florida Avenue. Nine.tenths
of its 1000 houses are worth less than
5000 each. There are some houses OF
higher value; just as there are many
small houses in other city sections and
in the suburbs. but the preponderating
type Is small homes. The Improvements
In section i when new are worth two
! and three times the value of the ground
and 1t Is only when deterioration from
age has brought down this value that
they reach. or fall below. the value Of
the ground. There is still much unim-
! proved land in this area, the develop
ment of which is retarded from lack of
a fair share of public improvements.
Sections .. 3, and of the map. and
which may be called the middle class
area. include Georgetown, that portion
of Washington lying between Seven
, teenth Street NV. am Rock Creek, and
running north irregularly from Potomac
Park to p Street, west of Twcnty-first;
and lastly. the large and highly i'm
proved suburban section bounded by
Florida Avenue. Fifteenth Street NV.
! Quarry Mil Road, Spring Road, and
Soldiers Home Park. There are small
homes and some fine residences inter-
spersed In these sections. There are
many apartment houses OF a middle
| class order, and again there are in
| trusions of valuable business property
! NJ Street. Thirty-second Street, and the
| water front property in Georgetown are
| hu characteristic
| dominates sections 9, 3. and Is the
home that Is neither small nor great.
! but middle class. Four-fifths of Its area
is improved, sections 2 and are old.
section 1 developed mainly in the past
20 years.
Section 8 is. as the term fne-residence
| area indicates, the region OF fine resi-
dences. the home of fashion, of wealth.
officialdom of place and power. 1t lies
! in the vicinity of Connecticut, Massa- =
chusetts, Rhode Island, and New
Hampshire Avenues, and Sixteenth S
ton some middle-class and small houses.
| the latter principally occupied by serV-
ants of the rich residents. But the no.
table feature is the stately stately :. mansi0n. adns0c
ing along Connecticut Avenue.
| Section 6-the business area-lles ne
tween the Capitol and the White House.
It is the heart of Washington and cor
exhibits the greatest concentration vi
| ground values In the District. single
blocks can be cited which are worm
over $50 per square foot. One block i, here
| Is worth 80 times the value OF an orul-
nary residence square and 100 times as
much as a suburban square IN ths
,smaii-home section, where ground may
still be bought as 10y as 80 cents 1ooe'
The suburban santaan area eipuns runs Sr from the
Potomac, above Aqueduct Bridge. 70
Rock Creek Park. and takes IN the nigh,
ly valuable speculative suburos aroun99
the extensions OF Massacnusse,s s r,dies a.
real estate is held and sold at price;
suitable only to the bank accounts OF
! the wealthy. Section Hes oetweer
street including sixteenth street .ex'
tended. it embraces an area oniV Ss Iess
valuable than that OF section l.. sec
ton covers the suburban areas pc
tween North Capitol Street and tins
knacostia River. 1t is the home ol
many institutions of learning: ana ol
numerous religious orders. Wltnin ~
limits also Is the great new Waren0us'
region along the tracks OF the terrilna
railway, discovered to be one or mgr
values and minimum assessments. sec
ton 10 embraces all the areas OF I'M
District east of Anacostia River ana
save for the suburb OF Anacosta, may
he cIassed as a generally unimproveC
section. There are some small and mld
, dle-class homes and fine residences scat
, tered through this large region. put n,
term "suburban area" titly describes II
. Nf us faUabIe area OF 1900 acres. les
, than one-tenth is improved.
Realty Values and Assessments.
In reaching conclusions as to realt
values in the District of Columbia an
= its Ave homogeneous areas, your com
: mittee did not undertake to make al
! assessment 1t compared obtained In
formation as to values with the assess
! ments. and drew obvious conclusions
. An abundance of valuable evidence ha
e been gathered In respect OF assessment
and the conduct of that branch of tn
5 ~District administration.
u The assessment Of municipal real estat