Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-04

prise of Samuel Blodget, who erected the
| same with funds won as first prize in
federal lottery No. l. Because of its
origin it known as the Lottery Ho
| tel because of it's pretentions, as the
Great or Grand Hotel. and because of its
| promoter, more generally as Budgets
| Hotel.
1T was built of brick colonial In de-
| sign. fronting 120 feet on f street, three
stories high, with a basement story,
twelve windows. sixteen lights to the
window, showing on either side of the
portico, with the entrance and two win
dows on the ground floor and six win
| dows behind the same number of columns
above the portico-
Fist Play Given There.
The building was never entirely com
pleted for hotel purposes, as originally
planned. Instead it was rented for pub
lie meetings OF all kinds. including re-
ligious services, and Monday, Septem
Der l. 1900, there was acted within its
walls The Secret Partnership Dis
solved the first theatrical performance
ever offered in Washington.
After extensive improvements 1t be-
came the home of the Post Office Depart
ment the city post office and the patent
office.
burning OF the Capitol. August H. 1sl4.
they met in Blodgets Hotel the Post
Office Department having vacated to
make room and taken quarters in the
Gunton building at the northwest corner
of 9th street and Pennsylvania avenue.
1.-TWO years later the Post Office De-
partment returned to its old home and
here remained until December Il. 1896.
At am. of the date mentioned fire
broke out in the building. The alarm
spread slowly-so slowly, in fact. that 1t
was half-hour before the fire bells
sounded, and another half-hour before an
engine arrived, any effort worth while
made 10 Quench the flames.
Few Records Saved.
Aroused from a sick bed Amos Ken
dali. then Postmaster General. with the
assistance OF such employees as he could
muster, succeeded in saving a few records
of the Post Office Department, among
them some old letters and ledgers of Ben
jamin Franklin.
"Other records including those OF the
city post office and the patent office to-
gether with all congressional and depart
mental mail, and the models of the pat
ent office, were destroyed
Wetmore Sends Letter.
Former Senator Wetmore of Rhode
Island, formerly chairman of the joint
congressional committee on library. had
expected to be present, bat he sent a
letter of regret inclosing his address,
which was read. He recited how Con-
gress, since 1906 has made five appro-
priations for the erection of suitable his
torical tablets in the District and how
two tablets to mark the Decatur house
and the old brick capital were erected in
1910.
July l3, 1872" he said, the joint
committee on the library appointed a
subcommittee, consisting of Senator Wet
more and Representative Slayden, chair
men, respectively, of the library commit
tees OF the Senate and House, with au-
thority to have executed three tablets to
mark historical places in the District of
Columbia. to be designated by the sub
committee. and also to have executed a
model of the great seal of the United
States, To be used OH the tablets then
and thereafter to be authorized. 1t was
, the purpose of the joint committee to es
tablish a standard type OF tablet OF the
highest artistic merit. bearing the great
seal of the United States to indicate its
federal character but susceptible of such
varia ton in size. shape and material as
might be desirable to conform to differ
ent conditions of location and inscription.
Places Selected.
"In deciding upon the three sites to be
of two lists prepared by the Columbia
Historical Society and the permanent
committee on marking historical points in
the District of Columbia. These lists con-
tanned a number of locations in common,
and from these the subcommittee selected
% the site of the first public telegraph
office on eth street northwest between e
and r streets; % the site of Blodget's
Hotel on T. street northwest between eth
and Sth streets. occupied by Congress
after the burning of the Capitol by the
British in 1914. and CD the Octagon house,
at the mort east corner Of 18th street
and New York avenue. the home of Presi-
dent Madison after the burning of the
executive mansion by the British, and
where the treaty of Client was pro-
claimed.
to be Of marble to harmonic with the
colonial architecture of the building, is
not yet FMS ed. The subcommittee has
also author zed two additional tablets
to be placed on the Dolly Madison house.
now the Cosmos Club. and on the site of
the first railroad passenger station in
the District at the northwest corner OF
% street and Pennsylvania avenue north
west.
Closes With Tribute.
Mr.. wetmore closed with a tribute
to Henry Bacon. Henry Herring and
Royal Cortissez. all Of New York, who
rendered valuable assistance without
pay Mr.. Herring made an exact repro
duction of the statutory seal of the
United States, artistically rendered. and
a distinctive alphabet and border design
for the tablets, all of which are to be
the property OF the government.
Representative James l.. Sayden. the
only member of the joint congressional