The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-28

point of. maEnifcence to the capitals Of
the world.
To this realization. combined with
creative genius and vast expenditure
beautiful" owes its existence.
Farm Lands Converted Into Fine
Home Sites.
1t seems difficult to realize that Chevy
Chase was once nothing more than a
vast stretch of truck gardens and farm
lands. Conditions at that time for con-
venient suburban residence were cha
otto. there being no street facilities, no
sanitary advantages, no lighting. sewer
age. or water system, and only primitive
methods of transportation.
To change all this without regard to
expense the Che,y Chase Land Com
many was organized. Hundreds Of acres
Of farm lands were purchased with we'll
conceived CLANS that included as an i'm
portant feature the direct continuation
of Connecticut avenue over Rock Creek
into the heart of the proposed suburb.
and the company eventually succeeded
in its plans. though not without meet
ing with some encouragement through
the operation of spectators who pur-
chased real estate directly in the pro-
posed route of the avenues extension,
which accounts for the DETECTION of Con-
M
a northwesterly direction straight into
Maryland TO northerly direction into
Chevy Chase and beyond
. The task that confronted the Chevy
Chase Land Company was stupendous.
1t involved the opening of what is now
Connecticut avenue to the District line
from Calvert street. and beyond the
District line into Maryland. But the
company. at its own expense. graded
this magnificent boulevard and gave
it generous width of 10 feet the
entire distance, with a standard sys-
tenn of construction that makes it a
smooth and beautiful
boulevard
And this magnificent avenue was not
only completed at the expense of the
Chevy Chase Land Company. but when
it was turned over and ded-
icated to the District of Columbia with
out it having cost the District or the
government one dollar.
But that is not all. The Chevy Chase
Land Company constructed the Calvert
street bridge over Rock Creek and the
bridge over klingleford run. bearing
the initial expense of this great under
taking and afterwards relieved the Dis
trict of Columbia of one-half of the
cost of keeping up the bridges. Later ,
The District built what is known as
the Connecticut avenue bridge which
also spans the picturesque Rock Creek .
Valley and farms a direct connecting
link between tn" city and the lovely a,
suburbs and country beyond. making
one of the Capitals most fashionable !.
from the White House to
Chevy Chase.
To say that the Chevy Chase Land /
company in making these expensive
costing hundreds OF
thousands of dollars. conferred a work
IF inestima bic value upon the District ?
is putting it mildly. BEFORE the land ,
.omp4ny made these improvements ,
some of the property in and abou.
rhevy Chase was assessed as low as
assessed at thousands Of dollars an
acre. resulting in tremendous in
,reass of revenue to the District gov ,
Incidentally. it may be added that this
Increase in assessment is also a sig
lficant indication of the enormous in
,rease in real estate values in that sec
ion within the last few yelrs-an in
,rease that is only a prophecy Of the in
'rease to follow in the years to come
of Transportation Solved
at Great Cost.
But the building of the two bridges re-
erred TO and the construction of the
boulevard forming the extension Of Con-
lectcut avenue did not entirely solve
he problem Of transportation facilities
. Chevy Chase. so the Land Company,
With an enterprise unsurpas s-d in tine
suburban development of WASHINGTON.
constructed a car line which it operated
or several years at a loss Of revenue
merely to afford the residents of Chevy
'hase and prospective purchasers of {
home sites in that vicinity the conven- /;
ence Of street railway transportation