The Washington herald., 1915-12-12
THE WASHINGTON HERALD. SUNDAY DECEMBER IL 1918

SOHDAY, DECEMB
r7E.Oz Nisxs s. u,zsl.ms IA
Under the stimulus OF an Immediately
Impending condemnation and purchase
the land assessments In the ave squares
befwssn Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets
jumped - per cent from assessment Of
iScn-s TO the assessment OF 1908-e.
I Less threatened by a similar condem-
nation the adjacspt squares south Of
4 iPsunsyivania Avenue were advanced 80
.per cent. omitting two Of the most ac-
tive the trienHtal advance for 1s squares
was only n per cent and for Of these
squares facing Psnnsylvania Avenue the
rfpe whs but B per cent For 9 squares
north of and facing Pennsylvania Avenue.
between Ninth ana Fifteenth Streets. the
increase In assessment In the same period
was u per cent. and In . squares from
Ninth to Fifteenth and Pennsylvania
Avenue to H Street. the Increase was II
per cent
But when the pressure of an impend-
Ing condemnation. which would have
brought assessments and condemnation
prices into q hmelight comparison, was
removed, the assessments slackened in
the area south Of the Avenue. The IL
square area shows an increase from 1868
to lsu-l2 Of but IL per cent, the squares
| south OF and facing Pennsylvania Avenue
show but Is per cent increase. and yet
values increased hare during this period
notably with the Increased demand for
businsss property In this vicinity.
The 8 squares on the north side OF
Pennsylvania Avenue. between Ninth and
Fifteenth were increased Isl per cent
| In the lsil-12 assessment over that of
lsW-s, and In the % squares above re-
ferred to the increase was IS per cent
II the assessment OF 1856 on land val
ues In the II squares south of Pennsyl-
vania Avenue. amounting to S2.735,o02 he
compared with Surveyor Richards esti-
mate Of land values in that area in
Isos-Ss. .3is. .25o-it is seen that the ratio
between assessment and valuation is 70
per cent, and yet the General Post Of
noe had long been established and the
Municipal Building was under way. The
slackening Of assessment advance In this
| area as shown above Is a marked fea-
| ture OF the assessment Of lsll-l2 The
ratio OF assessment of ground values to
actual values is below rather than above
80 per cent at the present time
The improvements in the five squares"
were with rare exceptions old, shabby,
| deteriorated buildings. Their valuation
In the assessment Of 1866 was above
| two-thirds Of their true value by any
sound canon Of assessment. The true
basis of assessment of buildings Is the
one which intelligent, practical business
and real estate men use everywhere as
follows:
Having ascertained the value of the
site, the superstructure IL worth what
ever amount it increases the total value
of the whole property above the value of
the site
On this sound principle the values
Of tie entire five squares were in the
siteG Allowing ten per cent normal
increase for the 1859 assessment over
the 1876 assessment OF the land the As
SCISSOR would have produced two-thirds
land valuation of ............... s7G56,s
against a condemnation award ofs2. So SCS
indicating an assessment OF only escs
Black and Red Ink Asscssment Fig
ures of the Plaza Squares.
An even more hagrant instance Of as
sessment figures being raised under the
pressure Of an impending condemnation
Is shown in the case of the twelve Plaza
squares now being acquired for the ex-
tension OF the Capitol grounds The
sundry civil act of June -. 1910 declared
1t to be the purpose Of Congress to sc-
duire the area in question. The triennial
been not only completed on these squares
but had been extended from the PEN
ciled field books of the assistant asses
soSs to the black ink records Of the as
SCISSORS Office. This record indicates
practically the final assessment, save
that changes. almost invariably down.
ward. the result OF appeals. are entered
in red ink.
Subsequent to the completion OF the
black ink record the assessor revised
these twelve squares heavily upward on
both land and improvements, yet no
further advances were made In any OF
the adjacent squares. showing plainly
that the assessors action was due to
the impending condemnation. yet OBJ
viously any rise in values would be in
the land and not In the improvements
which were generally old. shabby. and
fully assessed in the first instance.
The following figures are discovered:
Assessments.
Land improvements
Square 6Si
ink ink crease ink ink crease
figures figures figures figures
slos.sl5 slaS.5ee iscs .Isi.5oo sis4.so sqs
Square 6s5
Hl3.ase siss.Ss1 4ses sl3I. 600 sIss, 4o 9ie;
Total red ink assessments w sss5 ids
Assessments raised 500 to full
value ............................ 81. .0s7 65i
Condemnation awards. .$1,ll9Ol5
Full value assessments below
condemnation awards .. go
The original black ink assess
ments disclosed not less than
two-thirds the true value of the
improvements. Deducting their
true value from the award. .....S 81. 49, 0i5
less full value of improvements. i4.0O0
Net value land awards. s675. .0l5
Black ink land assessment...... Sa19 6IT
Black ink assessment to award. 325%
Last Three Triennial Asses.ment.
Compared.
Compare the results of three triennial
assessments of land values.
Land Three Year
Assessment Increase
lSl4-la s2os.0S5.3S SIS, 80 ST.
i9l1-l2 16e s4s, ,4sl Is "a oga
iS0S-0e l5lH9sss
The period from 1903 to 1911 witnessed
the most pronounced boom In District of
Columbia land values and Assessor Rich |
ards announced in his annual report. is
sued in October. 1910. that the forthcom-