Evening star., 1924-06-28
Need for inexpensive Homes
Seen as Boost to Building
Capital appears to Have Enough Apart
n'e"ts and Office Buildings, But Demand
for Moderated Priced Residences Lasts.

mere are ample prospects for con-
uhued building activities in the Dis
trlct of Columbia. Despite the fact
that this year the value in new con-
struction has dropped, this does not
seem to indicate that Washington
mas passed the peak of it's building
boom.
ihere is not much question in the
opinion of the majority of those in
trested In the real estate deyelopment
OF washington that large apartment
houses and office buildings have. for
'he present at least. reached q point
"here they are beginning to over
loao the market. but the demand for
houses. especially of the moderate
priced dwelling is very large and
there lies the field for activity.
Figures lead one to believe that
ehere Is plenty of construction yet to
De done in the District of Columbia
IN the way OF supplying the National
capitol with a quantity of fairly inex
penslVe homes. When it is considered
mat the District of Columbia has a
population of which 3O.3 per cent own
their own homes as compared with
!he 45.6 per cent of the total popu-
lation of the entire United States who
own their own homes, it seems as if
mere is some catching up to do espe-
Slal,y when metropolis such as New
oIk Clty with its poor. its many fac
tory workers and tenement dWellerS
mas nome owning percentage of
oo.' and Ohio leaps ahead with a
percentage of 51.6 of home owners in
Its population
Washington Expected to Grow.
While, since these figures were TAX
en- In Washington, there has been a
trend toward supplying the need for
the cheaper house, it is understood
That the census bureau estimates on
the basis of normal growth. While
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company which keeps a corps
OF statiSt1cians with a watchful eye
on the decline and growth of the
cities of the country gives an esti-
mate that the District of .Colum bia
VII nave a population of $4,000 in
1913, this is the estimate upon which
they are preparing for business and is
a conservative one. They look for the
city to hit the half million mark
about 1880.
Only six-tenths of the population of
the District live in residences either
rented or owned. OF this number the
colored population is ahead in occupy
ing homes. Three-tenths of the popuIa-
tion live in fats, boarding houses or
rented rooms and one-tenth in apart
] ments. Three-fifths of the white popua-
ton live in owned or rented residences.
while almost four-tenths of the colored
population live in residences.
Not only do these figures indicate
field for the building of homes. but the
business and commercial development
OF many of Washington S former resi-
Dental thoroughfareS is sending the
former residents Of those streets into the
market for new homes. But a great
majority of the public here has shown
that it wants the moderate-priced home.
The success Of the several experiments
in this direction and the response to
these undertakings by the homeseekerS
: of the District have proved that
Mere Families Than Homes.
There is an excess of about 90 per
cent of families in the District over.
dwellings,. Fifteen years ago this excess
was only 1874 per cent. This, however. is
a much better showing than that made
by the entire United States. which has