Evening star., 1927-10-22
NEW WASHINGTON
BUILDING OPENED
Modern Business Structure
Represents Investment OF
S6,000,OOO.

The Washington Building. the lat
est addition to the long and growing
list of modern office and business type
structures built and owned here by
private interests, this week was COM
nleted by James Stewart q Co, Incor
porated contractors, and formally
was turned over to the owners. the
Washington Central Corporation
The Washington Building. located on
one of the most valuable sites in the
District Of Columbia, on Fifteenth
street between G street and New York
avenue is itself of outstanding char
acter and represents and investment
of approximately S6,000,000.
Completion Of this beautiful build
ing serves again to call attention to
the fact that a great private building
program, part of which has been car
ried over from last Fall. is under way
which matches up very favorably
with the great Federal $50,OO0,O00
building program, the first phase OF
which is just being started, Washing
ton real estate men are saying.
Huge Sums Invested.
The official opening of the Wash.
ington Building comes close after the
completion of the Mammoth National
Press Building, at Fourteenth and
streets, which represents an invest
ment estimated to be approximately
S11 ,000,0 900, and these operations TO-
gether with other new building pro-
iects run up the total Of local private
building programs just completed.
still under way or contemplated for
the near future to huge sum.
Among other of the larger projects
now under way are the million-dollar
y -
by Harry Wardman between Ninth
and Tenth streets on II street; the
Carlton Chambers, now fast nearing
completion on its site at Sixteenth
and II streets, which has building
cost of about $3.000,000; the nine
story bank and Office building. being
erected at 1898 G. street by the
Second National Bank; the new build
ing being erected at 16 Jackson place
by Robert Brookings; the addition
to the Washington Loan Trust
Building, at Ninth and streets.
which soon will be completed, Virtu-
ally doubling the capacity of the build
ing; the large addition now being add
ed to the Union Trust c.. Building
at Fifteenth and H streets. In addi-
ton, of course, there are numerous
smaller downtown building projects
now under way and an unusually
heavy volume of large apartment prof.
ects throughout the District.
The Washington Building, ten
stories high and covering about 22,-
900 square feet, is a modern type
American building with some very
definite architectural features of
classic origin. It was designed to
harmonic with the architectural lines
of the United States Treasury Build
I, ;at, n0nCf
standing features of the building are
its long fluted pilasters running from
rear the third floor to the cornice, and
below which are a series of high
vaulted arched openings which add TO
the effectiveness of the design. The
building is highly ornamental and OF
unusual costliness In type Of construc-
ton, although refined and dignified.
Designs Are Elaborate.
On each facade of the building,
above the entrance arches, are to be
found replicas of the coat of arms OF
the Washington family, while just be
low the series Of pilasters is a frieze
containing scores of carved medaillons.
The cornice of the building ~ elabo-
rate and below it is an entablature
of classic design. Below this and just
above the topAofs the pilasters is an
other border Of medallions and
plaques.
Adding color to the bright lime.
stone facades, gilded bronze work has
been employed extensively in the franz
ing of the show windows OF the first
floor and in the arches; the same ef-
f. ct is carried in all the windows OF
the building, which are Of the case
ment type with the metal part gild-
ed. <The exterior bases Of the show
windows are Of black Belgian marble
The three entrances and the arcade
running through the building are fin
ished in Italian marble and the doors
of the bank Of six elevators are OF
bronze.
A feature Of the building is that
no partitions or rooms were built in
to the space on each floor until a
lessee had selected his space and des-
ignated the partitions desired. Single
Office rooms We're built on only the
first floor.
One of the outstanding portions or
the building will be the rooms, now be.
ing prepared for the new quarters or
the Madrillon restaurant Of Peter
Borras, on the second floor.