Evening star., 1927-10-08
by Don S. WARREN.


try. Washington building organlZa
tons and private builders have re
tarded new operations to a consider
able degree this year. Speculative
projects have virtually disappeared
here, and as a result. in the opinion
of local realtors, conditions are being
stabilized and firmer tone is in evi
dence in the local market.
Following out conservative business
practices, local builders for the most
part have been finding buyers or occu
pants for new buildings, or at least
carefully appraising the market, be
fore proceeding with new building prof
ects. This plan has been evidenced
recently in a number Of new business
building projects. where builders, find
ing a market for but two or three
story structures. have proceeded with
the construction of buildings of that
size, holding up plans for additional
stories until the market warranted
their construction.
A number of the large office build.
ings recently completed or now being
completed, which were projected last
year, of course, do not come under
this classification, and the principle
also cannot be applied so definitely to
the apartment class of operations.
Tone Is Conservative.
The. conservative tone. however, is
especially noticeable in the construc.
tion of new dwellings, and here the
number of new houses. judged to
meet the present demand for new
homes. has fallen off heavily from the
totals for previous years.
Permits for the construction of new
a jnS xx.tf t.s
lumbia during the first nine months
of this year, according to the records
Of Col. John w. Oehmann. building
inspector, called for the erection of
1.45L houses of various types. One
realtor who follows the housing mar
ket here estimates. on the basis of
present conditions, that the total of
new houses completed in Washington
TINS year will amount to approximate.
~ LOO. computing the normal fig
ure for season not following a pc.
riod OF great production at about 2.40O
houses. During the year 1926 there
were 1926 houses constructed here.
and the previous year the total was
4,4O0. Both these years, however,
We're known as years of unusually
hlgh construction totals.
Tne total estimated value of build.
ing operations in the District of Co.
lumbia during the nine months of
1871. as shown by building. permits, is
computed at S29, OPS, ,645, while the cor.
responding figure for the nine-months
period or 1926 was about S53. .OO0. 600.
The heaviest decline in building oper.
attons this year is to be found in
september. when the total estimated
value. as reported in building permits.
was set at $1.774,220. Month.by.
month totals this. year are as fol-
lows: January, $2.905.755 February.
80. .SSS.745; March, S3,425.S75: ApriI S4..
435,670: May, S3,522,725: June. $780,.
$50; July $2,512.s35; August, s3,596, $40:
and September. $1.774,220.
Market Called Selectiye.
Real estate sales activity may be
somewhat below that of other wears
1t Is explained by real estate opera.
tors. but the market is described as
"selective" rather than SLOW" A con.
siderable number of deals running into
millions Of dollars have been made.
and the older and better established
real estate firms report steady de-
mand Tor homes and other properties.
Home buyers not only are numerous,
they say. but many have readily and
voluntarily made cash payments. One
nrm recently reported the sale of
TOUR homes OF the $45,000 and $4,000
CLASS to cash customers during a
period of three or four weeks. and
other instances have been cited
Construction projects authorized in
the District of Columbia within the
past week, exclusive of Federal oper.
rations. amounted in total value to
SI4S,644, according to permits issued
by Col. Oehmann. OF this figure. a
total OF $4,000 was for the construc.
tlon or 16 new dwellings of various
types. Included in the new LIST also
were plans for the construction of 3
business type buildings and numer.
Gus repair and remodeling operations
Fermlts were issued as follows:
Louis N. Orndorff, owner and
builder; T. M. Medford, architect: to
erect two 2-story frame dwellings. 1864
and 4s60 Eskridge terrace dots i and
T. square 1929, to cost $4,000.
Feter A. Mertz. owner and builder.
20 erect one 2-story frame dwelling,
ZS14 Vista street northeast DOT
square 4339), to cost $1O. 900. WV -
James A. Donohue, owner: 70 erect
stone retaining wall, 1891 Chevy Chase
$500. '''' ~ coS'
Elma A. Pierce, owner: ]. G. Will.
long. Jr, designer; ]. v. Wyvill. ir..
pullder; to erect one 2-story frame
dwelling los Alabama avenue south.
81 800. ~ ~''
Harry Morgenstein, owner and
builder; Morris H. Berkman, architect.
to erect one 3.story brick addition. 6i3
street southwest dot
e2s, square 496), to cost $1,000.
Harry Blake. owner, architect and
builder; to remodel residence into
apartments, 1851 Rhode Island ave
nue. Qot S11, square 210), to cost SO. sou.
Claiborne Hunter. owner; William
private garage, 627 c street northeast
(lot S27. square 1861, to cost $500.
w. D. Goodman, owner and b,,i,der.
to erect one brick private garage. 2814
Thirty-fifth street dot 81, square 1922.
to cost $500.
William ID. Goodman, owner and
builder: A. l.. Lille, designer; to erect
one 2-story brick and tile dwelling
2S14 Thirtyfifth street dot 81, square
1922, to cost $12 800.
ID. G. Shea, owner; w. c. Allard. de.
signer; ]. T. Kenyon, builder; to erect
two 1-story brick stores, 904 and 900
First street dot !, square SGD, to cost
1000.
e. T. Lindner, owner and builder:
j. Hewlett. architect; to erect one 2.
story brick and tile dwelling, 1916
1lVlngston street dots 55 and Sc.
square 1749), to cost $9,500.
w. I. Dreyer, owner; George ],
Dreyer, architect and builder; to erect
one l-story frame dwelling, 1910 Far.
ragut street northeast (parcel 1864.
square $4,000, to cost $1,S00.
Ada +. King. owner; Delos H. Smith,
w. T.. Mooney, builder; to
erect rear addition, 1913 Twenty eighth
street dot 272. square 1850, to cost
S. 900.
Oscar j. w. Scott. owner and
builder: r. c. Archer, jr., architect;
to erect garage in basement, 1904 First
street Qot IS snlIare 21nH To cost