Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02

~ purchasing property in the area
IN north of the Avenue for its munic-
ipal center, but a recent sale of
the south half of what was orig
inally known as reservation IL was made to
the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, which in
tends ere long to improve the site with an
Office building that will be credit to the city
and in no way detract from the beauty OF the
Capitol whose near neighbor it will be.
This company, not long ago, purchased the
northeast corner of Third street and PennSyl-
vania avenue, just to the west of the Capitol,
and here it now has its local offices, in a build
ing on the site of the old Capital Hotel, one of
the city's landmarks. The latest purchase,
which is close by, or between Second and
Third and and streets, includes the south
half of the block and the building to be
erected will include a service station on the
ground floor.
In 1894 this particular area belonged to
BENJAMIN Oden, who that year agreed to con-
vey it to the Government upon the same terms
as agreed upon between the Government and
the other original proprietors.
OF the ground to be held for public use, as
agreed upon by its original owners, II parcels
were designated as reservations and included
in this number were the Mall the White House
grounds and Lafayette Square. Set aside for
the mint was reservation IL, though reserva-
ton IL and the block to the east of reserva-
ton IL were also generally included when
reference was made to them by the commits
sioner in speaking of "the Bank and Exchange
cided to permit the mint to remain in Phila-
delphia, Congress, by act of May z, 1922 per-
mitted reservations IL and IL and other Fed
eral property In that vicinity to be subdivided
and sold.
When title was taken by the Government
under agreement with the original proprietors
every other lot went to the United States and
every other one to the owner Of the land, the
Government taking the reservations at an
agreed-upon price of $66.50 an acre, an amount
many of US would be glad to pay today to
secure a few acres of Avenue frontage. But
when we reflect that this was more than q
century and a quarter ago it is really a queS-
ton If. after all, it was worth more than that
amount.
A HUNDRED years ago this section was not
especially desirable, being generally low
and marshy. The Tiber, long since turned into
a sewer, then flowed in a southwest direction
in this neighborhood, entering block 574-the
one in which stands the old Census Building
about at the northeast corner, and leaving it
in the south center. Continuing on, the stream
sort Of Clipped the corner of block SITS and
crossed the Avenue directly at Second street.
The Tiber was q noble old stream, and it
does seem unfortunate that those who designed
the city did not preserve it and its tributaries,
with q sufficient strip Of land on either side
as a parkway. What q wonderful thing 1t
would have beenl There is nothing more at
tractive or more beautiful than nature, and to
the writer it does seem that nothing could
be more sublime to the lover Of nature than
to see these streams running through the city
st the present time.
An early map shows several streams in the
northern part of the city finally merged into
one large stream that skirted the western slope
of the Capitol grounds. No doubt all Of these
streams had their sources in springs and M
doubt too, they were greatly increased in volume
by other springs encountered along their
journey to join the main artery. The map
shows one stream as starting from block 234,
or between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets
and w street and Florida avenue. The writer
has the faintest recollection that there was
spring in this square, where once stood frame
farm house surrounded by silver maple trees.
The writer particularly remembers this old
house, which, no doubt, was owned by one Of
the early settlers in this vicinity, because 1t
was once rented and occupied by an aunt Of
his named Logan-the wife Of David Logan
who had quite large family Of children and
needed considerable ground that they might
grow up and spread out.
TWO blocks directly to the east, where this
stream shows up on the map, began an
other stream which joined with the first one
at about Tenth and streets, and q little
farther on, at Eighth and streets, joined
Reedy Branch from the north From here
Reedy Branch flowed enthusiastically, in a sort
of zigzag way, meeting another branch from
the north q little east Of the corner Of First
and Streets. In block 672, between M and
49,