The Washington times., 1935-01-26
v. P. RICHARDS
RECALLS
s SURVEY
Early Planning Made Park
Sections Boom in Value
In Late Years

Far-Slghted community plan
ming on the part of legislators of
other days has been largely re-
Sponsible for the residential devel-
opment of the most desirable Sec
tions in the city.
Just as real estate planners Of
the present day include park prof.
0ctS, however small, in their sub
divisions, so did the planners Of
the Federal City weave a system
Of parks through the length and
breadth of the District of Colum.
bia and their planning made the
area adjoining Rock Creek Park
and along upper Sixteenth Street,
one Of the most valuable residen-
tial sections in the city.
There were reSidences-and fine
Qnes-in the Rock Creek Park
area before the park was eStab-
nshed in 1891, but the property
did not exceed in value that of
other property in the present sub
urbs of the District with similar
landscape outlook.
FavOrite Drive
The turnpike along Rock Creek
was a favorite drive of the rota.
bles of the time of President CleVe-
land and on Sunday afternoon,
gay horSe-drawn rigs rolled along
beneath the sheltering oaks.
Vineyards and garden patches
dotted the roadside.
Major Henry L'Enfant, who laid
out the city of Washington,
mapped but one-sixth of its pres
ent area and included but one
park, the Mall. One hundred
years passed before other lands
were acquired for park purposes.
Then the Government established
the Geological Park in 1890, con-
Sisting of ITO acres and costing
100000.
The idea of additional park
ways took root in the minds of
the people, however, and a year
later through the efforts of
Charles C. Glover the Govern
ment acquired 1,640 acres at a
cost of $1,200,O0O and established
ROCK Creek Park.
William P. Richards, present
tax assessor for the District of
Columbia, participated in the
survey of the original tract and
still remembers events that took
place when President Cleveland
signed the bill providing for its
acquisition. Referring to those
times, Mr.. Richards said:
"The property acquired by
the Government for the park
was purchased at an average
Of about $500 an acre.
VALUE SCARS
To-day, property some dis
tance from the Park borders is
assessed at $4,000 an acre and
certain portions adjoining the
park appraiSe at $4,000 an
acre. OF course the park is re-
GpOnsible for the acceleratiOn
of value of the privately owned
property near by. Reverse the
SituatiOn-take the park away
and use it for ordinary resi-
dental purposes and imagine
how the values would level"
The present Rock Greek Park
extends to the District Line and
connects with the Sligo Valley
Park System dedicated by Major
e. Brooke Lee, forming a contin.
uouS link of parkway nearly 20
miles long.
It is not surprising to note
that the bulk of the city's resi-
dental development has followed
the lines of this park system and
the most valuable residential
locations are in that section Ex-
pertS agree that buses, electric
transmission lines, trolleys and
other utilities could not have ac-
celerated the value of the prop
erty as did the park system.
Naturally, however. the automo-
bile, shortening distances and
making remote. secluded loca-
tions more desirable than ever,
has done its part in making the
section available.
Other Parks Follow
Other parks have been estab-
IShed since Rock Greek materi-
allied from dream and the
elaborate praise of Lord Bryce,
when he was Great Britian's
Ambassador to Washington.
East and West Potomac Parks,
Anacostia Parkway, Piney Branch
and Potomac Parkways, have
followed, but the outstanding in
fluence on the value of contiu-
uous privately owned real estate
was felt as result of the Rock
Greek Park development.
Upper Connecticut Avenue,
Chevy Chase. Wesley Heights and
Spring Valley have reaped bene-
fits from the reflected grandeur
of Rock Greek Park and it is
generally said that but. for Rock
Greek, the residential develop
ment of Washington might as
well have inclined in some diff.
ferent direction than the north
west.
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