Evening star., 1940-07-20
SHOP TALK
News About Builders
And Real Estote
Personalities

Vacancies in Washington apart
ments are decreasing slightly. A
survey made the first of July by
Rufus S. Lusk showed the percent
age of vacancies in buildings here
as 813, as compared to S.46 per
cent last July. This is the first de-
crease in vacant apartments shown
In the District in several years.
This increased occupancy Of
apartments, Mr.. Lusk says, shows
that people already are coming to
Washington as the huge defense
program gets under way. Most of
the buildings included in the SAM
pie survey are old ones. Inclusion
of all the new ones, which are more
readily filled, would bring the va
cancy percentage down q percent
age point or so. However, there
is plenty Of space for every one,
what with the large number of
houses and apartments either under
construction or planned.
The rumor still persists that the
Statler hotel people are either 60
Ing to buy one of Washington's
hotels or build new one. They
are supposed to own site on lower
Connecticut avenue. 1t is said
their offer to purchase the May
flower was turned down. 1t is known
they considered purchasing the
Willard. The plan, it is said, was
to buy the hotel and erect prac-
tically a new building, using only
the walls of the present structure.
A survey was made to determine
whether the walls of the Willard
would stand all the planned remod-
cling and the deal was supposed
to hinge on the outcome of this in
vestigation. Statler specializes in
convention business and is said to
be anxious to have hostelry here.
There is also the rumor that the
Federal Government has been con-
sidering taking over Cathedral
Mansions Apartments, south, CEN
ter and north, for Office space. This
deal is supposedly dead for the mo-
ment. The three buildings are all
IN different hands and the owners
are said to be reluctant to let all
their tenants go for couple of
years rental to Uncle Sam. The
job of filling them up again would
be terrific.
Members of the firm Of the
George w. Linkins Co. were given
a dinner recently at the Carlton
Hotel by officials of the Home In
surance Co. of New York, which
the Linkins Co. has represented
here for 25 years. George R., Will
liam H. and Luther w. Linkins were
given silver medals and certificates
by the insurance company and ex-
tended a greeting by George E.
Allen, former District Commission
er, who is now vice president of
the large New York insuring house
The Linkins firm was established
more than so years ago by George
w. Linkins. A third generation of
the family is now engaged in the
real estate and insurance business
IN the persons of George F. and
William H. Linkins, jr.
Charles c. Koones. chairman of
the Convention Committee of the
Washington Real Estate Board, ex-
poets the largest delegation in years
to attend this years big meeting of
the National Association of Real
Estate Boards in PHILADELPHIA. The
convention will start November II.
y X X
Realtor Thornton Owen has been
elected to membership in the Amer
lean Institute of Real Estate Ap-
praisers OF the National Association
OF Real Estate Boards. William F..
Poulton, assistant secretary of the
Columbia Federal Savings e. Loan
Association, has been admitted to
the Graduate School of Savings IL
Loan to be held July % to August 9
IN Chicago under auspices of North
western University and the Amer
lean Savings e. Loan Institute. He
will take the first years curriculum,
which the graduate school now Of
1ers. 1t is a three-year course.
X X X
During the last week the District
Real Estate Commission received
an application for a real estate
brokers license from Richard c.
Zantzinger, 945 K street NV. Ap-
pllcations for real estate salesmen's
licenses were received from the fol-
lowing:
Paul I. Burman, Woodward Build
Ing; Edmund j. Grady, 1119 Seven
teenth street NV; Joseph j. Hamm.
3l2 Bond Building; Raymond c.
Maher, 228 Woodward Building:
Thomas Medford, 2OO1 Eleventh
street NV; Franklin P. Narber,
1853 Connecticut avenue NV; Will
liam B. Robinson, 4O7 Butternut
street NV: Earl Ellison Shamwell.
2l6 Southern Building; Charles E.
Stuart. 809 Massachusetts, avenue
NE; Sigfried E. Summerfield, 1915
K street NV; William F. Wagner,
1r.. 1904 Georgia avenue NV; Mil
ton Polinger, 1920 Georgia avenue
NV; Bernard A. Smyth, 1921 K
street NV, and Henry C. Behne-
man, 1881 Rhode Island avenue NE.
X X
The new development of Mace
Properties, Westover Hills, on WASH
dngton boulevard, Arlington, is a bee
hive of activity these days. The
firm plans to build 500 detached