Evening star., 1945-12-02
BY John Clagett Proctor


The idea of widening East Capitol
street from First street to the Eastern
Branch, along the lines of the Mall, is
certainly a magnificent thing to con-
template, even though it would cost a
huge sum Of money and deprive the
District of the tax revenue it receives
at present from the area to be taken
over, for which Congress never seems
willing to make an adjustment for SINH
lar improvements. But, after all, the
idea is well worth advocating, and if
carried out would certainly be admired
and appreciated by untold generations
to come.
East Capitol street, from the begin
ming of the city, down to within the
memory of many still living, was long
time in developing, though before the
Federal Government moved here there
stood in square 72S, bounded by East
Capitol, First, A and Second streets
one of the squares upon which the Su-
preme Court Building now stands-an
old dwelling then owned by Daniel Car
roll of Duddington, and said to have
been built prior to 1850.
Old Square 72S
Some years ago the writer was told by
Col. James S. Easily Smith that in 1924
this property was sold and decided by
Daniel Carroll to Benjamin Burche and
almost Immediately afterWard was
transferred to Capt. William Easily,
grandfather of Col. Easby-Smith, who
erected an addition to the old house con-
sisting of three-story -and-cellar dwell
ing house, containing seven rooms. This
addition was brought from the south
end of the old house to the building
line, and the property remained in the
Easily family until 1898. Col. Easily
Smith, in recounting his recollections OF
this house and its neighborhood, has
this to say:
I'm 1875 the only houses on the north
side of East Capitol street, between
First and Second, were numbers 1l6,
122, 124, 1913 and 100 and two large frame
houses next to the corner OF Second
street, which were demolished few
years ago when an apartment house was
erected on their former site. The latter,
and all other houses except those above
mentioned, were built after 1875.
House 1I6 was built by Charles Nc
Nance, ST., about 1851. He was lawyer
ard for many years was one OF the
clerks Of the Supreme Court OF the
District.
House 1874 belonged to Miss Clara
Bayne. who married Woodbury. Wheeler,
q lawyer. In 1875 this house stood back
about 80 feet from the building line. In
1879 Mr.. and Mrs. Wheeler built front
addition, to the building line. Mrs.
Wheeler belonged to the old Maryland
family of Bayne and was sister of the
late distinguished DR.. John w. Bayne,
who lived around the corner on Second
street. whose son, Dr. j. Breckenridge
Bayne, and other descendants still live
In Washington"
WASHINGTON City Hotel
But beside the old dwelling, said to
have been owned by Daniel Carroll, the
first apparently definitely known i'm
provement of Importance made in the
immediate vicinity of First and East
Capitol streets, was made in 1893 by
William Tunnicliff, where he erected
and conducted the Washington City Ho-
tel close to the southeast corner of First
and A streets N. E. Later, it was taken
over by Pontius D. Stelle, who later, In
70 6o hnf1Sp
of Carroll Row. Other occupants fol-
lowed Stelle at the City Hotel site, until,
after the invasion of Washington in
August, 1914, when the Capitol was de-
stroyed by the British, and temporary
Capitol, known as the Old Brick Capitol,
and later as the Capitol Prison, was
erected in its place by private capital.
And here Congress met from 1915 to
1919, when the original Capitol was suft-
ciently restored to be occupied again.
In the meantime, President James
Monroe was inaugurated in the brick
public inaugural address from balcony
outside the Capitol, and here were heard
in debate the voices of such noted
Americans as Henry Clay, Daniel Web
ster, John c. Calhoun, Andrew jackson,
Thomas H. Benton and John Randolph.
Calhoun died here March 81, 1850, when
1t was Hills boarding house.
The building, which occupied part of
the site of the Supreme Court of the
United States, cost the owners $685. 900
and was the largest structure built here
by private enterprise up to that time,
the cornerstone being laid on July 4,
1915, Just 100 years ago.
The Brick Capitol
After Congress vacated the Brick Cap
itol it was for many years boarding
house and probably continued as such
until it became Federal prison for po-
litical offenders during the Civil War
and at one time there were 1,004 prison.
ers incarcerated within its walls. Capt
Henry Wirz was a prisoner here and
was hanged in the rear yard for his part
in the starving to death Of Union pris-
oners under his charge at Anderson
vile, Ga. Wirz was born in Zurich
Switzerland, and came to this country
in 1849.
Perhaps equally historic were the five
houses erected by Daniel Carroll on
rfrct street between East Capitol and A
streets Sc, site of the Library of Con-
kress, and known as Carroll Row. The
first Of these, the one nearest East
Capitol street, was erected about 1905
was early occupied for hotel purposes
and during the Civil War was used as an
annex to the Old Capitol Prison. Latel