Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-07
AItamont Units
Put on Sale as
Co-operatives'
Apartment Tenants
Take First Steps to
Protect Rights
By Robert J. Lewis

dents have taken first steps to pro-
tect their rights as tenants.
Gross price of the 30-year- OLD
building facing Columbia road. just
beyond Connecticut avenue, is $780,
600 on cooperative basis, accord
Ing to Jesse E. Aiken, a partner in
the Home Realty Co.. 1925 Pennsyl-
wanna avenue NV, which has mott
fed tenants of the proposed sale
Prices of individual apartments
will range from $500 for a one
room apartment with bath, but nc
kitchen to $18,500 for a three bed
room, 3-bath apartment which also
has living room. dining room
kitchen and foyer.
Tenants Offered Discount.
Tenants, however, have been of
fered S per cent discount If they
wish to buy the apartments they
now occupy, and have been given
To-day period during which they
would have exclusive purchase
rights
That period expires tonight, Mr..
Aiken said. and at that time the
brokerage firm will begin to offer
the apartments to the general
public.
A tenant meeting last night de-
cided to canvass the entire group
Of present occupants with a view
to employing an attorney 10 protect
their rights
James ODonnel is described as
the owner of record" of the build
ing. However. Home Realty Co.
spokesman said that Richard Willis
has taken 90-day option on the
building conditioned on the cooper
alive sale.
Calls Fears UnfOunded.
At the meeting last night. Mr.
Willis said he had come to relieve
You of unfounded fears in connec-
ton with sale of the building. ,
He said that before he would "see
any person put out on the street, I
would turn the building back to the
owner. All / would lose would be
an amount Of money"
Later. however, in response to a
question from tenant, Mr.. Willis
said that if present occupants do
not buy the apartments he expects
to sell them to outsiders
Mr.. Willis said he wanted the
tenants to know they were not in
the hands of disreputable firm
and that they would be treated in
o gentlemanly manner"
Asked about the state of repair
OF the building with regard to the
Districts present egress regula tio1s,
Mr.. Willis said there is. no one in
the city of Washington who could
tell you what itsyould cost" to make
the changes necessary to have any
building conform to the regulations.
He said that such regulations are
being changed from time to time.
Attorney Also Speaks.
Mr.. Willis was accompanied to the
meeting by Stuart Robson, attor-
ney for the Home Realty Co., who
also spoke.
Tenants of the building were no.
tilted December d by the realty
company that the apartments would
be sold. Mr. Aiken of the firm told
The Star that the building, he be-
heved, was pretty we'll in compli-
ance with egress regulations" and
that it was lin good shape He said
1t was classified as fire resistant.
Under the cooperative plan
worked out by the selling firm. Mr..
Aiken said operating and mainte-
nance costs were estimated at 40
cents month per 500 of the sale
price. This payment, he said,
would cover insurance, taxes, JAM
tor and managerial service and
other items.
The total monthly payment
would include this operating and
maintenance amount, plus addi-
tional amounts for interest and
principal.
Three Purchase Plans"
According to Mr.. Aiken, three
purchase plans" are available to
buyers. The first would provide for
down payment of Is per cent of
the purchase price. first mortgage
representing about AZ per cent of
the purchase price, a second mort
gage representing about 13 per cent
and collateral note representing
about Is per cent of the price.
The interest on the first mort
gage would be at the rate of 4 per
cent, and the interest on second
mortgage and collateral note would
be at the rate of per cent.
The second and third plans would
provide for larger down payments
and elimination of the collateral
note and second mortgage, he said.
Tenants, who were disturbed over
the projected sale, said it would
work hardship on many elderly
persons. including widows living on
service pensions. They charged CO.
operative sales amounted to an effort
to get around" rent control
Attorneys Consulted.
A number of individuals said they
had consulted attorneys, and a per-
centage of the group indicated they
would favor employing an attorney
to represent all tenants.
Others advocated that tenants
petition Congress to change the Dis
trict Rent Act to forbir sales on a
cooperative basis unless a sub
stantial majority Of present tenants
of any building offered for sale
agree to buy.
This provision, which now per-
nnits the sale Of apartments else
where in the Nation If IS per cent
of present tenants agree to buy, is
to be recommended by Rent Con-
troll Administrator Robert F. Cogs-
we'll for inclusion in the District
act.
Tenants gave a typical example
TO show how their monthly pay
ments under the minimum down
payment plan would compare with
present rents.
They pointed out that or a
410,500 apartment, for instance,
the down payment would amount to
1885 and the monthly payment