Evening star., 1950-12-30
Sing|e-Fan1i|y
Building Sets
A|I-TiIne Mark
DC. Commercial Units
Also Increased, but
Apartment Mark Drops
By Robert ]. Lewis
Reel Estote Editor Of The Sfor

Reel eStdte Editor or the Sfof
The year just ending set an all
time record for production OF
single-family houses in the Dis
trict area and was. likewise. a
banner year for commercial and
other building.
In interviews with H. E. Riley,
chief of the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, division of construction
statistics. and William F. Nelson,
president of the Washington
Building Congress, the details OF
this unprecedented construction
year. were disclosed to The Star
,, today.
Mr.. Riley pointed out that a
total of 107, 800 new dwelling units
were started in the Washington
area during the last five postwar
years, and that almost 10000 OF
these units were begun during
1949 and 1850.
Greatest in d. C. History.
"This two-year period was the
greatest building period in the
history of the area" Mr.. Riley
said. Summing up the non-resi-
Dental building picture for 1850.
Mr.. Nelson, who heads the organ
ization of builders who concen-
trate on non-residential construc-
ton, said:
This year has been a banner
one in every sense Of the word,
and certainly one Of the best on
record"
He added that next year. also,
is expected to be a very good"
building year, whether or not de-
centralization takes place. unless
critical material shortages impede
construction Of many new jobs
now just getting under way.
eff the Government decentrah-
zation program should be ap-
proved" Mr.. Nelson said, there
would be a tremendous building
boom in the area late in 1851 and
1852"
Mr.. Riley said that during the
five postwar years one additional
unit was started in the Washing
ton metropolitan area for every
three dwellings in existence at
the beginning Of the period.
10000 Homes Started.
While 1949 led all the other
years in the five-year span, add
ing 22.670 new units to the rental
market, 1850 established a new
peak in construction Of single
family homes, with more than
10000 started in the 12-month
period.
This was about twice the num-
ber started in any other postwar
year. The number of new apart
ments started this year. however.
fell to about $500, the lowest level
since 1916.
In comparison with ID other
large metropolitan areas, WASH
ington ranked fifth in the total
number of dwelling units started
since January 1916. preliminary
reports show. Mr.. Riley said.
The four areas leading the list
were New York. Los Angeles,
Chicago. and Detroit. During
1850. however, Philadelphia and
San Francisco also surpassed
Washington in new-home con-
struction.
The average cost of the Wash
tngton house-$11,1 ,100-was ex-
ceeded only by the average of
$11,800 for the one-family houses
started in Cleveland.
Public Building Sizable.
In discussing non-residential
construction, Mr.. Nelson pointed
out that the public building serv-
ice activity is sizable. The Gen.
eral Accounting Office building
started in 1949 and expected to be
completed in 1851, is the largest
building to be put under was
since the Pentagon. It has o.
mlIliOu square 1eeC ana Will cost
more than $40 million.
The Cancer Research buildings
at the National Institute of
Health in Bethesda is a SIG mil
lion job, and the contract for the
Bethesda heating plant to provide
heat for the health buildings, as
well as the Navy buildings at
Carderock, Md. will cost Sc mil
lion. The mechanical bid alone on
this job amounted to nearly 81
million, MI. Nelson said.
Other PBS buildings under way
In 1850 include the Federal Court
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