Evening Star Newspaper, February 17, 1923, Page 13

REAL, Washington’s Grthh Reflected in Real Estate and Buildi LACK OF ZONING - GOSTING MILLIONS Depreciated Values and i Scrapped Buildings Di- _ rect Result. POINTED OUT BY DR. GRIES Department of Commerce Official L Recommends Adequate 4 Laws. As the result of the lack of proper zoning laws in the majority of cities and towns throughout the country, many hundreds of millions of dol- lars are lost every year by the prop- erty owners, In the opinfon of Dr. John AL (irfes, chief of the division of building and housing of the De- partment of Commerce. In a talk before officials of the bu- reau of standards, Dr. Grles stated that this huge sum is lost in the form of scrapped buildings and de- preciated real estate values, result- ing from the intrusion of undesirable commerce into residentfal dlistricts. The present situation in many cities Dr. Grles compared to a house In which the bookcase is in the bath- toom and the kitchen stove In the parlor. He explained that in some of the better residential districts the value of each house may be reduced a thousand dollars or more through the construction in that district of a fac- rory or other structure not properly belonging there. Explains Co-Operation. Dr. Gries recommended adequate | zoning laws as a preventive, and ex- | plained how the division is co-operat- | ng with communities all over the | country that are preparing zoning regulations. A zoning primer and a 9 ning enabling act™ authorizing cities to zone have been widely dis buted. He also stressed {he necessity for city planning in mu- nicipalitles “expecting to grow, and stated t the division was prepar- ing data on this subject which will be made avalluble. . Figures were given showing the elative Importance of the different items of construction costs for a cer- tain house. Of these, labor charges iccountad for ¥ 26 per cent; mate- rials cost, 29.3 per cent: land, 19 per cent: con or, 12.6 per cent; financ- ing, 6.7 cent; architect and real estate fecs. 6.4 per cent. These figur: ¢ that It Is not generally possible a one single factor, such as &h labor aterial costs, for high yrices of houses. He sald that while the daily wages of building tradesmen night seem hikh to a man employed all the vear. they were not necessarily 2igh when the seasonal character of the employment was considered. He sald w substantial saving in labor| vosts could be realiz if arrange- ments could be de for employment | during a larger part of the year. He| #lso caid similar savings in costs nfl ~quipment and contractors’ overhead cculd be effected by a more extended building season. Report Is Cited. 1t was pointed out that the build- ing code committee of the Department of Commere pointed by Secretary Hoover, has recently published a re-| port enti “Récommended _Mini- Small Dwell- | overs one and two fumily dweliings, with an exten- | <ive discussion of the reasons for the ments_and the best types of | construction for various purposes. Dr. | Gries said that this pamphlet )lhnuld| prove useful to architects and pros- pective home owners. In this con- nection many tests were performed at the bureau of standards to determine the strength, fireproofness and other qualitles of types of building con- struction, the bureau having made av. le for that purpose a huge esting machine, fn which full-size ctions of walls can be crushed to Real Estate Salesman We have an opening for experienced salesman; au- tomobile essential. Walter A. Brown 1400 H St. N.W. tandard state This splen- did Business Property, equipped with steam heat and electric light. Lot 97 ft. to 713 14th St. Matn 2345 On F Street Two Good Brick Buildings On one of the best blocks of F STREET The only property that is available in the section Good ~frontage and dept! Can give possession wit ninety days. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE | cost. $30,000. | to repair 901 15th stree | three stories under certain conditions. | are based on tests which ESTATE. §1,000,000 BUILDING PERMITS IN WEEK New Construction List In- cludes $400,000 Auditorium Work on 19th Street. Permits for comstruction work to cost local builders nearly $1,000,000 were issued during the past week. by the municipal bullding inspector. The list of permits follows: L. E. Breuninger & Sons, to build, 1602-1604 Webster street: cost, $24.000. C. J. Peterson, to build, 5631 Poto- mac avenue; cost, $6,500. - ‘Washington Auditorium Company, to bulld, 15th and New York avenu cost, $400.000. E. M. Horne, to build, 3640-3700 Albemarle street; cost, $15,000. W. A. Dunigan, to build apartment, 1737 P street; cost, $30,000. F. M. Waiter, Ir., to Jewett street; cost, $6,000. E. R. Anderson, to build, 700-702 704 Longfellow street; cost, $15,00 J. M. Kemper, Jr., to bulld, 3700 street northeast: cost, $4.500. George Washington Post, 1, Amerifcan Legion, to repair 1924 I street; cost, $1,000. Benjamin' April, to repair, 413-415 7th street southwest; cost, $1.200. | 1259 New Hampshire avenue; cost 1913 Rhode Island avenue northeast;| cost, $5,000. x Beall, jr., to build apartment, 1259 New Hampshire avenue; ost, $42, 000. build, 5116 . F. Fleming, to repair, 2155 Cham- plain street; cost, $2,000. W. H. Plerce, to build, 2908 Pome- roy road southeast; cost, § Boss & Phelps, to build apartment, 1212 M street; cost, $25.000. Thrift Building Company, to build, 1731-1741 Irving street; cost, §$45.000. Thritt Building Company, to erect garage, rear 3821 14th street; cost, $5,000. John B. Gineches. to build six houses, 1300-1310 C street southeast; | P Investment Building Corporation, cost, $100,- 629-633 000. B. J. Futrovsky, to repair. H strect northeast: cost. Aibert Carry, to repair, street northwest; cost, $11,5 C. Heflln, to build, 6 street; cost, $6,000. General Auto Truck Company, build, 2110 D street; cost, $40.000. Allison to determine their strength, and a fur- | nace in which their resistance to fire | can be tested. : Among other things this book shows | that eight-inch walls are * strong enough for two-story houses, and | It recommends that they be permitted instead of the twelve-inch walls now | required in many cod | Floor loads of forty pounds per foot for timber construction, and thirty for monolithic types, are considered | sufficlent as a basls for calculation of strength, instead of the sixty and sev- enty pound loads now required i some citfes. The plumbing code committec is making out a report dealing with the rules &nd regulations S plumbing equipment. Many of have bee made on plumbing equipment at th bureau of standardg, and are expe to make possible substantial e omies as compared with many of the regulations now in effect. Wardman, Boj Rheem, to bufld ehouse. 60 Flor- ida avenue northeast: cost, $150,00 D. and J. Calligarl, to repair 2408 { street; cost, $2,400. i Hobbs _and Y | ing records of 215 cities, the records iwhich relatéd largely to lo DISTRICT SEVENTH IN BUILDING GAIN More Than $2,000,000 In- crease Noted Over Janu- ary Record of 1922, OTHER CITIES ADVANCE Construction Costs and Other Fac- tors Conducive to Active Program. Washington stood seventh on a list of elght cities registering gains last month of more than $2,000,000 in bullding permit valuation over Jan- uary a year ago, according to a sur- vey by the S. W. Straus Company of | New York The six cities ahead of Washington in the list were: New York city, $16,- 411,981; Chicago, $10,620,050; Cleve- | land, $3,451,350; Los Angeles, $3,283,- 349; Louisville, $2,998,625, and De- troft, $2,549,596. Then came Wash- ington with a total gain of $2,121,411, and following this city, Philadelphia, with a gain of $2,092,780. i Six other citles made gains of more than $1,000,000, as follows: Newark, $1,012,697; Pittsburgh, $1,275,090; St. 796; Springfield Tacoma, $1,238,33 $1,658,10; Good Year Expected. Gains of more than $100,000 were made in 63 other cities. The year 1923 b started with a fair prospect of maintaining and pos- sibly exceeding the unprecedented building record of 1927, according to the survey of the Straus Company. Total new buildings and alteration permits issued throughout the coun- try were $294,000,000° for January: The survey includes January build. 1 1 of 18: 1922 of which are comparable with figures. An Important fact is ne betwéen Decem- ber & January in 200 cities, amounting to $37,228,209. The January tota and alterations in $199,994, as against for January, 1922, a gain of $55,483,- 482, or 37 per cent. The total for January in 215 principal cities was | $210,518.170, which, on a conservative | basis, would make the total for the whole country approximately $294,- 000,000, Labor Situation Improved. January comparisons show that 131 cities made gains and 49 showed losses, as compared with the same month last year. Brooklyn made a larger gain~ than “any city in_the country, the amount being $18,234,- 147. or 135 per cent. The building material price situa- | tion for the country at lurge did not 1ly in January toward a ise or decrease. Prices s varied according ating influences 1 stock on hand and freight conditions. Large builders who keep in ciose touch with prospective material prices, and who have construction projects in hand, were not delaying completion of their plans with even the hope that prices will soon change to any great extent. The labor situation was improved on many to localit, NEW APARTMENT BUILDINGS PLANNED. Apartment house to be erected by Victor Cakill and P. A. Drury, jr. on the went Just morth be eight apartmen: floor, each apartment containing three rooms and bath. The frontage on Comnecticut avenue will be forty-five feet and the depth will be 110 feet. It will cont $175.000. during the month by the fact that spring contracts with various build- ing crafts were being rapidly sigpe generally upon the scald prevalling last year, with slight advances in some citles. Elimination of the old bonus system is being effected under tlie new contracts, and employers and unions are harmonious on the need of greater co-operation and efficlency to maintain a high production for the entire year. January onstruction activity was 31 per cent greater than it was in the corresponding month of last year, a rding to the F. W. Dodge Company. Total contracts awarded last month in the thirty-six eastern states of the “ountry (Including about seven-eighths »f the total construction volume) amounted to $242,755,000. The record on twenty-seven of these states shows increases of 1 per cent over December and of 31 per cent over January, 1922. Residential Comstruct! . Restdential construction constituted 1 per cent of the January total, amounting to $122,695,000, an un- usually high figure for this time of the year. Second In importance were business bulldings, amounting o $36.- 332.000, which was 15 per cent of the total. Other important items were $28,642,000, or 12 per cent, for public works and utiifties; $23,162.000, 10 per cent, for Industrial bulldings. and $16,862,000, or 7 per cent, for edu- cational bullfl‘!!n;{a. - ported in Contemplated new work re January amounted to $513,280.000, which was more than three times the amount of work started during the month. The enormous volume of con templated work reported in Decem- ber and January seems to indlcate & heavy volume of activity in the com- ing spring months. They Sell on Sight Read about the unusual features Six rooms and tiled bath with built-in fix- tures and specially treated sanitary wall and porcelain tank; sleeping porch, front veranda and kitchen porch; “Miracle” doors throughout. The fiving room and dining N&I":d arel of most - pra size— beautifully. finished, with hardwood floors; and consistent decor: tions. * : * The kitchen, which is spacious and well light- ed, has large glassed-in dresser and latest type of Detroit Jewel side- oven gas range. ‘The three sleeping rooms are.generous in skze—each with its large closet — and at- tractive finish. day- lighted and well venti- lated; absolutely dry— equipped with station- ary laundry. tubs; American Radiator Co’s hot-w:ter hfl“ll!: 'stem an separat :yu!ef for hot water when the furnace is not being used. The lots are large— wide parking in front— and deep back yards— sufficient for both g: rage and garden—open- ing on wide alley. The more critical the inspection the stronger the conviction to buy. Because—they are built f or Homes—constructed, designed and equipped with the care and. skill which make Kite Homes an investment of permanent satis- faction. 1519 to 1537 Mass. Ave. S.E.- 24 Homes in the group—half of them have -been sold. Exceptional location—in the midst of every- thing—stores, churches, schools, car lines—and yet away from their bustle and confusion. Sample Home 1521 Mass. Ave. SE.- Open for inspection—heated ‘and lighted until 9 P.M. every day, including Sunday. On Mass. Ave... .$7,500' On 16th St. ... .$6,950 We'll make the terms most conven- ient. 1t’s a case of acting promptly—they are attract-- ing so much favorable consideration. Built, Owned and for Sale by 1514 K Street N.W. Phone Harry A. Kite man" Member Washington Real Estate Bocrd or! The cost will be $125,000. CAPITAL AMONG Stern sions, by R. Pointing out that only forty-two cities in the United States and Canada (Washington, D. C., included) | {are represented annually at the con- | |terence of building offcials, R. G. Kimbell of the local architectural and |building code bureau of the National |Lumber Munutacturers' Association today charged the remaining hundred- odd large cities with neglect. He explained that the lumber manu- facturers’ association, “vitally inter- ested in good construction,” has vol- unteered to exert every effort to as- sist in arousing active interest of | munfcipal governments in the matte of sending delegates to this year' conference to be held April 24 to 7 | in Toledo, Ohio. | It is remarked that while only forty-two citles send their bufldink | officlals to the conference, hundreds send their fire department chiefs to the annual meetings of the Interna- tional Association of Fire Engineers. Last year there were ninety-five cities having both fire chiefs and bullding officials that sent the former, but not the latter, to their respective assoclation meetings. Yet it Is in part the business of building ofMcials to prevent fires through proper con- struction, which is certainly of as much importance to the public as ex- | tinguishing them. Importance of Department. “There s no department of nicipal government that is of more | Importance to the public welfare and | safety than the bullding department. under whatever name,” savs Mr. Kim- | bell. “That it Is impractical and un- | wise, and in many caees would | jeopardize lives, to leave the matter | of decision as to what is safe in the design and the materials of struc- | tures wholly to the discretion of in- dividuals is shown by the failures in many edifices and consequent loss of mu- A Structure planned by David A. Baer, at 16th street and Spring place northwesf. & Tomlinson are the architects. 42 CITIES AT BUILDING CONFERENCES Hundred Others Scored for Neglect to Send Representatives to Annual Ses- S. Kimbell. life, accounts of which frequently ap- pear in the press. The city must exercise certain peiice powers for the protection of the public in such mat- ters and through some municipal or- ganization maintain standards of safety for the pubilc by means of building codes and regulations. There is probably no way in which a pro- gressive city official can so easily and inexpensively keep abreast of modern development in safe oonstruction as by attending the annual meetings of the bulldings officials’ conference and ng the results of their delibera- The conferences are in the habit of devoting particular attention to plac- ing the responsibility for and deter- mining what are the lessons of such structural faflures as that of the Knickerbocker Theater January, 19 {Incidentaily, it may be said that this particular collapse was exhaustively discussed at the 1922 conference. DR. SOWERS’ OLD HOME GIVES WAY TO BUSINESS Two White-Stone Structures to Be Reared at 1320 New York Ave- nue, Just Demolished. Another expansion of the business |section of Washington took place this week with the demolition of the old home of the late Dr. Zachary T. Sowers, 1320 New York avenue northwest. to make way for two white stone business buildings. Shannon & Luchs recently sold this property for the Zachary T. Sowers es- tate to R. B. H. Lyon, trustee, for an investment, The Shannon & Luchs con- struction department is erecting the new buildings from plans and specifi- cations prepared by Arthur B. Heaton. MORE mVAL UE - Better Homes INSPECT 3rd and R. TODAY I. Ave. N.E. Five Beautiful New Homes, representing the most desirable six-room houses in the city. Price and terms reasonable. YOU MUST SEE THESE HOMES TO APPRECIATE THEM. Open for inspection until 8 o’clock . Heated and lighted—Salesman on premises N. L. SANSBURY CO., Inc. “Everything in Real Estate” -1418 Eye St. N.W. Phones Main 5903-4-5 Member Washington Real Estate Board RRRRRRRE TR RRRRRR QRRRNR VR 315 to 327 L Street N.E (Just North H St. Cars) 17th and E Sts. S.E. (Just North of Pa. Ave. Cars) All Houses Open for Inspection All Houses Sold on Monthly Payments All houses have outlets for sink and gas range on second floor, so you can easily rent second floor for enough to make monthly payments | House, | forcement REAL ESTATE. ng News. —. U. 3. ACTIVITIES MOVE WITH CITY Herbert T. Shannon Tells of | Gradual Shifting of | Center. Data tending to show that the cen- | ter of federal governmental activity in Washington moves along with the general development of the city were obtained in some recent investiga- tions conducted by his firm, Herbert T. Shannon, of Shannon & Luchs, de- clared in an interview today. | “It would be thought, offhand,” Mr. Shannon pointed out, “that once a government departemnt were located in 2 certain place it would stay there. In substafice this is true, but it does not follow, by any means, that be- cause of this, new departments are placed next or even near the older ones.” Mr. Shannon called attention to the fact that before the recent war period the bulk of the government's work was done east of 9th and F streets northwest. 1In that territory were found the patent office, the Interior Secretary's and land offices, the In- diun office, the old civil service office, the pension office, printing office, the Capitol, the coaet and geodetic sur- vey, the Congressional Library, the census bureau, the bureau of fisher- les, ete. Today ,Mr. Shannon points out, the center and the future center of gov- ernmental activity {s and will be west of 17th street and Pennsylvania ave- nue northwest, or west of the present War Department. Considering the causes for such changes he suggested two factors as really worthy of consideration. First, thelr nearness to the White House, the President each year becoming more of an executive. Second, that during the war the greatest activity was naturally about the White the War and Treasury de- partments. Mr. Shannon states that there are today at or west of 17th street and Pennsylvania avenue northwest twenty-two government departments. He further stated that any and all of these departments are smaller to- day than they williever be again, and belleves that in a_surprisingly fe years each will be forced through ac tual necessity to seek much larger ac commodations. It is noticeable tha few people actually realize with what great rapidity government depart- ments grow and develop in import- commissioner actually made application to us for “two good sized rooms” in which to establish his department. When we suggested a bullding, he jokingly accused us of being ‘real estate men.’ Of course, we had no objection to renting a build- ing, but we also knew something about government development that he apparently did not. We knew that. Congress had passed an enforcement law; that that law was to be enforced or repealed; that if enforced it was going to take many men and much space in which to do it. Last year they spent thousands of dollars and have outgrown that two-room space —shall we say, hundreds of times. “This shifting of government center naturally develops many real estate problems, especially housing _and transportation. It "likewise affects certain lines of business. It will de- velop new streets and new communi- ties. These are some of the problems that the modern real estate office has, to work out for its clients." PR Within Easy P, 813 15th St. N.W. N N N N N N N Dz Southern Building MANY FIRES START INHEAT FIXTURES Building Code Committee Blames Faulty Installation for Much Damage. WO00D WORK RESTRICTED Should Not Be Within Two Feet of Stoves, Furnaces and Other Fireplaces. The country's annual fire loss, wiich amounted to $500,000,000 last year, can be reduced by exercising the proper care in the installation of heat- ing appliances in the home. Th phase of home building was cons ered so important by the building code committee appointed by Scere- tary Hoover, which has just drafted a report on standard building regu lations, that the committee devoted considerable space to it. The recom- mendations of the committee on the installation of heating fixtures fol- low: All heating furnaces, bollers, laun- dry stoves or other &imilar devices in which hot fires may be maintained should rest upon masonry found: tlons, and no woodwork should permitted within two feet of the same. All woodwork within three feet should be covered with loose-fitting sheet metal or equivalent fire proteclive material. ‘When it is necessary t coal ranges without legs, or any of the above mentioned heating devices be supported by wooden fioors the floors should be protected by a hearth con- sisting of a sheet of metal or a one eighth-inch layer of asbestos board covered with not less than four inches of masonry set in a cement mortar. Four-) Hollow Tile, The masonry should consist of oue course of four-inch hollow tile or of two courses of brick, concrete or tile, at least one of which should be hollow and be laid to preserve free circ tion of air through the whole c or such heating appliance ma. on a six-inch fou fon built of i combustible material supported withi in the thickness of the floor framings Such hearths should extend at twelve inches on the sides, bac front of the furnace, range or similar heating appliance; 1f solid fuel ic used the front extension should be at least twenty-four inches. The overhead clearance of heating furnaces or boilers placed in the cel- ‘ar or_basement should never be less than fifteen inches, and the wooden Jolsts or ceiling over furnaces or bo: ers should be protected by metal la and cement or gypsum plaster, or a one-half inch layer of elther asbest board or plaster board covered it sheet metal will do, though not £004 as the metal lath and plaste: Such protection should extend at lea three feet beyond the heating devices on all sides.” Aside from the adva tage of increased safety the saving in fuel by completely inclosing warm air furnaces In protective covering w warrants the moderate expense in- olved. Cellular asbestos covering one- half inch thick, especlally adapted for this purpose can be purchased at moderate prices, Choice Apartment Site DOWNTOWN Northwest Corner 19th and Eye Sts. N.W. 52 ft. on Eye—135 on 19th—11,065 sq. ft. Walking Distance of Govt. Departments and Business Section Main 2430 L L The Best Houses--The Best Terms Analyze This Offer Carefully i [t Balance Less Than Rent You can obtain these up-to-the-minute houses on these terms for the first time as we are making a special effort to close out this operation this week. " Tapestry brick, concrete front porch, large living room, with cozy corner. Built-in china. closet, Pullman kitchen -in refrigerator; finest built-in bathroom fixtures. 5521 Seventh St. N.W Take 14th street car marked “Takoms Park” to 7th and Ken- nedy—wak 15 block north—or Ga. cast to 7th. ave. car to Kennedy st. and walk Wm. i.: Phillips 1409 N. Y. Ave. N.W. M. 4600