Evening Star Newspaper, March 27, 1926, Page 17

REAL ESTATE ITALIAN TYPE HOUSE SELECTED FOR STAR’S COMMUNITY GROUP Type of Model Homes Streets Will Be Built at Fifth and Longfellow to Aitract the Eye as Well as Appease Practical Housewives. Among the smaller and popuiar types of residences in the National Capital is the so-called community Eroup of houses. Because of the great popularity of this type and the rapidity with which they are being built in tions of the city, The S ing its ideal homes decided upon this style as one of the nine types that would be of benefit to demonstrate. Each of the three houses shown in the accompanying illustration will | contain six rooms, a tiled hath, hot- water heat, electrieity, hardwood floors and every practical convenience 1o suit persons w ¢ would purchase this type The community group, which is to | be located at Marietta Park, Fifth and | Longfellow streets was de- | ilbert one of | } F 8 elected from the | in sponsor- demonstration The end houses are to have smaller porches than the center ones, and these porches will be uncovered. In this case the entrance doorway is to be made the particular feature of the deslgn. The door will be of stained cypress, with a small wrought iron grille over the glass opening and framed in a stucco material similar to the columns on the center house. All the second-story windows of the entire group will be of casement type, with arched heads and outside shut- ters. These shutters will be painted probably a light sage green to pro- duce the proper contrast with the red brick walls. The frames of doors and windows of the whole group prob- ably will be painted and the sashes stained. Back Porches Featured. An unusual feature of the general design will be the back porches, Washingt e American Institute of archi- tects’ advisory The i by the gen- 2, headed by Assistant | the Dis- | erect the Conditions. | ssioner ol Meet Zoning ions of the city | nner that solid | rows of houses are prohibited, but the construction of rows of three is permitted. Such short rows are known rscommunity hot in thesecas £ \ing Commis be so designed sion of one large than three individual n outlying s ned in such a m er ouses. The predeterniined of architec: 1ure to be used in this & was Italfan. This style was not becat no other style ed for the com- to_intro- stration. The size of the houses was of neces- sity fixed by the width of the lots as subdivided and by the general size of in the same locality There was, of course, also a restric- tion in the cost of the building, since » desired expen. wral and s probe these condi- satis- both to the general house and v solutior problem of the comm this par operation, has been found. The first question in the design of the group depended upon a selection of the materials to be used. It was d termined at the outset that the e terior walls should be of brick w stone or stuce X that, so far us possible, 1 of exterior wood- would woided in order to Aintenance cost, a siarly important to those The use tile also was tial in W estic architectuve. Florentine Type Followed. The next problem was to determine v period of Italian be uscd, since much variation in the architect I thers is in the whole range of archi- tectural design. Some of the smaller villas of Florencs the most suitable basis of inspiration, and these t ve been given some of although, of course, modern conditions and re quirements of huilding, the cost of ind the re. vented the fon that is the Florentine work. The e not designed too elabora E and type. The group will be slightly elevated above the sidewalk and the walks leading to the front entrance are to of flagstone, so arranged that a maximum width for lawn and plant- = will be given between each ap- proach. The center ho of the group is 10 have a porch in the form of an arched loggla, supported upon a base of local rubble stone. supporting the arches are to be of uceo, with some brilliant coloring ntroduced in the capitals, The loggia itself will be surmounted by a light iron railing. Above the loggia the face of this house is to be of rough stucco, colored, with mission tile roofing. seemed to furnish | which are to be entirely glazed. All of the woodwork on these porches is to be treated with a special preserva- tive stain, which will produce an im- mediate effect of weathered age and which will not require additional painting or staining for many years. These porches will be so arranged that no light or ventilation is elim- inated in any of the rear rooms. Particular attention has been given to a complete electrical installation. The base receptacles are all to be of the duplex type and are to be more numerous than is found ordinarily in houses of this class, and the fixtures |are to be selected with particular ref- |erence to the gemeral style of the houses. b | The interior plan is quite similar to ,the so-called standardized box plan {and will be up-to-date and practical. Some particular features have been introduced. For example, the kitchen will contain a speclal builtin case | that will provide ample storage space for dry groceries; also a compartment | for mops, brooms, ete, This cabinet has been so designed that it is bufit partly into one wall without any ap- preciable loss of floor space. On the second floor additional closets have been provided, the mas- ter bedroom in the front having two two bedrooms. There broom closet in the hallway and a linen cabinet of ample proportions in the bathroom. It i Intended that the treatment of tille work in the bathroom be unusual and distinctive. 1o Stairways Attractive. All the stairways are to be designed with ornamental {ron balustrades. The walls of the living rooms, dining rooms and hallways are to be dec- Jorated with one of the modern wall finishes, which will give a distinctive- ness to these houses not ordinarily |found in any but the more expensive residences, but quite essential to carry out the feeling of the Italian interior | decoration. All woodwork in these | rooms will be of small cross-section and dellcate proportions and will be | stained to provide the necessary con- jtrast to wall surfaces. The bedroom walls will be elther papered or paint- ed and the woodwork in these rooms will be finished with enamel. All the floors throughout the building, except in the ase of the bathroom and kitchen, will be of polished cak. The kitchen will have either linoleum or composition flooring. Walls of both | bathrooms and kitchens are to be | finished above the wainscot n “Duco’ | enamel. For the purpose of this demonstra- tion, these houses will be furnished in of Italy a8|an appropriate manner with the cor-|all the Representatives and Senators. rect draperies and the proper period furnishings, commensurate with the | cost of the house., It is believed that this will demonstrate satisfactorily to every one the necessity for a close relationship hetween the style of archi- tecture and the manner of furnishing and decorating a home. Particular attention Is to be glven to the matter of the proper setting for these houses. It Is not intended to use an elaborate planning scheme, but rather to demonstrate that intelligent and careful planning is most essen- | tlal if the architectural features are to be properly emphasized. Particular attention will be given to the develop- ment of the back vard, in order that |1t may be shown how attractive this area may be made and how well it can be adapted to pleasant usage dur- | ihg the long Spring and Summer | months, Instead of being the usual | unsightly space that develops from a The columns | lack of proper forethought and plan- ning. As the materials are selected and the group progresses, a description of the erection of the houses will ap- pear in The Star. The permit for the erection of the community group was granted yesterday. FEBRUARY BUILDING PERMITS SHOW DROP 73 Cities Report Increases Over 1925—Seventeen Are on “Honor Roll.” otal building permits granted in 7 cities in February amounted to £236,006,000, according to reports to F. W. Dodge Corporation. The above figure showed a decline of 8 per cent from the total amount ($256,769,300) veported in February of last year. Seventy-three cities showed gains over the preceding February, while 133 cities showed losses. February permits also showed an increase of about 1 per cent over January. February “honor roll” cities (those reporting more than $1,000,000 in total permits and an increase of 20 per cent or more over their Febru- ary, 1925, totals) numbered 17, com- pared with 18 on the January “honor roll.” The February “h were: Atlanta, Worth, Greensboro, N. C.; Indian- epolis, Jacksonville, Jersey City, Lincoln, Mount Vernon, N. Y.; New Orleans, Newark, Peoria, San An- tonlo, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa and Yonkers. citles Fort mor roll” Elizabeth, Public school teachers in Wilkes County, N. C., both male and female, are prohibited from smoking clig- arettes. VALUE OF NEW WORK. Figures Given by Group for All of United States Money value of work proposed the past week by groups In the United States follow: Office bulldings and lofts, $25,300,000; hotel and apart- ment houses, $19,200,000; public works, Including street improve- ments, $10,000,000; schools and churches, $8,000,000; theaters, $5,100,~ 000; industrial operations, $4,500,000; hospitals, $2,700,000; railroad con- struction, $2,000,000. The building materials market con- dition may be summarized thus: Steel prices-steady, with increasing demand in prospect; unprecedented reserve stock of cement at mills, with shipments increasing; more burned bricks at yards and more un- filled orders in hand; lumber move- ment ahead of corresponding period last yea After the winter ly to develop—and, the roof over to us. safeguard—because skill have been gained by long and varied ex- perience. We have a plan for budgeting the cost so that payment may be easily made. clorate and one for each of the other | is to be a| Have the Roof Overhauled now— terioration can be stopped and the roof re- stored to prime condition—for very little expense. Delays are expensive always. You can simplify the whole problem by turning These houses will be located at = Marietta Park, Fifth and Longfellow streets. Designed by Gilbert L. Rodier, and will be built by Walter Dunigan. Scores Ignorance, Waste, An inventory of real estate owned and controlled by the United States | Government and the establishment of |a bureau of property control, to act as a central cloaring house for Gov- ernment-owned property, is provided in a bill introduced by Representative Sol Bloom of New York this week “The United States Government owns approximately ten billlons of dollars’ worth of real estate,” Mr. Bloom said, “‘but no one knows defin- itely how much. The Government, in its own name, is the biggest owner of real estate {n the world, but there is no central clearing house where these records are kept, nor is any attempt | made by the Government to keep a | central record of this vast propert | “Throughout the world the Govern- ment owns property easily equal in |value to the assessed valuation of property in the city of New York, | which totals $10,500,000,000. In New | | York City alone the United States | {owns property worth about $500, 000,000. *“No business in the world is con- ducted as loosely as the real estate operations of the Government. The proper recording of needed and useful properties and the disposition of use- less properties annually would save many times the combined salaries of Has Treasury Statements. | | “The Government knows, as a re- | | sult of the Treasury Department state- | ments, how much cash it has on hand, | but real estato is cash also, in the | | opinion of business men, but as to| these assets there is woeful ignorance. “Each department of the Govern- ment makes a half-hearted attempt to | keep an account of its real and per-| sonal property, but I dare say there | is not one department in the whole HUNDREDS TO ATTEND REALTORS’ BANQUET Many Members of Congress and Officials to Be Guests at Din- | ner April 8. Several hundred tickets have been sold to date for the annual banquet of the Washington Real Estate Board at the Wardman Park Hotel on April 8, according to James P. | Schick, executive secretary of the board. Three prominent speakers will make short addresses. The speakers will include a United States Senator, one of the officers of the National Assoclation of Real Estate Roards and another well known speaker. ‘Among the guests who will be in- vited to the banquet are the Com- missioners of the District, the mem- bers of the House and Senate Dis- trict committees and prominent lofal | citizens and other Federal and mu- nicipal officers. The banquet is in charge of A. H. Lawson, R. L. McKeever, H. Clif- ford Bangs, R. Owen Bdmonston, A. C. Houghton, L. T. Gravatte, H. Tudor Morsell, Cyrus Simmons, Joseph Petty, Joseph Sullivan, Mil- ton Schwab, A. E. Landvoigt and Theodore Judd. . The new auditorium of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution in ‘Washington will be called “Constitu- tional Hall.” the weaknesses are like- if taken in time the de- Our experience is your Rose knowledge and REP. BLOOM URGES NEW BUREAU TO CONTROL FEDERAL PROPERTY Complications, Expense, in Present Lack of System in Caring for $10,500,000,000 Holdings. Government that can give even a rough estimate of ‘ts real and personal property assets and obligations. How- makes It necessary to say that it does not lie with them, but rather with Congress. “Only a month ago the Navy De- partment sent to a postmaster in the State of Georgia for an estimate of the value of three certain tracts of land it owns in that State. In an- other instance recently a woman from Iowa lost considerable money near Pensacola, Fla., by reason of dubious ownership of Government land. Sees Taxpayers Misled. “Again, the War Department only recently offered for sale a very valua- ble tract of land it was supposed to own, but did not own, in Florida. This proposal by the Government has caused much expense to the would-be purchaser by way of attorney’s fees and traveling expenses, as well as to the Government. Can you imagine what would happen to an indlvidual who would try to sell property that he did not own? “Where a department of the Gov- ernment Is leasing property, that de- partment charges up as expenses the rent that it pays for the space used. But of the billions of dollars of prop- erty that is owned by the Government for bulldings used, not one cent is charged against any of the depart- ments for interest on the investment of land and building, or for the assess- ments or charges against the prop- erty. selves, but by such a system of book- keeping, they are misleading the tax- payers of the country. “It is my idea in presenting this bill to establish a bureau of real and personal property control, to which each department and {ndependent establishment of the Government shall furnish from time to time compre- hensive and accurate information as to description, amount, value and con- dition of all real and personal property within its custody or control, to the end that the Government may know its real worth.” They are not only fooling them- | > L, seeaciast PORCH DINING -RDDM LIVING ROOM First Floor— NEED AN ANCHOR. Homeless Husbands and Wives Air Troubles, Says Judge Judge Harry B. Lamson of the Buf- falo Domestic Relations Court in a talk recently to the members of the Real Estate Board of the lakeside city sald: “The husbands and wives who air thelr differences are largely those who are without the anchor of an owned home. Woodland' Drive Sites in Massachusetts Park —are becoming steadily more limited. Washingtonians of long standing are continually amazed at the splendid growth in this fine residential community, which includes all that remains of The Triangle of Increasing Values —between Connecticut, Massachusetts and Cathedral avenues. ‘Wooded and rolling sites for individually designed homes are now available. As the firm under whose management this restri¢ted area has been successfully developed into one of the city's fine sections, we are singu- farly prepared to turnish accurate information. Park Office: 32d street and Cathedral avenue. Middaugh & Shannon, Inc. ESTABLISHED 1899 Riggs-Semmes Bldg., Dupont Circle, Potomac 2200 THOS. A. JAMESON 906 New York Ave. N.W. 920 to 924 14th St. car line. Inspect at Once Six large rooms, tiled bath, h.w.h., electric lights, hardwood floors and trim, onepiece sink, builtin ice box, - instantaneous water heater, and other extras. Double rear porches, cement front porch. With or with- out builtin garage. “Ask the man who owns one” For Sale by COMPANY Main 5526 THE STAR’S IDEAL COMMUNITY GROUP PLAN CEAMBER. CRAMBER CHAMBER KecH Ropr Second Floor— 5100 Block sible. _Exceptionally large, well arranged rooms and _ big closets Tberehube.ennothing like them in Petworth at the price. * HOME & GARDEN i SMALLEST OF DETACHED MODEL | HOUSES TO HAVE CENTRAL HALL ‘Colonial Designed Home at Thirteenth Street and Alaska Avenue to Afford Exceptional Vista of Gar- den and Street Through Peculiar Shape of Lot. | The detached jouse is the oldest type rage, undercover stairs lead to the | of residence, and has maintained its | rfist ficor, showing a glimpse through | popularity down through the ages.|the French doors of the garden vista | Modern construction, costs, etc., have | and grass panel, with a sun dlal or ‘1 brought about many other types, but | perhaps a bird bath. it seems to be the ambitfon of every | On elther side | ?enm;‘: ‘I)n; day !tl' }l:e able d!" OWR & | through hall G-foot broad arches detached house with grounds. Tt e The house designed by Victor Minde- | §12%, (0 (% [IVINE ool Gf (o leff and to be constructed by L. E.| e ¢ UnE f5 0 ke Telek Breuninger & Sons on their site at the mdihgibosrl A S ke | int on of Thirteenth street, LS g Yo the | Aluska avenue and Hemlock street, is | \loreq poicy Q08 SE8 (O848 1o PO | the smallest of the three detached |icrce "thie' meoting any conditions | houses to be erected for the model | (G AT THUS EHIng any homes demonstration being sponsored | ° The commodious living room, with by The Star. | windows on three sides, measures 13 The residence will consist of six 8pa- | by 2014 feet, exclusive of the 2.by-§ clous rooms, a breakfast room, dress- |front bay window, ing rooms and two baths. A great deal of attentlon has been given to High, Short Windows. In the dining room, in line with the closet space in_ all the rooms and throughout the house. The architec- |nall arches, is a hizh group of &hort tural dqslgn is a Colonial center hall |casements, above the sideboard epace, plan with an artistically blended ex- |and a similar bay or oriel window to terfor of brick and stucco. A break- |that of living room at the southeast fast alcove, with a buflt-In breakfast | The roomy kitchen contains all the | set just off the kitchen, is also a fea- [modern conveniences that contribute ture of the residence. {to easy and comfortable housekeeping. 2 |including cupboards on each side of ) Lot Is Triangular. |the double drainboard sink, a kitchen The peculiar conditions of site and |cupboard and a roomy kitchen closet the unusual form of lot have made it| In the southerly projecting wing, | more than ordinarily necessary to |corresponding to the roofed porch of | treat house and grounds as a unit, in | the living room, is found ample accom | of the wide attempting to reach a solution of the | modation for a large storage pantry problem. The lot is approximately a |and for a breakfast alcove with south with a small ex-|east and southwest windows, affording tension westward along Hemlock | cross-draft and ventilation. street. The extension was obviously | A coat closet in the rear hall is pro | triangular corner intended to accommodate a garage, but in the present scheme the bufltin | tvpe of garage has heen adopted as | more convenient, permitting this ex | tension to be otherwise utilized. house and porches are located entire within the building restriction lines of the lot, with no profections. ilhm‘ouzhmrn‘ running diagonally | the typical street system, affords the entranc Good Vistas Possible. The location suggested a central hall with a vista to the garden and street. In this connection, it has been possible to arrange the axis of the vista to diagonally intersect the long axis of the formal, hedge-Inclosed panel on Hemlock street, in such a manner as to achieve a direct connec tion between the house and the garden | means of a short brick walk, with | flanking beds of perennials, backed by hedges. It is planned that a more | formal garden should be located at the top. Having established the conditions of the site as a background and as a_ motive for the house plan, the plans of the interior were thought out. The cellar provides the usual facilittes and accommodation _de- manded in a modern house and, in addition, provides for garage under the living room porch. The buflt-in to a motorist. In this instance the architect has sought to alleviate un sightliness; first, by placement T3 line of vision th curved attractive manner | cessing the doors several feet back of the front line of Is, throwin; | them into a deep shadow, and finally | applying a color scheme to this cature designed to still further re duce their conspicuousness in defer- ence to the Hemlock street view. secondly. by 1 $6,950 - A Month 2 < The | | From the Alaska avenue, the more important | to | ideal southeast exposure for the main | type of garage has many advantages | ated in an vided. Coming up from the garage and cel- lar there is a broad entrance platform at the front door, with a pair of charming porch seats. There 18 a broad palladian triple window on the upper anding visible n the hall below anding four more steps lead to the main level of the second floor. The space over the living room is taken up by the principal bedroom, with a private bath and small dress- ing room. The latter in turn open- ing into a roomy cedar-lined storage space, ‘within the gable over the cov- ered porch, and lighted by a small window. Two Other Bedrooms. At the southeast end of the hall an other bathroom, with linen closet ad- joining, and near the top of the main Stalrs are the doors to two other bed- rooms, one over the dining room, with a regular sized closet, and the other and smaller room, provided dressing room, correspe cedar-lined storage on t All these rooms are a with lights and nume: supplementary lighti other uses. A spaclous attic with two windows for light and cross ventilation tops the story of the accommodations of this house. As to outside effect, the contem- plated color schems is light grayish buff for the stucco—cafe au lait— am woodwork generally, white sash, warm gray-green shutters, ga- rage doors, used 1t brick out the colonial feeling being laid in Flemish bond, with ¥ wide joints of cream | colored mor aked out slightly. This should combine well with the above described planning to produce a harmonious and at the same time spirited design. Plans on Next Page. aply equipped ous plugs for y lamps or first story Is 3 8th St. N.W. Exhibit House, 5132 8th St. N.W. The first 18 are all sold—directly opposite there are 18 more nearing Vcompletion —over half have been: sold already. Building and selling hundreds of Homes makes such Homes at such a price pos- B3 There are 3 Big Covered Porches Home completaly equi in the most modern way. @ Open from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Take 14th St. car to Kennedy St. and walk 3 short blocks: or 9th St. cars to Gallatin St. and walk only 1 block; or let us send auto for you. Watch Washington Grow to a Million CAFRITZ CONSTRUCTIO N CO., Owners and Builders of Communities