Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1931, Page 78

v 8 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 25 1931 Business Thoroughfare Had Some Buildings Which Dated Back to an Earlier Period. Abbot School Building and the 0ld Thyson House. [ BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. ASHINGTON has changed a great / deal in the last half-century, as will be testified by many whose memories go back to the days when some of its main streets and avenues were paved with wooden blocks, and hydrants dotted the street corners, and when Sam Einstein, the poundmaster, was kept busy impounding hogs and geese found running at large, and cattle as well when found grazing unguarded on the city commons, all of which are now built up with rows and rows of houses that in themselves would make a larger city by far than Washington was at that time with its population of 177,624 Of course, the streets were not all paved 50 years ago. Indeed, asphalt pavement was just coming into use in the District, and the best roadways we had were built of macadam, for the block-paved streets lasted but a short while and then went to pieces and could not be re- paired nearly so easily or effectively as the ordinary gravel roads—at least so far as even- and smoothness are, person can live in a city and see it muw:;hmctnnbummtumeitmlku one feel that, after all, old age has its com- pensations. TAKI a view of Seventh street, for instance. }4 Time has surely worked its changes here. True, the old American House is still on the Boutheast corner of Seventh street and Pennsyl- vania avenue, where it has stood for more than half a century, and here and there along Beventh street we can pick out an old building, but the early inhabitant has seen ever so many of the present structures erected, in numerous instances replacing buildings that were relics even more than 50 years ago, such as the old W. B. Moses Building that occupied Saks & Co.’s corner, the National Intelligencer office on the northeast corner of Seventh and D streets, Odd Fellows’ Hall, quite an amusing pheelnlndme,lnsddmontobelncthe meeting place for the members of that organi- pation; the building where was conducted the first public telegraph office on Seventh street between E and F, where now is the old Post Office Building, and other structures which dated back even prior to 1880, and in conse- quence known only to a few of the Washing- tonians now in the venerable class. How interesting it would be if we could but draw the curtain aside and present to view the Capital City as it appeared 50 years ago; but this we cannot do, and a pen picture can never ¥lo justice to the Washington of the past. The statue of Winfield Scott Hancock, by Henry Ellicott, is not old by any means, nor is the Stephenson Grand Army Memorial, just to the east, and the Bank of Washington Building was probably erected within the past 20 years, replacing an older structure, and so on all the way up Seventh street great improvements and changes have been made, and yet the old-timer hardly realizes that so many years have passed since horse cars replaced busses on this thoroughfare, only later to give way to the cable cars, and still later to the present system. IFTY years ago Seventh street was one of the city’s few main business thoroughfares, Bnd, indeed, it is one of its principal business streets today, but now it has more competitors, for then Washington had but a few business streets, and now, as we all know, we have quite B number. ‘ In 1878 in the Saks block, between Market Bpace and D street, George J. Davis was sell- 40c store. We all, no doubt, remem #Old Woman in the Shoe,” which Wwindow and helped to advertise t The Heilbrun store was in a part of Intelligencer Building. Francis Prott also sold shoes at 426, and P. Hable Bros., clothiers, were on the northwest corner of Seventh and D streets. George C. Henning was at 410, A. D. Skourk, 416; Ber- H. W. Beadle & Co., and Cornelius Cox, patent attorneys. Germand Crandall sold books at 401; Azo L. Hazelton, shoes, 423; also Jacob Sanger, 409; James P. Wallace kept a tobacco store; 1. P. Libbey sold clocks; Joseph Auer- bach sold clothing at 407, as did Lewis Rosen- the square above. W. L. Argue & Co.—which was certainly a catchy name for a law firm— had offices at 505. J. Madison Cutts, a nephew Blanchard, William Burns, Newton Crawford, George W. Dyer & Co., A. H. Evans & Co,, J. J. Halsted, Peter Hanney, F. A. Lehman, Andrew McCallum, W. C. McIntyre, James H. Manderville, J. R. Nottingham, Henry Orth, Prindle & Co. and G. B. Towles, all engaged as patent attorneys, or solicitors of patents, as some would put it. D. C. Cox, at 509, took care of those seeking a pension. One can easily see by the variety of the business conducted in this thoroughfare 50 John Saul, one of Washington’s early Seventh street merchants. years ago that it was then Washington's Fifth avenue or Broadway, especially up to New York avenue, and much trade was even carried on several blocks above Mount Vernon Square. Saturday night was always a big night in those days, for the mechanics received their wages once a week then, just as they do today, but the “ghost” walked only once & month ' : o | { : f present, for although ever so t il g s 52!55135 i | Iunwwmtothounenmned their businesses between E il NN LSRR e Seventh Street Half a Century Ago The Abbot School Building, Sixth street and New York avenue, erected in 1875, ; replacing another building. . law, and whose name reminds the writer of our present well known citizen of similar designation; Edwin J. Sweet, T. H. G. Todd, Torbert & House, John P, and Thomas E. Waggaman, E. K. Wilson and Samuel R. ‘Turner. Besides Mr. Handy, A. M. Spague and Thomas E. Waggaman also had their auction rooms along here, and here were also the German American National Bank and the Second National Bank, the latter being still there. M. Eastwood, broker, was at 509. Luchs & Bro., tobacconists, were at 525, while E. E. Court, the civil engineer, was at 513. J. G. Johannes, manufacturing jeweler, was also in this cluster of stores, and it is probable he was the father of Ira Johannes, in a similar busi- ness in this city for many years, and who died a8 few years ago. At 505 Seventh street Frank M. Buckingham helped to share the profits as a confectioner with his competitor, Angelo Mosino. Sheller & Stevens, the druggists, were also in this block at one time, as were Maurice Joyce, the engraver, and F. Giovannetti & Co., fruit dealers. Even the Good Tidings and the Sun, two newspapers, were published here, and fire and life insurance was le. Opposite the Patent Office, in 1878, the fol- Jowing persons were engaged in business: A. Pelletier, who made artificial stone; Bigelow & Co., bankers; A, G. Campbell, George H. Miller and Mrs. Richard S. Smith, who did the ton- sorial work, while J. C. Parker and Milans & Wilkins supplied the public with books. This Milans, who happened to be Joseph D., was the father of Past Grand Master Joseph H. Milans, F. A. A. M, and Robert McP. and William B. Milans, in business in this city. In this block also were Charles Herbert, shoe- maker; George W. Choate, John Martin and Edward Stolpe, tobacconists; Herman Lauten, civil engineer; William W. Farr and John E. Cremen, jewelers; C. Clarence Poole, draughts- man; John Brynan and Otto Heidemann, en- gravers, and John Saul, florist. Many will recall the last named as one of the leading florists and horticulturists in the District, and one who had much to do with the planting of the trees along the streets and avenues of Washington, being a member of the Parking Commission from the time of its crea- tion and its chairman at the time of his death. His home and greenhouses were on the Piney Branch tract, until lately known as Saul’s Sub- division. The writer treasures among his ac- quaintances the friendship of John A. Saul, the son. There are other children living here, in- cl:dllng B. Francis Saul, well known in banking circles. IN a sketch of the nurseries of the District of Columbia, John A. Saul has this to say of sery, which also contained many peach, peas ness to the Spring of 1866. On April 10 of that year I purchased the residence, 621 Seventh Onmmmumeuocnmmmem H streets Daniel Ballauf had his model- making plant, and nearby were Wild's music store and the business office of F. D. Pistorio, the band leader, well known to all old-timers. Arthur P. Brown and Patrick Byrne, real estate dealers; Charles L. Moton, barber; John Bellew, bookseller; Adolphus C. Constantine, John H. Goodwin, S. P. Moses and Spear & Bro., shoe dealers; John T. Moling, tcbaconnist; Louis Baum and Charles Kattelman, jewelers; Simon Goodman, clothier, Ernest A. Knorr, Robinson & Stern and John Weideman, confectioners; Thomas J. Hart, furniture dealer; Edward E. Cohen, furs; C. N. Balderston, hardware, and Francis Germuiller, leather goods, completed the occupants of that side of the square. On the west side of the block were: Schmedtie Bros.,, jewelers; Abraham Herman, Solomon Hirsh, Louis Kaufman and Stromberg & Jacobf, clothiers; Valentine Hellmuth, confectioner; Ammon Behrend, dry goods; Pauline Samstag and Mrs. Max Weyl, fancy goods; August Ditt- rich and Benjamin Solomon, hats, caps and furs; Isaac L. Blount and Mrs. H. Rosen years ago. FeWw of the houses mentioned are now in existence, and almost an entirely new set of merchants is now doing business in this street—or elsewhere, for that matter. But TR giggigiii ;Eggia%gi ?§;E§E§s Ea 8o! gef i d] | e o Efeg waf i H E;go i gifgs 3 B