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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1908)
8 HANDSOME AND COMFORTABLE HOMES LIKE Xp& izry- 3vy - . . -v 1 -c- 7s : - iWW ' fi N' ; wIT -ml- Gi5E:r , - .i iffrHil j'- 4 !4 5 33 " 4 ovte:2Tcit I i m xl" - f-; yw -i. its. - HOUSES TOO FEW TO MEET DEMAND Heavy Building Movement Is Even Exceeded by Growth of Population. BUSINESS BLOCKS Rental Situation, as Well as Realty Market and Construction Activ ity, Reflects Prosperous Condition of Portland. In spit of the heavy movement In residence construction that has been a feature of Portland's progress for sev eral years past, there are very few vacant houses In the city at the pres ent time. So remarkable has been the building- movement ' In the residence districts that from time to time the more conservative cltlsens have ex . pressed fear that the supply would soon exceed the demand. That such fears were groundless Is made evident by a few minutes' talk with any agent who deals in rentals or by a trip of inspec tion In any direction from the center of the city. During; the Bummer a considerable number of houses were vacated, as is always the case at that season of the year. With the aprroach of Fall, how ever, the Influx of families has been unusually heavy and rental agrents are at their wits' end to supply the de mand made upon them. There arer practically no West Side dwellings to be rented and when one tenant leaves another usually moves In within 24 hours. On the East Side the situation is about the same, showing- not only that there is need for all the houses built but that . the construction move ment must continue to be heavy in order to meet the needs of the increas ing population. Good Houses in Demand. "There are some flats on the market but good houses are at a premium." said Donald G. Woodward, who doals exclusively in rentals. "It is remark able how rapidly dwellings on both sides of the river fill up as soon as vacated. The number of people com ing to the city this Fall is larger than ever before. Some of them are families returning-from spending the Summer at the beaches or In the country, but a great many new residents are arriving from all sections of the country to make this city their permanent home. "A feature that is especially notice able is the large percentage of people who are seeking houses of high-class and willing to pay a good figure for them. There was a period during the panic that the call was for cheap places but now people are asking for the best and everyone seems to have money." The situation In regard to business ' buildings is practically the same as with residences. Dozens of large of fice and business buildings have been completed within the past two years and yet today vacant rooms suitable for the use of either retail or whole sale firms are practically unknown. Just as fast as new skyscrapers have been completed they have been occu pied from top floor to basement. Old Buildings Also Full. Nor has this been done at the ex pense of the older structures. In cases where tenants have left the older buildings for the new, their former quarters have been promptly engaged. It is therefore pointed out that the rental situation shows conclusively the rapid growth of business in Port land at a time when many cldea are experiencing a slump ' and have many vacant rooms in their busi ness districts. "There is actually a pressing need of more rooms for stores, despite the mll l.cns of dollars that have been put Into this class of buildings within the last two years." said a prominent rental agent yesterday. "Tenants could easily be found for such structures, even though they were not on the principal business streets. Ground floor rooms on Yamhill. Taylor and Third streets, as far south as the City Hail, can be rented at almost a moment's notice, and It is not diffi cult to And tenants for the upper floors. "In some Instances owners have shown a tendency to seek unreasonable returns on their investments. Such a policy is against the best interests of the city, and I have known cases where prospective .business men bave been kept from locat . lng here, because owners wanted too high returns on the only available rooms. As It -la, Portland property is yielding good revenue at the recognized standard of rentals." Look for Active Fall. Realty men are predicting heavy trad ing for the Fall months and base their prophecies on the brisk Summer busl ' cess. The recorded transfers bear out Che statement that the business of July if 9 I igp OH , and August was unusually heavy for that season of the year. The trading is con tinuing during September, and is showing signs of the usual Impetus that comes at this season. "I am pleased to find conditions partic ularly good," said Percy Blyth. of the firm of Russell & Blyth, who last week returned from a trip bt several months abroad. "Demand is heavy here for both residence and building property and there is every Indication of a busy Fall and Winter." Pay $38,000 for Lots. Transfers of residence prorperty have been numerous all Summer and seem to be on the Increase. An Important sale of this kind was reported yesterday, F. L. Shull and M. W. Hunt purchasing ten lots along Overton street west of Twenty-fifth. The consideration was J38.000, and the property was bought from sev eral different owners. The buyers have acquired enough property to assure the opening of Overton street through to the Cornell road, a distance of two double blocks. It Is their intention to do this Immediately. They will then build resi dences for themselves and put the other lots on the market. They Intend to macadamize this section of Overton street, which lies in a fine residence neighborhood. On the down-town buildings now under way construction is being rushed during the good weather. Excavation started yesterday for the T. B. Wilcox annex to the Imperial Hotel at the southeast cor ner of Seventh and Stark streets. It was announced yesterday by C K, Henry, agent for Mr. Wilcox, that the building will be nine stories in height, instead of eight, as was at first Intended. It will be constructed of reinforced concrete and will be completed within from eight to ten months. NEW CHURCHES NEARLY READY Congregations on East Side ' Have Handsome Homes. Will Rev. J. F. Ghormley, pastor of the Central Christian Church. East Twenty first and East Salmon streets, has an nounced that the cornerstone of that edi fice will be laid with appropriate cere mony about the middle of October. The concrete work on the foundation Is fin ished and the stone portion is being com pleted to the top of the basement. The cost of the building will be J40.000. On the handsome stone edifice of the Methodist Church South, .Union avenue and Multnomah street, good progress is also being made. The stone walls have all been built and work is now In progress on the tower. Heavy timbers have been assembled for the interior work. It Is estimated that the cost of this church will be fully $60,000 and it may run up to 175, 000. It will hardly be completed before the first of the year. The addition to the Westminster Pres byterian Church, East Tenth and Weidler streets. Is being finished. It adjoins the main edifice on the south side and har monizes well with the latter. It will be used as a Sunday school room. The cost will be about fl'wO. Foundation for the west wing of the Homeopathic Hospital on East Second street. Holladay Addition, has been com pleted, and work on the main structure will start next week. This wing will cost Jl-5,000. East Side Lot Brings $8500. E. J. Daly reports the sale of an L ehaped lot, 60x100, and 25x100, at the southeast corner of Williams avenue and Sellwood street. The consideration is In the neighborhood of 18500. The property was owned by A. Schneider. The name of the purchaser will be given in a few days. t Mr. Daly and his associates have just refused $75,000 for the 100x100 southwest corner Sixth and Johnson streets. Property near the Union De pot has-tajien a perceptible advance since the recent fires in that section. THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 13, 1908. y . ; y, . .; . A 45 beach LT CONTRACT THIS WEEK " , " - ? ?- JJ LOMBARD BUILDING TO RISE Jht : ' " l" 7:", ca' LX" k six stories. ' , I I"1! Reinforced Concrete Will Be Used "! ; 1 I I! I ilTl l - and Provision Will Be -Made II s if - ; lor Additional Floors. FAVORS PIPE OF CONCRETE ENGINEER DISCUSSES SECOND BULL RUN LINE. W.. A. Grondahl Declares Material Would Cost Less and Give Long er Service Than. Steel. The use of reinforced concrete for the second Bull Run pipeline Is being advo cated by W. A. Grondahl, a Portland engineer. At the test meeting of the United East Slds Push Clubs he spoke upon the subject by invitation and made the following remarks: When I called attention to reinforced concrete dIdb. and sajeffested the use of such for the Bull Run conduit, it was pri marily with ths object of having uch con struction thoroughly considered and In vestigated before final decision on what material to adopt be made. There can be no doubt but that reinforced concrete, if at all practicable, would give as nearly absolute permanency to the con duit as possible; and when. In addition to this, the cost of such conduit would be less than any other . with the exception of wooden pipe, the consideration of its adop tion will ba of the greatest importance. As to the strength of such conduit It lies absolutely with the designer to make It of any desired strength; and right here Is the main advantage of the reinforced concrete pipe if on one foot of pipe you want to provide for 1000 pounds pressure, you put In steel to care for It; If on an other foot you need only strength to over come 100 pounds pressure, only steel enough for such pressure goes In. All of which Is done simply by varying the spacing- of the reinforcement rings. We all know that the strength of any structure Is measured by Its weakest point, and reinforced concrete is the only combination of materials which can be used In such a manner as to give absolutely equal factors of strength throughout the whole length, of the line. The internal strains to be taken care of by this pipeline vary as the pipeline -goes down Into the ravines and over the hills, and is measured on the profile by the dis tance between the hydraulic grade line and Uie pipe. As aa illustration, we wlU sup THESE ARE BEING BUILT IN II ' ' l 1 jr -y - m - - xvwiD. jyrurre, ixt.tjbotz xylite: j&jea7? pose that at the summit of Kellys Butte the pipeline is up to the grade line, and thus having no Internal pressure, and at the Section Line road, before turning up to reservoir No. 1, the pipe Is 200 below the grade line, having 8tf pounds pressure per square Inch. A steel pipe would be made of even thick ness throughout this distance, while the reinforcement in the concrete pipe might De varied with every foot a six-loot aiaro eter pipe which would carry the total flow or Bull Hun and which would be ample to furnish water for a Portland of twice its present size would have about one-half thickness and weigh approximately 400 pounds per foot. A concrete pipe would have on this stretch an average of about 150 pounds of reinforcement and one-half cubic yard of concrete. The former -would cost flo per foot, the latter $12.50. In the United States concrete has not yet been used very extensively for con duits under high pressures, but the only point on which there can be any question as to its absolute superiority over other ma terials is on the permeability. Care In se lecting the aggregates entering Into the composition of the concrete and the fineness of the cement used are vital factors as well as thorough mixing and placing of tne concrete. Tests on concrete pipes bave almost Invariably shown more or less leak age, but It has also been found that what ever leaks there have been at first bave all gradually closed, up automatically except such as are clearly traceable to faulty con struction. Different compounds and patent processes are In existence aiming at absolutely Im pervious concrete. Some experiments to de termine on such could be made to ad vantage by the city. This is not the place to go Into any of the details of constructions, but there Is no doubt in my mind, however, that the conduit should be built over stationary steel forms In Sections of COO feet or more In length, such sections being separated by short spaces, say six or eight feet, which after forms were removed would be filled In. However, these matters must be left to the engineer, on the competency of whom the success of this undertaking will depend. In summing up, I would only add that if concrete is used as the primary substance for the building of this pipeline, a purer water supply will be given the city; the money expended will be retained at home to a much greater degree due to the fact that a larger percentage of the material and labor could be procured locally; that aa equal volume could be delivered at less money or a greater volume for the same money. As to the life of the two there is no comparison. If the city of Portland builds for the future, conserving the en ergies of the present, having as its ob ject pure, wholesome water, it will at least uorougnijr investigate reuuorcsa ewenw as the means of conducting the crystal waters from the distant hills into the city through conduits of reinforced concrete. TO ADDRESS REALTY BOARD Lawyer Will Discuss Legal Phase of Street Improvement, "Legal Aspect of Street Improvements" will be the subject of an address before the Portland Realty Board next Tuesday night by Harold W. Sawyer. The ad dress will be delivered In the assembly- room of the Commercial Club, and will follow the regular business session of the board, which will, begin at 8 o'clock. Mr. Sawyer is a lawyer who has re cently come to Portland from New Tork, and has made a study of street improve ments and their manner of initiation in various cities. He has been Invited to address the board on this subject in view of the proposed changes. In the Portland charter. It is believed by the realty deal ers that the topic is one of general Inter est, and for this reason the public has been invited to attend the meeting. Good Fishing at Newport. Advice has just been received that silverslde and Chinook salmon are being caught on trolls In Taqulna Bay. - Prescriptions filled at Eyssell's. California Bungalow 1 4fto , Original la design. Perfection in arch. Itecture. The CaJifornia Bungalow if the Ideal home suited to all climatic conditions, send ten rents in stamps for oar booklet, showing some at the most lamoo bungalows In California. California Bungalow Plan Co. 404-ft-i Fay Building Lo Angele CaL EVERY SECTION Contracts will be let next Tuesday for the business block that is to tbe erected by Gay Lombard at the northwest corner of Fifth and Stark streets. This struc ture Is to be six stories In height and will be the third modern reinforced con crete business block to be erected In Portland, the others being the eight-story Couch building and the 11-story Board of Trade building. It Is planned even tually to carry the Lombard building up to ten stories, and provision for the ad ditional four stories will be made in the original construction. The Lombard building Is planned to cost llBO.OOu, and it will probably be completed by April 1 next and perhaps by March 1. The specifications were PACIFIC IRON WORKS O. E. Heintz, Kanager. Phone East 57, Home B 1157. CASTINGS OF ALL KINDS, STEEL BUILDINGS AND BRIDGES IN STOCK 3 to 24-Inch Beams. 4 to 15-Inch Channel. lVaxlVa to 8x8-Inch Angle East End Burnside-Street Bridge, DAVIS & DRENNEN 406-408 East Biirnside Street. Gas and Electric Lighting Fixtures Sold direct from manufacturer to the consumer the highest quality at the lowest prices. Do not fail to get our prices. Fixtures Built to Suit the Home B.' E. DAVIS Phone B2151, East 591. H. T. DRENNEN OF PORTLAND prepared by D. C. Lewis, who was also the architect for the Couch and Board of Trade buildings. The retaining walls are now in and most of the footings have been installed. Work on the superstruc ture will be rushed as soon as the con tracts are let. There will be 160 'offices in this build ing, 30 to each story, the ground floor being devoted to stores. Tt is planned to have the offices on the two upper floors especially adapted to the use of doctors and dentists, while the second, third and fourth floors will be given over to gen eral office purposes. One of the rooms on the ground floor will be occupied by a bank. The basement will be one of the deepest In the city, being 11 feet In the clear. It will have an entrance from the street and will be arranged for uce as a rath skeller. There will be entrances on both Fifth and Stark streets, and two high speed elevators, with provision for a third to be installed later.. The building will be faced with brick and cement finish, and in appearance will closely resemble the Board of Trade block. Lecture on Flreprooof Construction. "Fireproof Construction" w!!! be the subject of a lecture to be delivered Tues day night. September 22. at the Commer cial Club auditorium by John B. Leon ard, of San Francisco. The lecture will be given under the Joint auspices of the Portland Architectural Club and Tortland Realty Board. Builders' Information We have made a life-time study of the lighting and fixture business, so are better qualified to do this work for you than most firms. Wo find now a number of people very much disappointed on ac count of the lighting effect in their houses which was all caused by poor or little knowledge of the business. , . We are certain we can bo of assistance to you in solving the lighting question. Before placing order see M. J. WALSH CO. Electric and Gas Work In AH Ita Branches Prompt ly Attended to. Ring on Either Phone. 811 STARK. BET. FIFTH AXD SIXTH. Portland, Oregon.
