The Portland daily press., 1866-08-16
Improved PLAN for Dwelling..

We have received from Mr.. d. Wilder, of
nest of dwelling houses which looks like a
honey-comb, and for that very reason deserves
attention. 1t is well known to naturalists
and mathematician that the little busy bee
constructs his cells with wonderful economy
Of space and notwithstanding the greatest
amount of room with the least expenditure
Of wax. That is the problem which Mr..
Wilder undertakes to solve in brick and NOR
tar. He claims for the plan, 1. That on a
given area you can put more roof g That
under the same extent Of roof, you can not
only find more but better rooms than can be
had in any other way. 3. That more light,
better ventilation and more economical heat
ing can be obtained BY this plan than by any
other Mr.. Wilder says he has no pecuniary
or professional object to promote. Builders
will perhaps feel some interest in the plan.
which may be seen at this office, We copy
from an article of MIR. Wllder's, published in
in the Evening Voice, the organ of the
workin men of Boston, the following details
Of the plan: {. sasal &
fq Mr.. Fowler, some years since, proposed to
build our houses with eight rather than four
sides, in order to economist in the amount of
q exterior wall but the form and arrangement
OF the interior was not satisfactory, and not
many persons have accepted his plan thus
far. sTa1 ~ .as.doyai yBo 9ggd ~ -'lIl
b. We believe, however, that the princinle ia
susceptible of application and that great
economy can be secured by slight modifica-
ton of Mr.. Fowler's idea which will give us
eight sides, of which four are only Of two
~ 10 fha Ioxnfr y. .a1f4 Al fNIf
the apartments, which are oblong octagonaIs.
to lie diagonally to the centre, in which are
found the stairs and all the pipes and fiues for
gas, water and other purposes. The pipes and
nues are all vertical, except the mains in the
cellar, and can be reached for repairs without
disturbing the finish or furniture of the house
The four rooms on the main floor can all be
thrown together by the use of folding doors.
and the entire building can be more cheaply
constructed, and more thoroughly lighted,
warmed and ventilated than by any other plan
we have yet seen. a--s.l 4 ID
The rooms are of the same form as those in
ene most expensive houses recently built in the
convenient and better lighted
But, to secure all the advantages of this form
for single dwelling requires more room than
can ordinarily be commanded in the city, and
therefore we have proposed to groun Several
together, connecting them by wings and halls
SO that structure covering an acre of ground
may be used either as hotel or boarding
house, or divided into several tenements con.
tanning from one to ten rooms each on the
same floor, and each with an independent en-
trance from the halls of which there are three
lnGersecting the building at right angles
Lhere are also nine central open spaces, for
sSaiEs, ana four areas, or interior courtyards,
a Ts by carriage-ways from the street,
ansse areas are about forty-eight in diameter,
ana covered with glass in winter. so that the
whole territory viii be easily kent at the same
temperature. 'p' "' 'no '''i''0
The cost Of building of this character sufi-
e ch1ently extensive = accommodate 500 inmates
good location, would be at present n1;ces abor+
$50O0OO, and at less rent than is paid now for
inferior accommodation, the income won IA ba
more than ten per cent. on that sum.