, 1875-12-12
The National Board Of Underwriters
On French Flats. !.
Sales n the Week Not OF an Exciting
Character.
Ths Loan Market Shows Diminutlon
of Business.
Comparison of Prices Of Real Estate IN
New York and Chicago.
Building Associations.

e,uAr :mEY xnx, AND WHAT THxY OUGHT TO nE-
spe,st Correspondence Of 7Hz Chicago Tribune.
Nrv YoKx. Dec 9-Howe7er it may be IN
cr,saeo. we in New York feel more keeny every
iay the need Of soma cheaper syaten Of dwell
ine-houses The absurd American plan OF occu-
prsna 4 four-szory house like french DuRe,
makes marriage for ordinary people well n'sn
1npoesihle. This need is being last suppneo'
Flats have become fashionable they 81e gothe
an in eTsry direction, end in the upper part OF
the city there sre several enormous houses OF
fats almost as big az ore Of your largest busl-
oesa blocks. In the handsomast Of them people
IRE glad to nav more than the rent OF hano-
some house close to Fifth avenue, ana 1ne iAno.
lords are very willing to take IT, In the oes' .,
our fats there aro 50 many 1nconSenenees snu
aanpars- that the National Board Of onoes.
writer's invited their President TO 1nspeo'
the construction OF apartment-noases
In Psris. he has just retuoed "hn
4 series Of drawings by Ii. Felix Langla1s' when
exhjt,it the leading features OF tbs Two grea@
r1,sses Of roal French fats. These two classes
include buildings devoted entirely to dwellings,,
md buildings where the ground floor is occupied
bv shops, the great majority Of the French
.parts.ent-houscs coming under the latter head.
TIE FRENCH FLAT PROPER,
n thu e.timation OF the average American land
owner, takes up little too much real estase'
and vet Mr. Langlais shows that it can be con-
geuieutly constructed On lot 50 feet front oy
100 feet back. When one conslda1s that On snis
,naee from four to five families can hse, the
Vronnd floor meanwhile rented Is shops, 1t does
not seem ss though to make it \ paying invest
toent it was necessary to contract them until
they become mere tenement houses, losing all
tho convenience, comfort, and elegance which
ee have been led to expect in the
French fists. The only entrance to these
hot,ses ts q porfe cochere as the French call it.
TINS coos,sts OF large double door, which
leads under m archwar Bon1e 25 feet deep luto
court tound which tho houae is built. ibis
court gives to each room the heneht o. dayARn1
doing away with that drawback found IN the
best OF
THE NEW YORK FLATS,
that of dark bedrooms. In the cellar each
apartment has cave for its own private we;
sboye stairs, il the floor Is not occupied by
shops, it is divided INTO stables and coachmens =
rooms- This arrangement admits OF one or t"o
families keeping their own horses: Inc con-
eseyqe occupies the rocms, two or three in num-
ber, 1t the right OF the general entrance, and
here . man or woman ia constantly in charge to
give information to visitors, OF Keep
out Questionable characters. Opposite TINS
apartment is the vost1bule leading to the
family stairs-those for the servants being much
smaller and lead1ng up from the back OF the
court The larse we'll hole round which the
staircase winds admits Of
1.-THE 4z:TRoDCcT1os or Az ELEVATOR
for luxurious Americans. Such thing. how
ever. il pevs1 seen in Paris. The ontersol, OR
firstlandiug, is generally very low, and cut up
into auattments of two or three rooms, which
are rented and connect with the stores below,
only one OF them opening into the private hall
way. These low rooms, however, make very
unique and pretty apartments. and are faEorita
bachelor chambers. On the second landing,
which the French call the premiere Stage, or first
floor, commence the fats proper, and they are
nj alike up to the top of the house, With the ex-
eeption Of the attic4 Which is appropriated for
eeryauts' roorus The door which is found on
each landing, and which II really the front
door to private dwelling, leads
from the generAl stairway to private
yaeabu1e, or ante s-chambez. the doors opposite
opening into the salon, on either side Of which
are chambers opening with fold1ng-doors, If
deaired. Behind tho salon and opaninR into the
ante-chamber is the dining room the kitchen is
ut the far end of the corridor. This compals
everything to be brought good distances TO the
dining room. but it does away with that dis
agreeable odor Of cooking which IS the horror
Of au good housekeepeEs- The bathroom Ia
near the kitchen, and there are bedrooms cn the
opposite side Of the court accessible by = small
corridor. When I few OF these houses have
hoen constructed the present system Of build
ing French fats here viii come to N end.
MrsT;