New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-04
French Elafsl

| tonslVo STRUCTURES, the most important OF
| which from time to time have been noticed
taken OF the buildings in this CITY by the
officers and inspectors of the building de-
Psrtment, within the past few months,
shows total of 1873 French flat struc-
lures, Of which 1873 are of stone and
| sixty-five of brick construction. Most of
them are large and have elaborate fixtures;
many are of great heighth and cover q
number of city lots, and in the upper part
| of the city several now up and in design
| extend from street to street. These 200 fiat
buildinge, on the low average often families
per building, would give living room to
1000 families, and the opinion Of many in
the business is that those living in recog-
nized French flats would run nearer 5000
families. Had the ground area occupied
by these 200 buildings been used in the
erection Of the ordinary twenty feet pri-
vate dwellings, 500 families accommodated
would have been q liberal estimate. In cost,
taking into the calculation the number
provided with homes. the saving would fall
fifty per cent below the old plan of isolated
dwellings. Thus far, the construction
only Of this class of buildings has been
studied, while the designing has in the ma
iOrity of cases fallen to the hands of not the
best architects. But recently capitalists
and real estate men having become in
them, some of the most expert architects of
the city have studied them. The insurance
companies have taken up the subject, hav-
ing authorized the president of the board
of fire underwriters to spend several hun
dred dollars in procuring plans of flat struc-
lures from Paris. In many parts of the
city it has been found profitable to change
into apartment houses. The KnickerbOcker,
corner of Fourteenth street and Fifth ave-
nue., and the Haight House, corner of FIT
teenth street and Fifth avenue, are cases in
point.
At the northwest corner of Fifty first
street and Sixth avenue q new apartment
house has just been completed, owned by
Mr. Kerr, and designed by 5. D. Hatch,
architect. 1t is to be called the Alexandra,
and has q frontage of eighty-seven feet on
Sixth avenue, running back 100 feet. The
main entrance is at the centre of the Sixth
avenue front, and leads into q hall eight
feet wide. The first floor has several
stores to the front, but also accommodates
two foil flats. The janitor's rooms are
partly on this floor and also below
in the basement. The second, third and
sets of apartments. The main staircase
extends in double tier through the centre
of the block. There are also three series
of private stairs, and three dumb walters,
each extending from the basement to the
top story. The fifth floor has two suits OF
apartments toward the Sixth avenue front,
the remainder being devoted to servants
rooms, while large drying-roOm is fitted
up Immediately below the roof. The cor
nice is seventy feet above the curb line,
and, beside the stores nineteen families
may tiud suites in the building. The con-
strucliun is in light sandstone and brick,
but in plan and general arrangement the
latter works Of Mr.. Hatch are much su-
perior.
In Twenty fifth street, near Eighth
avenue, w. Field g. Son, architecte, are
erecting for j. S. j. Hammesley French
fat house of q smaller class 1t will have
a front Of fifty feet and extend back ninety
four feet six inches. There will be five
stories and no stores. On each floor will be
two complete suites of apartments. The
front will be of brown stone, and interior
in hard wood. The kitchens in each suite
are thrown back into small extension,
completely cutting off all nuisance and al
lowing q more extensive direct light into
the dining-rooms In accordance with the
usual idea of French fiat owners that there
is much in q name. this new building will
be known as the ''Tenterden.'
General Daniel Buttertield, who has per
haps more 80 than any other New Yorker
studied the subject of apartment houses, is
very enthusiastic in their praise. Hesuper-
vised the erection of the Albany, of which
he is part owner, and at present is eng aged
in pushing forward the erection Of the new
be called THE Rockingham" Il will have
nothing to do with French flats" said
General Butterted the other day, land
am getting a club made to lay on any body
who speaks OF them to me. The proper
term is apartment hotel. We have looked
to France and Paris for models in this
economical and agreeable style of living,
but it is not peculiarly French. Edinburg
has them as we know them. Every Euro
pean CITY on the continent is full OF them.
1t is rare. indeed, that you lind family there
living in what we would term a private
house. If we can take so much Of the for
eign system as suits our style and mode of
life, our habits and customs, and give to it
such amendments as our American archl-
tects could suggest, the result would be a
style of dwelling unsurpassed. Ii is not easy
to study the best class Of this style OF house
in Paris. A Frenchman could not seem to
understand that you would inspect merely
to carry out improvement. request for
permission to make such examination would
be met by surprised 'POurIuOi, Monsieur
which no amount of explanation could re-
move. They are substantially built but do
not include those many devices for avoiding
| the employment or use OF extra service which
our apartment houses 80 invariably contain.
Servant hire is cheap and the ability OF the
dUmestics first class, while here it is quite
| the reverse, and the residence in suite
Of apartments permits the reduction of the
servants to very minimum. There are TO-
| day many of the best citizens of our city
residing in this way, judges, merchants,
| bankers and others who might without in
convenience maintain separate establish.
ments of their own, but seek the ease and
| quiet of apartment life. l think the next
| this iclass of buildings. Below Fifty ninth
street the available plots are all taken up
with very few exceptions. But along the
| Grand boulevard this will be the exclusive
| investment. 1t is the only way in which
| capitalists can get return for thelI
| outlay, q sure return and perma
| nent one. Care must be taken in this
| as IN ordinary hotel owning, to maintain
| the character of the house. Upon this con
slider, in great measure individual success
| or failure will depend, and this care mus,
| be maintained steadily, and then in a fairly
| good situation there need be no fear of any
| disbursement Here up at the ALBANY,
above Fifti.th street, by the aid of the ele
waited railroad gentlemen having apart
| ments find it possible to run home to lunch
and are doing it, q thing they never dreamed
| OF doing before. With rapid transit and
| apartment hotels New York island can and
will accommodate all her business people
and no one need be driven to Brooklyn te
sleep or to suburban villas, when all the
luxury, culture and comfort Of great city
| can be secured at moderate cost. We hav'
not yet begun to see the extent OF the apart
| ment house system. The dwellings on thu
avenues, when taken down or altered into
business houses, will not be replaced by
similar structures up town, but those wht
leave them will find accommodation il
apartments. Ground will be too VALUABLE