New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-01
COOPEP1TTVE APARTMENT no USES.

New Workers are always deludine themselves with
the belief that they are on the eve Of getting do
cent. if not desirable, place to live at reason
able rate The fact that they bave never done so
hitherto seens to mako them all tho more confident
that they Will do so II the immediate future. The
latest plan Tor securing home at a moderate price
moderate. that u.s. for this city-was the plan of
what is called Cooperative Apartmcnt Hot ses. 1t
WAS first put forward Some three years ago, and to
read tho pamphlets then issued hy tho parties III
terested. ono would have thought the pcrplexlng
problem had been solved at last. The assertion was
made. and figures and diagrams rendered it plausi-
bic that pleasant and permanent horie might he
had for en- original outlay of about $1,000 ut cur
rent annual expenditure of FROM $3.50 to $500.
This WAS SO very attractive on its face being much
leSs than one half of hat would be the ordinary
cost that there was little trouble in finding persons
ready 10 share in the enterprise. Before it had been
COMPLETED they discovered that the estimate, as
usually happens had been far too low that they
had spent Yearly twice the amount named and
tIev have since learned that their current expenses
are three four times as great as had been anticl-
patcd. Not a little OF this latter may be due to
unforeseen contingencies and 10 the extraordinary
disbursements commonly required for a new house
during It's first and second years.
Nevertheless, 1t may be generally said that the
arLent hopes cherished and the llateriDg promises
made for cO-operativo apartments have not been
realized. Since tho beginning OF 1850 number
of co-operatiye apartmcnthouscs have been built
and many more arc building; but all OF thsm have
greatly exceeded tho cost primarily contemplated
and are likely to continue TO exceed 1t. Those
concerned in their erection very apt TO put the
figures lower than is warranted in order TO offer
sufficient inducement to persons OF moderate
,eaos anxious to secure homo of their own.
Most people after they have been fairly launched
i'm an undertaking will spend sum of money
which they would not have thought OF spending ut
the outset. For persons having cooperative apart
menis in mind it would be prudent TO double the
estimates given both of original outlay and ANNUAL
expenditute; and even then tie figures may DO
outrun.
When co operative apartments were first talked
Of they were to>bc within tho reach of tho financial
lower middle class; anybody who had SaYcd few
thousand dollars would. it was maintained. he able
70 compass one of them. This has proved 20 he faa
oious. The really cheap houses that to be
put up exist to this day only on paper; those that
were to 10 comparatively cheap became compare
lively dear. The first one or two houses bnllt not
witnstauding tho financial disappointment to their
owuefs were much less costly than any Of tleir
sucre ,snrs have been. In these no prctrnce has
been made of economy; every thing has aimed at
eXpgnse under the name of elegance, which must
be roundly paid for everywhere. particularly IN
New-York. Persons who can put $4,000 to
S25 900 or more into oil apartment, with cOnSd-
cradle sum besides for running expenses, entirely
beyond tho needs of the class who were to DO
helped by cooperative apartments. Sympathy
would be wasted On them; for they have enough
20 live comfortably here. wherv comfort in any
strict sense is reserved for folks of liberal incomes
Elaboration and extravaganza. which are the
bane Of the metropolis are, with one or two eXcep
tons conspicuous in all the operative apartment
houses that have been built and are still building
Cooperation, which ought to be prompted in the
main by views of economy. has resulted respects
domiccs ia monetary excess. For example it was
proposed moro than a year since, to erect CO.
operative apartment-house in Madis0n-ave. for
SlOU.UUU Then the amount was extended to
Si5O.OOO which was repeatedly increased
until it had reached. we understand,
1875, 900 ; thus becoming 80 expensive that nearly
all the original owners tmost of them possessed Of
modest meansl were obliged to sell out. The same
thing has happened elsewhere. Indeed. there ap-
pears to DO present prospect of tho erection Of
any cheap or reasonable houses OF this kind. What
ever may havo been the rst intention of architects
or capitalists in regard 10 economy In such struc-