Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-12-01
MA MODEL TENEMENT.
DESCRIPTION OF A Big APARTMENT
HOUSE At oREENPoiNr, L.

UOOoc ~ 0HceNfOINty L.
Material Used and Its Artistic Efect.
[ Ccnvcnlenccs and Interior Arrangement.
Bedrooms and rarIors--Lecturc Room.
Childrcn's Playground.
Among the buildings erected fer tho
purpose OF supplying comfortable, ..ccent
crate cost, that put up In Grecnpoint BY
Charles Pratt Is worth noting. 1t Is to
accommodate 116 families, and Is a six
story structure of such massive propor-
lions as to attract attention from tho
river, which IL faces. It extends 200
feet ON Franklin street, 1855 feet on India
street ard 75 feet on Java street. The
chief material used Is brown stone, brick
and terra Gotta. There are bay windows,
artistic cornices and gables so that its
effect Is not monotonous. There arc
really six separate buildings, which
would have in them when quite full
about 100 persons each.
On the Franklin street side there arc
twenty-one families. who use ono on
trance, nineteen families use second
entrance, and seventeen families third
entrance. On tho India street side
twenty-six families usc ono entrance
and twenty -one families another. On
tho Java street side eleven families use
one entrance. Each house is separate
from oil tho others. All tho halls are
freproof. The steps are heavy blue
stone slabs, inserted in brick walls. Tho
staircases are nicely proportioned low
risers, with broad steps. The turns arc
made on square platforms, with ample
light at each platform. These staircascs
arc kept heated, lighted with gas, and
cleaned without expense to the tenant.
ROOMS AND THEIR RENT.
The rents range from $3.50 to $50 per
month. For SEQ there are suites Of seven
rooms, every room with window In IL
opening on wide air space. giving two
parlors, q sitting room, two bedrooms, q
dining room, kitchen and scullery.
The scullery goes with each set Of apart
ments, and its completeness Is great
feature Of this building. It contains an
earthenware washtub, with hot and cold
water, large sink and an ash chute, in
which all refuse may be emptied, lead
ing to tn cellar. Each family has a
separate water closet, with q window in
1t opening into the scullery. Each scul-
lery Is ventilated by en- opening into q
fiue built for the purpose, leading to tho
roof. Each kitchen has range and hot
water boiler. Each tenant has separate
coal and wood bin in tho cellar, q sep
arate portion of tho yard to be used for
drying clothes, and has access to an ele-
vator which can lift 200 pounds ut q
tim
There is folding table in each living
room, and q closet to nearly every room.
Wainscoting prevents damage to walls.
There arc galvanized iron boxes on the
NxyinHnxxy ellis for p.,t,.r.
ings are secured to all the walls, md the
tenants are supplied with hooks, so that
there is no temptation to mar the walls
with nails. The rooms average 140
square feet. Each closet has shelves and
hooks enough to meet tho wants Of tho
most closet worshipihg matron.
The plumbing work Of tho building Is
vast network Of pipes. The heaviest
material in lead and iron pipe was used.
Eleven tanks, holding $4,000 gallons of
water on the roof, supply the three upper
floors, and can be used also for the three
lower floors in case the pressure is not
sufficient from tho city pipe.
CELLAR AND BASEMENT.
Tho bedrooms and parlors ore trimmed
with whito wood, filed, vanished and
rubbed. Great pains have been taken to
secure q perfectly dry cellar and base
AAcIlts lC WullS IebL Oh
gravel bottom. They arc covered with
asphalt and have q bitumen damp coursn.
In tho basement there ore commodious
bath rooms for the uso Of the tenants.
They are heated with steam, and have
marble floors and wainscoting. Tho
wood work Is polished ash.
There is q reading room, or lecture
room, on Java street for the free use Of
the tenants. 1t is lighted, heated and
supplied with tho leading newspapers
and periodicals..
The suites of four rooms rent for StS
per month. They comprise parlor, bed
room, dining room, kitchen and scullery.
Some of these four room flats are rented
as low as $3.50 per month. The three
room suites rent for from 50 to $3.50
per month.
Children are not permitted to play on
the staircases or in tho Railways, but
they have grand romping place in tho
big yard, which covers about 8, 900 square
feet Of open space. Although tho build
ings are substantially flreproof, there arc
fire escapes connecting each floor with
tho ground. Tho buildings were erected
for him, and arc now managed by q
building company. Before tho plans were
completed there was thorough study of
tho model apartment houses of London,
built by George Peabody, tho Baroness
Burdett- -Coutts, Sir Sidney Waterlow
and others, as well as later structures In
New York and Brooklyn. The aim was
to secure tho maximum OF comfort and
safety at the minimum of cost. It has
attracted q class of permanent careful
tenants. Tho building has never been
full, but it is filling up rapidly. 1t pro-
posed to give few courses Of lectures in
the reading room this winter. When tho
apartments are all filled the investment,
which is about $3.50, 900, will pay, after
meeting the expenses, about 8 per cent.
The income Of this building is an endow-
The original plan comprised tho estab-
lishment of cooperative stores similar to
tho plan Of the Rochdale stores In Eng
land, but this has not yet been developed.