The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
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INDIANAPOLIS HOUSES.

The stranger In Indianapolis ID sure 10 Do
impressed favorably with the general appear
ance of the city, its wide streets, its shade
trees, its pretty door-yards, and, above all,
the home-like attractions of its residences.
Should he extend his explorations beyond the
casual outer view, some of these pleasing i'm
pressions vanish. When the stranger under
takes to rent house in which to set up his
own domestic gods he meets with disappoint-
ment Having in mind certain conyenlences
which life in other cities has led him to re-
gard as indispensable, he looks for these mod
ern improvements in those outwardly attract
i've dwellings,. It is vain search. He finds
in ninety-nine houses out of hundred no
furnace, no bathroom, no water pipes, few, II
any, closets If, in the hundredth one these ac-
commandments of civilization do exist, price is
put upon them. Only a man of wealth can
furnace attachments, and as the would-be
tenant is usually man of moderate means,
he looks else where for accommodation. What
he finds in the ninety-nine are box-like rooms,
with trap-door entrances, and stairways so
steep and narrow that life is risked upon them
daily After the primitive fashion of the
early settlers, the staff of life, water, is drawn
from we'll, which is apt to be found around
the corner. Upon taking up his abode in
one of these structures, the tenant discovers
other peculiarities. The unseasoned wood
work shrinks, windows and doors
rattle, and winter winds whistle at
pleasure through the crevices. For one-half
the year the unhappy occupant is engaged in
a struggle to keep out the weather and the
other half to Keep out the dust. If rental
value were fixed in accordance with this
inconvenient state of affairs, the annoyances
could be accepted with some cheerfulness,
but, as a rule, the rents demanded are in
inverse ratio to the accommodation furnished.
Rents in indianapolis on the class of property
referred to are too high, for the reason that
the tenant does not get the conveniences he
has right to expect, and that he could get
for the same money in other cities. Doubt
less the advantage of living in this city counts
for something, and the privilege of setting
under ones own vine and apple tree may be
regarded by landlords as offset for def
ciencies elsewhere; but so far as the latter
view is concerned, few tenants will be found
to accept it. For large part of the year
backyard has few charms, and these would be
willingly exchanged by the possessors for
more attractions in the interior of the resi-
dence. There is no reason, however, why
residents should not enjoy the semi-rural
pleasures, which constitute SO interesting a
feature of Indianapolis life. and at the same
time have the modern conveniences within
their dwellings The city has outgrown the
village stage, and tenants have become dis
satisfied with primitive modes of life, and
will in future be more exacting Capitalists
who invest in property of this
sort, always profitable here, will
be compelled to give more personal attention
to the houses they build. When renters
refuse to regard a residence as desirable
merely because its outer walls are painted
with the colors of crazy quilt the owner
will find it expedient to require more of his
contractor in the way of interior finish.
Houses should be built to live in, not merely
to rent This fact has been discovered and
acted upon in cities even smaller than Indian
apolis, but here the lesson is slowly learned.
If the long-prayed-for boom comes to US in
the merry Maytime, as so many confding
souls fondly hope, sudden increasein the pop
ulation must, of course, be an accompani-
ment. Much building must necessarily fol-
low, since there is no long array of vacant
houses, even of the barn-like sort. It will be
an excellent time for architects and builders
to take new departure in the matter of
style, and to remember that the lessee of
house and lot must spend the greater part of
his time inside the building Whether the
boom comes or not there is steady demand
for houses of the better class, and the builder
is wise in his generation who meets it.