The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-23
HOMES FOR BACHELORS.
What II Costs to well Within the Pre-
circts That Are Consecreted to Mems
Use Alone

peara ce of a private dwelling, and yet it
is TOO big, and then it would be a strange
place for the children If those who would
evidently be opulent people" There are
no Children there" was the answer; that
is what is known as a bachelors apartment
building"
TIE short dialogue of the two gentlemen
was heard on the east side Of Broadway,
and the subject of their remarks raised its
stately crest right opposite, at the corner of
Thirty. third street IL is as full as it can
hold OF bachelors, or at least Of men who
have neither wife nor childrel living with
them. Indeed. 1t would DO an excellen,
place for man who was wealthy enough
10 live part OF his dual life and felt inclined
that way.
The bachelor building idea will strike the
great ma jority of people as novel, and yet
it is not quite SO; at least, it is ten years
old. As the country advances in poDula-
ton, wealth and civilization, cla,s Of peo-
pie is evol ved from its refinement which
does not Ike women and detests children.
They desire to be quiet and selfish, and if
they are able TO pay for indulgence in Tia $50
injuries they do so with a heart and a
ualf. The idea, however, was not born in
America; 1t was imported from Paris, lie
some of our clothes. some of our c ture,
and quite a number of other entities, good,
bad or indifferent. Nevertheless, though
it did not obtain to any
extent in New York until
recently, but is growing quite popular,
judging from the number of bachelors
buildings lately constructed and now going
up, all Of them tilled as soon as completed
and paying lnrge dividends to the individ-
uals or corporations who are fortunate
enough to own them. And yet somehow
or other, their agents or lawyers do not
care about advertising them or
speaking about them to newspaper
men. Perhaps they are filed without
advertising, or it may be they are too
sacred to be spoken of lightly. Whether
this be so or not, the agents and ma ayers
were busy when the reporter asked for in
formation concerning them. and told him
to call again another day.
Mrs. S. G. Leland, M. So West Thirty
fourth street, is not one of them. This lady
is agent for the Alpine Bachelors building
above referred TO, erected by Mr.. McAlpne,
and called after himself with the Mac LETT
off, and whether it is because she is natur-
ally polite, or does not see anything strange
III gentlemen OF means and education living
socially together without the charm of a
petticoat to vary what seems from the out
side to be monotonous in the extreme she
spoke quite frankly on the subject.
81 don't pretend to know much about
bachelors buildings in general she said,
but do know something about the one |
manage in particular, you must understand.
1t is very large, as you NAV have seen, and
is divided up into suites of apartments, each
co tanning three rooms. A suite of apart
ments rents at fir IN $50 TO $50 week with
OUT being furnished. The tenant furnlshe,
for himself if he likes, and it must be
assumed he generally does There is
bath tached to every suite, but if
people prefer to divide a suite of four rooms
between them, each person taking two,
they must ho content W til a bathroom in
common. There are places of tn nature
where gentleman can rent apartments for
10 than 800 a week. indeed, | believe for
500 year, and many of them, too but
they are not in Commencement locations.
There are so places on Fifth avenue where
the REM is higher"
1t need hardly be said that the bachelors
are wealthy. II not, they have no bus
ness in such apartments, all of which are
elegantly furnished, many Of them with ex-
quislte tas q, and not a few at great cost.
It is astonishing now much money a man
can throw into three rooms in the way of
sculpture, paintings, valuable books and
bri a-brac. 1t Is said the famous "West
Wind" statue, at present owned by Mrs.
Barnes, widow of the late Demas Barnes.
is going to be III to one or tue bacns.DIs
for $65, 900. Each tenant furnish 5 t. his
taste. aud in one hou there may be-and
in fact, is-a great diversity in STYLE from
the somber antique to the fautA It C color
ing and shaping of Oscar Wilde. AS
matt r OF course, theproprietors get up the
house itself aud its permanent fixtures re-
gardlass Of cost. All the latest improve
ments are there, and all the iumphs of
modern civilization In the way Of maxi 9
the interior not ly comfortable, but
pleasurable. Each room can have a
temperature of its own, which
can be raised or lowered at the
touch of a button. Then there is no COOK
ing in the house, absolutely none, for, if the
bachelor, crusty or otherwise, hates any
thi & i the world from the bottom of his
heart more than another it Is cooking, its
SMELLS the con >ciousnesS that it is lrrlel on
bene 1th him. even down III the kitchen He
dimes abb adj but he sleeps at home, NTH
his boots on f he pleaSes, without tle fear
Of woman folk to chide him. and tell i'm
he is destroying the sofa.
The tenants of e Of those houses, purely
bachelor, of which the Alpine is a type,
come from all pr LESSONS aud avocaJio S
but are confined TO one class, the rich
often the very rich, for ma Y of them are
millionaires. They are lawyer bakers
brokers' big commercial men, few recire /
naval officers, actors-not loSe generally
seen sailing on tue Rlalto though So 10 of
these may get therein ii g men who want
to be rid of domestcity, as the word is
commonly acce ted smoke their pipes in
peace, lock the nselves in or keep open
house. The managers of the concsrl
furnish the help, who are trained TO make
as little no Sc as possible, and leave as
quietly as they came
The San Carlo is not going to be as exclu-
siveiy mascuh an affair rs the Alpine. A
man may have his wife there, but no grown
up Iugnter, a I'd it has not yet beea decided
whether or no the piano saall be fouAd
there. 1t is not permitted in places OF a
similar nature in other paris of ne city.
The Bene1ek, No 70 East Washington
place, is the ldest bacnelor place il tue
city. 1t is quieter aud more seclud and
attracts queer people, people with nerves.
En- ering the Benedek is curiolsly
ST uck II n the Sky or seventy bright
things Ii . b giles ns sses iniug in the
janitor's room, which. of course, are s)eak-
ing tubes, all in a row. Next door
to the Benedek is the Asbury NJ. E.
| church, and ON the other side # us c urch,
round the corner, at No - North Washing
ton place, is the Browning, lister estabiis -
ment TO the Benedek. Gentle del aud their
| wives can have suites of rooms here: buL no
chldre thank you. II is as comfortable an
IS .ablishment as can be fou I'd III New u rS
1t is there that Juhad Ha wthorne Il d
George Parsons Lathrop lived and wrote
a d. for that matter, they may live there
still.
The tendency of American civilization is
evidently toward selfish conf rt and well