Morris tribune., 1889-08-14
A MODEL TENEMENT.
DESCRIPTION OF A BIG APARTMENT
HOUSE AT eREENPolNT, /. !. d

Conveniences and Interior Arrangement.
bedrooms and Parlors-Lecture Room.
Childrcn's Playground.
Among tho buildings erected for the
purpose of supplying comfortable, decent
and economical dwellings at a very mod
crate cost, that put up in Greenpoint by
Charles Pratt is worth noting. 1t is to
accommodate 116 families, and Is a six
story structure of such massive proper
tons as to attract attention from the
river, which it faces. 1t extends 200
feet on Franklin street, 1876 feet on India
street and rs 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 are
really six separate buildings, which
would have in them when quite full
about 100 persons each.
On the Franklin street side there are
twenty-one families, who use one en-
trance, nineteen families use q second
entrance, and seventeen families third
entrance. On the India street side
twenty-six families use one entrance
and twenty-one families another. On
the Java street side eleven families use
one entrance. Each house is separate
from all the others. All the halls arc
fireproof. The steps are heavy blue
stone slabs. inserted in brick walls: The
staircases are nicely proportioncd low
risers, with broad steps, The turns are
made on square platforms, with ample
light at each platform. These staircases
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 $50 there are suites of seven
rooms every room with window in it
opening on a wide air space, giving two
parlors, IL sitting room, two bedrooms,
dining room, q kitchen and scullery.
The scullery goes with each set of apart
ments, and its completeness is great
feature of this building. 1t contains an
earthenware washtub, with hot and cold
water, Il large sink and an ash chute, in
which all refuse may be cmptied, lead
ing to the collar. Each family has a
separate water closet. with window in
it opening into the scullery. Each SOUL
/ lery is ventilated by an opening into a
! flue built for the purpose, leading to the
roof. Each kitchen has a range and hot
water boiler. Each tenant has a separate
coal and wood bin in the cellar, u sep
arate portion of the yard to be used for
drying clothes, and has access to an ele-
vator which can lift 200 pounds at
time
There is folding table in each living
room, and closet to nearly every room.
Wainscoting prevents damage to walls.
There are galvanized iron boxes on the
window sills for flowers. Picture mold
ings are secured to all the walls, and the
tenants are supplied with hooks, so that
there is no temptation to mar the walls
with nails. The rooms average 14O
square feet. Each closet has shelves and
hooks enough to meet the wants of the
most closet worshiping matron.
The plumbing work of the building is
a 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 the city pipe.
CELLAR AND BASEMENT.
The bedrooms and parlors are trimmed
with white wood, filed, vanished and
rubbed. Great pains have been taken to
secure a perfectly dry cellar and base
ment. The foundation walls rest on a dry
gravel bottom. They are covered with
asphalt and have bitumen damp course.
| In the basement there are commodious
bath rooms for the use of the tenants.
They are heated with steam, and have
marble floors and wainscoting. The
wood work is polished ash.
There is a reading room, or lecture
room, on Java street for the free use of
the tenants 1t is lighted, heated and
supplied with the leading newspapers
and periodicals..
The suites of four rooms rent for S1S
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 the Railways, but
they have grand rOmping place in the
feet of open space. Although the build
ings are substantially tireproof, there are
fire escapes connecting each floor with
the ground. The buildings were erected
for him, and are now managed by a
building company. Before the plans were
completed there was thorough studyOf
the model apartment houses of London,
built by George Peabody, the Baroness
Burdett- Coutts, Sir Sidney Waterlow
and others, as well as later structures in
New York and Brooklyn. The aim was
to secure the maximum of comfort and
safety at the minimum of cost. 1t has
attracted class of permanent careful
tenants. The building has never been
full, but it is filling up rapidly. It is pro-
posed to give a few courses of lectures in
the reading room this winter. When the
apartments are all filled the investment,
which is about $3.50, 900, will pay, after
meeting the expenses, about 5 per cent
ment by Mr.. Pratt of the Pratt Institute.
The original plan comprised the estab~
lishment of cooperative stores similar to
the plan of the Rochdale stores in Eng
land, but this has not yet been developed.
| New York Sun.