The sun., 1890-01-05
NO MORE RI0 FLATS.
The Building OF Them Has stopped for
Reasons which builders KROw.

Reasons which BuIIders KRow.
Big fiat houses do not pay well. II is some
years since big fiat house tho size OF tho
Dakota, tho Spanish flats. or tho Osborn hats
has been put up. II man has money to invest
he can get better annual return for 1t by buy
ing railroad bonds than by putting 1t into
big fiat house. Besides he will be sure OF his
income from good railroad bonds. and he Is not
sure OF his income from flats. The smaller nat
houses arc fairly profitable. There are hun
dreds OF four, five, and six etorv lnt houses
going up all over the city, but the day Of build
ing ten and twelve story houses Is over.
The Spanish flats on the south side OF the
Park were sold under foreclosure; tho Plaza
Hotel. which was on somewhat the same plan
as the big nat houses, was sold at forced
sale. The Osborne pays, but IL the owner left
1t to an agent and diu not give II personal su-
would amount to moro than could be got from
the same amount Of money invested in New
the money invested in the other houses In
Seventy second street at the same time that
the Dakota was built brought much larger
What builders are putting up now are houses
for single family or four, i've, or SIX story
mostly on the west side, above seventy second
street and west of Ninth avenue The nat
avenue and the Park, on the east side and
south Of Seventy-second street on the west.
Builders Es nSS nJt b. SSGf
OF any one house, that the biggest houses do
though the rents are more than the sum for
which tenant could get q single house all to
ehnsod In st NsE S Gff HOUSES 1hs
ride - Of ne New = York could be Se bought or.
houses oats up the profits. II q dat house 10
run lor, the Lest Kind OF tenants; and the only
op na ho % the FspR Rh FnS bos
must be given or the tenants will 20 to keep
Ing house for themssSlyesi oi or Of to some family
ing in number every year, have done much to
take away from the prot@ts IT, Of the big nats
Fifth avenue, and in the cross, streets, hotels
have been going up since the big fiat houses
Rd o Sddo 0E hi SssS amS
large number q people in New York who want
The hotels have advantages over the flats
which induce many people to prefer them. Tho
has a small family he does not want toe, many
rooms. especially II he does not have his own
sooklng done good fiat in No one % Of odh dhe big
For this sum a man and his wife can, live we'll
at almost any hotel in New York, IL they want ant
at a hotel they do not have to pay servants
hire though theF foes to the servants anouat M
cooking or of keeping house. Some women
prefer to keep house. even II it costs more than
many Of the evils Of boarding. lGu escape the
accusation OF living in = boarding house"
though that iS what family hotel roally is.
A big fiat IL no place for q man and his wi 70
unless they have children. The family hotels
do not like to take chileren, but the owners OF
the cost of living in the family hotels in
greater proportion than they DO in nat me
rent OF a fiat Is not increased no matter how
a
What eats up the high rents in the big fat
houses Is the hiring OF servants and the keep
fiat house cannot well put tho repairs on the
tenants in the way the owners of private
each lease OF a big fiat house that the tenants
would have to pay for ths FepSatrs the he owner o.
he Of a hs be
repair anything outside OF his. own fiat. 1t
work around the windows. even il each tenant
might not ancy different, color, or shade for
keep tho front Of the house in repair.
A big fiat house requires the services OF
plumber, carpe,nntcr. and painters constantly.
In the return on the cost of q fiat house whet b.
er an elevator is run or not. Flat house ele-
vators do, and they do not have the same kind
OF use Elevators require tho employment OF
one or two BOYS or men to look after each one.
There must he an engineer and fireman. or
two engineers and two ilremen. Then there
are the constant repairs to the elevators and
elevator shafts. added to which is the interest
on the creator cost OF constructing building
with elevators.
Then big fiat house has more servants in
proportion than small fiat house. The SER
wants wear liveries The liveries cost money,
and It costs money to pay the servants who
wear the liveres, There Is aman at each en-
trance day and night This is not necessary in
a small fiat house, whore the doors are always
kept closed. and where tho people WHO live
there carry latch keys instead OF pushing an
electric button and waiting until the portals
are thrown open by the liveried minion. Every
big fat house has q superintendent. who gets
from $1,000 to $4,000 year. Smaller flats are
looked after by agents.