The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-12
NAMES FORFLAT HOUSES
now HUNDREDS ARE DBsIGNATED
NJ THETR OWNERS.
A Very Wide Range Covered-The Animal,
Vegetable and Mineral Kingdom Are
Represented in the List.

Ing topic OF life in fiat. 1t has been
treated from pretty nearly every stand
point, from that Of the fortunate occu-
pant Of superb apartment in a fireproof
palace at untold thousands per annum to
the struggling renter OF a dark and mar
row series Of lll-ventilated cells In a
rickety structure with a gaudy front de-
signed to mask the horrors OF its inte-
rlor. This article, however has TO do
with but one part of the subject, and that
new one. for. strange as It may seem.
there is one detail OF the history of the
New York fat house or apartment house
which has as yet not been commented
upon In type, and that Is its nomencla-
ture.
Most buildings devoted to the harboring
OF number OF households If they have
any pretensions at all to being above the
ordinary run, are designated by names
chosen by their owners or their lessees,
and a study OF the list shows a curious
variety in the names selected for them.
There are the names OF women in profu-
sion, also the names Of men, the names OF
families cities, towns, villages. States
and countries, rivers and mountains, f1ow-
ers, race horses and yachts. neurological
gods and steamships, heroes and heroines.
animals and vegetables and minerals. and
good many other objects living or
dead.
Place aux danes, see, for lusts nee, what
a list one has TO select from If the name
Of a fair one is considered a desirable
part of ones fiat. II Adelaide is approved
OF there is a choice Of no less than four
apartment houses bearing that name, and
an equal number Of FlOrences, although
it may be and probably is true that of
the latter one or more is named after the
Italian city and not after n lady. True,
there is a city In Australia named Ade-
lade but II is doubtful II any Of the four
apartment houses are named after it.
Next in popularity comes Marguerite,
who has three named in her honor, and
there is also a Margareta I'm the list, and
tn re are two Elizabeths. The other femi-
nine names, and there is but one OF each,
include Agnes. Alexandra, Amy, Augusta,
Barbsra, Beatrice, Bella, Bertha, Beulah,
EleonOra, Elsie Ella, Esther Eugene,
Evelyn. Gladys, Grace, Helena, Helene,
Hsrmione, HOrtense, Janet. Jeanette.
Madeleine, Sophie, Stella, Sylvia and Nio-
la and one CT two others that have been
scheduled as the names Of places for the
purposes OF this article.
The mems list includes two named
Douglas one Adrian, one Arthur. and one
each OF Gilbert, Herbert, Hubert and
Victor showing that masculine names
are not by any means as popular as
feminine names for the purposes in
question. The names OF cities, however,
are greatly in vogue, but oddly enough the
list does not include a single New York.
There are three Manhattans and one
Empire City, while the fine old name OF
Knickerbocker is used i'm but one instance.
The list Of cities and towns includes
Venice, Lancaster, Portsmouth, Princeton,
Lexington, Saratoga, Boston, Baltimore.
Lisbon, Wiesbaden. Madrid, Winchester.
Tacoma, Windsor. Richmond, Tuxedo,
Albany Che name Of one Of the Oldest
and most famous bachelors apartments
In London), Amsterdam, Elberon, Ant
werp, Berlin. Cordova, Geneva, Palermo,
Chelsea. Brighton. Abbotsford, Newport,
Cambridge, Atlanta, oxford, Granada
lnterlaken, Hollywood. Heidelberg,
Dresden. Edinburg also am Edinboro),
Barcelona. Hanover and LenOX. OF which
there are three. as well as a Lenox Arms
and a Lenox Hill.
The list of States Is led by Montana.
which can boast Of no less than four
namesakes among the apartment houses
Of New York. while Nevada has three,
Florida the same number, and Idaho two.
each Of Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
Dakota manned before the Territory was
made into two States, oregon, New
Hampshire. Delaware, Maryland. Maine,
Nebraska, Vermont, Virginia and Wyom-
ing.
The English counties and shires are also
well represented, there being a Westmore-
land. Northumberland, Norfolk. Essex,
Somerset. Berkshire, and Hampshire IN
the list as we'll as an Eastmirster and a
Westminster. Local streets and avenues
have been but little used, there being
two Fifth avenues, Madison avenues and
one Broadway.
Patriotism has afforded three Column
bias, one American, one Union and one
President, while the worshpers OF heroes
and other great men can shelter them
selves in three Washingtons, three Lin
coins, three Shermans. four Hamlltons,
two Cladstones, two Lafayettes, two Col
umbuses two Irvngs, one Grant, one
Cleveland. one wellington, one Hawthorne
and one Chesterfield one Rembrandt and
one Tennyson.
But IL is in the purely fancy names that
the most amusing side Of this apartment
house nomenclature is found. Take, for
instance, the charming Adonis, a bache-
lors' abode I'm west Fifty-second street,
lightfully naive. The bachelors also have
the Benedict. a capital title, but the other
houses devoted 10 their wants are not
characteristic In their names.
The Cunard Line Of steamships seems
TO have Nat owner OF wealth among its
admirers as there are houses named Au-
rama, Servia, Etruria, Umbria and Scotia,
and the English yacht Genesta, that
didn't get the cup, is also represented,
as is the Puritan, that kept II at home.
Other names that are out Of the common
are the Beau Sejoin the Bel Aire, the Blue
Bell, the Benny View, the Bright Park,
the Cardinal Situated near the Cathe-
draD, the Crystal, the Dardanelles, the
Earl and the Eearlscourt. the Hyacinthe,
the Ivanhoe. the Iroquois (2), the Jeanne
d. Arc, the Lohengrin and the Lolita.
Then there is. OF course. a BijOu and one
rnodestly calling itself the Model, and
another, still more modestly, the Perfec-
ton. Dr. Parkhurst has one named after
him, and three are called after Kenilworth
where Sir Walter Scott lived. There are
two Royals and just a dozen saints, but
St John has four houses, st. Nicholas
three and st. James two. and there Is an
Orchid, a Raceland, a Pomona, wave
Crest. a Pearl and a Sunset. There Is
also a Smithsonian, which sounds very
scientific indeed, and three famous natu-
raj attractions have been honored In the
Niagara, the Yosemite and the Mount
Rigi. -,
The balance Of the names may be FOUND
IN the rear end OF the city directory II
anv one wishes any further information
ON the subject. and beyond that point the
AGENTS and janilors must be consulted
AS 10 what's in a name when the name
a. on the front door OF fiat or apartment