Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-03-21

LONDON TENEMENT HOUSES.
Laws That Govern Construction of Those
H--cI;io~r IN Tnat CITY.


Mr. Ef:g;;@.gd Mars nll. secretary Of
the New Yc.k tenement house commits
sion, contributes Iii article on "Stamp-
ing Out lie Lon,9u Slums" To Tho
Conlnry. Concerning Tie laws govern
ing the erection CT tcnemsnts IN Lon
don, Ar. Marshall! says:
First Of I'll si:o.-u 10 1rcntioned the
provisions for tie two g-ear requisites
of light and ar. fhe ba ldin2s Will be
fear and five stories high, and each
building must bo sopa. ted i'll all die
lions from any opposing building BY az
open space at least oQual to its own
height. 1t WAS with the greatest dill
Guilty that tho New York commission
secured the passage of an act limiting
the ground area to be covered TO 70 per
cent. These official London tenements
will not cover moro than 80 Per cent OF
the building let's
Babitable rooms must not be less than
s feet G inches in height. Rooms must
have efficient ventilation, "the princl-
pie on which back to back houses are
built being carefully avoided. " Ihls
precludes the construction Of building
more than two rooms deep. II such q
rule were enforced in New York, the
city would be revolutionized. The aim
of tenement house architecture in Amer
lea is to get at least two, and perhaps
four, families on each floor Of 20 feet
width. The London houses, as mat
ter Of fact, will DO only one room deep.
Living rooms III them must be OF not
less than Ia feet superficial floor area.
Bedrooms must DO Of not less than 9d
feet superficial floor area nor less thal
T feet inches wide. Staircases must
have horizontal ventilation direct tC
the open air. Corridors must he VENT
lated on the open air. Staircases and halls
must be lighted d;.y and night. The last
named regulation is with view of pre-
venting tie immortality ard frequent
accidents which lack of light in sacA
places is known to produce in tenement
houses. 4 proposed statute calling foi
light after a. N. until 10 p. H.
aroused much opposition in Albany.
After light and ar, safely from IRE
may be regarded as the next essential OF
model tenement house construction. Ink
London law provides that all walls shat
be Of "fre resisting" material, and tha
all staircases must be fireproof, and Sc
separated from apartments that -theJ
will not afford Aue for the conduct o
fire from one floor to another, rs has s<
often occurred IL the teremcnts OF New
York. But the county council has learn
cd that it Will pay to 60 beyond tie Jaw
and to make tho Buildings absolutely
freproof. The first cost will be very lit
tic greater, and vi Lo f:,r ;.:o.c tai
offset by the decreased cost OF repair.
and tie greater permanence OF the bai.d
ings. Without going Into technical de
tails of construction, it may be sad the
stairways are Of iron, stone and cement
that floors are built with iron Gircer
and brick arches; that tho wood@n sur
face is laid Oh solid cement; thAs IS lit
tie woodwork is used III tEo looms a
possible, and that the plaster, even O
the partitions between rooms OF Tx
same apartment, is laid On iron CT WIZ
instead Of On wooden lath:ng. OF tn
buildings completed it is no idle hoas
for the architect to say that fire nilgh
be started i'll any room without endan
oerine any other room. The cost or re
pairs is thus reduced to miniin1m, ait
the life Of the buildings is increased IN
til it is estimated at 40 years slmpl.
because it seems absurd to name lonse
period. As matter Of fact, the bul!d
ings, undisturbed, Will practically Las
forever