The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-02
LONDON. TENEMENT HOUSES
rnws That Govern Construction in That
f,ttx

City.
First of all should be mentioned the
provisions for the two great requisites
of light and air. The buildings Will
he four and five stories high, anu cach
building must be separated In all dlrec- |
tons from any opposing building by
an open space at least equal 10 It's own
height. 1t was with the greatest alI-
f;culty that the New York commission
secured the passage of an act limltng
the ground area to be covered TO 20 per
cent These official London tenements
iii not cover more than IS per cent.
of the building lots.
| ITol,;+able rooms must not be less
than eight feet six inches in height.
Rooms must have efficient ventiiation,
/" the principle on which 'back-to-pack
houses are built being carefully avoid-
ed" This precludes the construction
of building more than two rooms
deep. If such a rule were enforced In
New York, the city would be revolu-
tionized. The aim of tenement house
architecture in America is to get at
least two, and perhaps four, families
on each floor of IS feet width. Inc
London houses, as matter Oh iace'
will be only one room deep. LIVING
rooms in them must be of not less than
144 feet superficial floor area. Bed
rooms must he of not less than 20 feet
superficial floor area nor less than
seven feet nine inches wide. Staircases
must have horizontal ventilation di
: rect to the open air; corridors must Ok
: ventilated on the open air; staircase
!. and halls must be lighted day ane
/. NIGHT. The last-named regulation II
: with a view to prevent the immoraiiI.
: and frequent accidents which hck o
4 light in such places is known TO pro
e duce in tenement houses. A proposes
d statute calling for light after eight 9
h IN. until ten p. m. aroused mucn Oppose
ton in Albany.
= After light and air, safety from nr
# may be regarded as the next essentis
d of model tenement house construction
d The London law provides that all wal
is shall be of ''fire-resisting" materia
l. and that all staircases must be mr.
e. proof. and SO separated from apar
T. ments that they will not afford NJ
he for the conduct of fire from one fiot
is to another. as so often occurred IN u
is tenements of New YORK. But the coun'
ID council has learned that it will p;
IS, 10 90 beyond the law, and to make Z
es buildings absolutely freproof. ~
in first cost will be very ht'
r. greater, and will be far more than o
III set by the decreased cost OF repal
&C. and the greater permanence OF t
buildings. Without going into tech
;, cal details of construction, it may
said the stairways are of iron, sto
to and cement; that floors are built w
iron girders and brick arches; that
is wooden surface is laid on solid cemel
ian that as little woodwork is used in
his rooms as possible; and that the plast
sly even of the partitions between rooms
at the same apartment, is laid on iron
lgc wire instead of on wooden latsiing.
is the buildings completed it is no
boast for the architect to say that
nan might be started in any room with
few endangering any other room. The
rev of repairs is thus reduced to minim'
OF and the life OF the buildings is increa
on until it is estimated at $50 years, sim
feet because it seems absurd to nam
:. a longer period. AS matter of fact,
usy buildings, if undisturbed, will prs
cally last forever.-Edward Marsf
the in Century.