The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-04-15
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LONDON TENEMENT HOUSES.
Laws That Govern Construction Of Thos
Dwellings In That City.

Mr.. Edward Marshall, secretary OF
tho New York tenement house commits
sion, contributes an article On Stamp
ing Out the London Slums" to The
Century. Concerning the laws govern
ing the erection of tenements in Lon
don, Mr.. Marshall says:
First of all should be mentioned the
provisions for the two great requisites
of light and air. The buildings will be
four and five stories high, and each
building must be separated in all direc-
tions from any opposing building by an
open space at least equal to its own
height. It was with the greatest diff
Guilty that the 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 more than 55 per cent Of
the building lots.
Habitable rooms must not be less than
8 feet inches in height. Rooms must
have efficient ventilation, "the princi-
pie on which back to back houses are
built being carefully avoided. This
precludes the construction of building
more than two rooms deep. If such
rule were enforced in New York, the
city would be revoluticnized. The aim
of tenement house architecture il Amer
lea is to get at least two, and perhaps
four, families On each floor Of 20 fect
width The London houses, as q mat
xo., % ha " HlQn
Living rooms in them must be OF not
less than 144 feet superficial floor area.
Bedrooms must bo of not less than 96
feet superficial floor area nor less than
z feet 0 inches wide. Staircases must
have horizontal ventilation direct to
the open air. Corridors must be venti-
lated on the open air. Staircases and halls
must be lighted day and night. The last
named regulation is with view OF pre-
venting tho immortality and frequent
accidents which lack of light in such
places is known to produce in tenement
houses A proposed statute calling for
light after 8 q. N. until 10 p. n.
aroused much opposition in Albany.
After light ard air, safety from ire
may be regarded as the next essential OF
model tenement house construction. The
London law provides that all walls shall
be of ''fire resisting" material, and thar
all staircases must be ireproof, and SO
separated from apartments that they
will not afford fpe for the conduct OF
fire from one floor to another, as has so
often occurred in the tenements OF New
York. But the county council has learn
ed that it will pay 10 60 beyond the law
and to make tie buildings absolutely
fireproof. The first cost will be very lit
tic greater, and will be far more than
offset by the decreased cost OF repairs
and the greater rermenence OF the build
ings. Without going into technical de-
tails Of construction, it may be SAID that
stairways are of iron, stone and cement;
that floors are built with iron glrders
and brick arches; that the wooden sur
face is laid Gu solid cement; that as lit
tie woodwork is used in the rooms as
possible, and that the plaster, even or
the partitions between rooms OF the
same apartment, is laid on iron or wire
instead of Oh wooden lathing. Of the
buildings completed it is no idle boast
for the architect to say that fire might
be started in any room without endan-
gering any other room. The cost OF re-
pairs is thus reduced to minimum, and
the life of the buildings is increased un-
til it is estimated at 450 years simply
because it seems absurd to name longer
period. As matter of fact, the build
ings, if undisturbed, will practically last
forever.