The Portland daily press., 1896-01-04
FORTY-TWO INCHES WIDE.


The narrowest and in all respects the
queerest dwelling house in New York is
known as the "Spite House." 1t is SO
called because it was built to spite the
next door neighbor. It is only forty two
inches wide on the inside, and it has
four stories. Yet it contains two families,
who live happily and apparently COM
fortably.
The "Spite House" is located at the
corner of Eighty second street and Lex
ington avenue. The owner is JOS Rich
ardson, a retired business man, who is
worth a million. In some way twelve
years ago piece of land, feet by 100
and fronting on Eighty second street,
was sliced off, and left without apparent
use. The land happened to belong to Mr..
Richardson.
For several years he had small truck
garden cultivated there. Finally W. A.
Andrews, who owned the adjoining lot,
made an offer for the land. A haggle
about the price ensued. Mr.. Richardson
named $4,000 as his lowest figure; Mr..
Andrew offered but IS, 600. Each thought
the other was blufing, and ultimately
would give in. Mr.. Andrews fancied
that on account of the dimensions of the
lot it could be OF no practical value to
Mr.. Richardson. Mr.. Richardson, how
ever, knew that Mr.. Andrews was going
that the corner would render them more
desirable and valuable by making a solid
row, not disfgured by any other struc-
ture.
The apartment structure, five stories
high, soon became brick sandstone real
ity. Mr.. Richardson watched the pro-
gress of the building with interest. He
asked himself how he should get even,
and the answer was not long in coming.
AT last the work on the fats reached the
final stage of completion, and after the
decorators had finished their work several
families moved in. They were real nice
people, but that did not worry Mr.. Rich
ardson in his scheme for revenge He
erected stable on the lot. 1t was not
brick stable, but it was stable with the
disagreeable features of all stables. Fin
ally Mr.. Richardson removed the stable,
although the reason for this was never
made known. Mr.. Richardson, it seems,
had another idea He was going to build
four-story fiat-house on his little six
foot lot. In course of time it was COM
pleted, but long before this a facetious
neighbor dubbed it the "Spite House"
and the name stuck. In fact, it is SO re-
ferred to today by every one in the local
ity.
In appearance the structure is a puzzle.
1t seems to be an addition to the adjoin-
ing house, though a close inspection dis
proves this. The law requires that an
air space must be left between two build
ings, and this distance is meager six
but not to admit surplus either of light
or air. Evidently Mr.. Richardson did
not wish to give his neighbor an over sup
ply of either.
What appears to be the main part of the
building is sixty-six inches wide from
outer edge to outer edge. The walls are
each twelve inches which leaves an in
side available space of forty-two inches
Notwithstanding the fact that the build
ing is four stories high, only two families
can occupy it, and both entrances are on
Lexington avenue, the numbers being
1916 and 1918.
Two large bay windows are in each
apartment. These measure three feet
from the outside of the thirty -two-inch
hall to the enter edge. and constitute the
living space in the house. In these al
coves or rooms, the sleeping apartments
are located, and the narrowest of single
cots are, Of course, necessity. 1t would
be absolutely out of tho question to put
up an ordinary double bed there, for two
reasons In the first place, there Is
neither door nor other entrance large
enough in the interior.
In walking through the halls, stout
person is obliged to walk sideways. Mr..
Richardson and his family occupy one
OF the apartments and the second floor
is rented.
The stairs in the house are maryels in
their way. The steps are hardly largo
enough to hold good-sized foot, and
they run almost straight up in a spiral
1t would be impossible to build them
lengthwise.
II is said in the neighborhood that the
"Spite Il ouse' is an object of interest to
pleasure seekers and is pointed out to
visitors as a conclusive fact that it takes
many odd and curious people and things
to make huge cosmopolitan metropolis
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