New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-10
HIGH STOOPS ARE DISAPPEARING.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH 'AND
AMERICAN BASEMENT HOCSES-THE
PREDOMINANCE OF THE LATTER.

PREDOMlNANtE Or lfff La
The old-fashioncd high stoop. which. with its
Dutch title has long been the characteristic FORM
OF entrance to the better class of NewYork houses.
seems doomed to disaI pear IL Will naturally be q
long time before this result Is entirely brought
about but the fact that almost no ne" houses arc
now being built in that style proves that the stoop
is already regarded as a bygono FASHION III us
Mace has come a comparatively new design. when
is generally called the american basement. In
us most common form this 50 closely resembles.
from the exterior the old English basement
that the difference between them Is not readily DE-
tected. This outward similarity has LED many
people TO suppose that there had been wldespredh
revival OF the English basement. but this Is moi
the case The new form has certain Important
advantages over the old. which make II lar better
suited to modern ideas. The differences between
the two can best be understood by comparing the
Arrangement of the first and second floors Of each'
In the old English basement one assembled Two OF
three steps and passed into hall. on one 500 o.
which was a small recepton-room TINS apart
ment together with the hall, occupied the front
half of the house. and the rear OF that moor was
taken ND by the dining room. According 10 THIS
plan, the kitchen had to be located below III VIVA.
was almost a cellar and II was usually dark ana
cherries looking place.
In the American basem houses the entrance u
practically the same, up two or three steps ana
there the same hall and reception room on tle
first floor But in the OF these Is the ktchen.
instead OF the dining room, which latter apartmrns
Is in the rear of the second floor directly above ne
American basement kitchen Is. Therefore. mucn
pleasanier place than the other and the iooa,od
of the dining room the second floor Is IN acSoru
with present preferences There Is one way III VIII
American and an English basement house. In the
former there is almost always small door Al one
side which eads back through narrow nan u mo
the kitchen TO reach the cellar ktcnen OF an r.ns-
ish basement house Ii IL necessary 10 descend
flight OF steps from the sidewalk. and then enter
from that level ,.-.A.,.
The American basement plan has proved aimirap.y
suited TO houses built narrow lots ana even on
those OF medium width. The Arrangement OF I.e
stairs in the centre OF the house does away wltn
the necessity OF taking off a certain number OF feet
for the width OF the hall. as Is necessary win tne
ordinary high soop house. The two or three steps
in front are also considered more artistic now tnan
tho long flight which, especially IN the narrower
streets Is often uncomfortably steep. -
Architects put much more Individuality INTO
the designing OF houses than was formerly the Gus
tom In the handsomer and more expensive bulldin J
n variety of entrances may be seen, many u
which are copies of foreign models. The steps range
in number from one. sometimes none Al az, 70
as many as six or seven. but the effect produced ~
these is quite different from that OF the on nlgn
stoop A flight OF from four 10 six IL greatly iiKeo
and is frequently alluded 70 as a french csish