New-York tribune., 1900-12-16
WEST END GOSSIP.

The great financial success Of family apartment
hotels in this city is attracting the attention OF
those seeking for new speculative ventures in the
building line. and there is fair promise that many
operations OF this kind will be undertaken in the
new century II IS rumored that syndicate IS
being formed for the purchase Of piece Of prop
erty in Central Park West. occupying entire
block front, and the erection thereon Of a fifteen
story apartment hotel. The approximate cost OF
the land and building is hgured at 2.oO0OO0. Pre-
liminary plans for this gigantic enterprise have
been prepared by prominent uptown architect
According these plans 1t Is proposed to erect a
house Of thirty-ve apartments consisting of three
rooms, bath and a small kitchen The ground hoor
is to be devoted dining rooms, public parors. Of
fees, billiard rooms etc The object in introducing
small kitchens in the apartments is to enable
tenants to prepare occasional hgh- meals for them
selves.
The Continental practice OF oreakfasting on coffee
and rolls is growing in favor in this city, and il
is believed that there are great number Of peo-
pie here that would welcome opportunity to live
in the manner provided for by the promoters or
this proposed apartment hotel. Being primarily de-
signed for married couples without children. this
apartment hotel would solve in measure the
great problem in this city of living comfortably
moderate There would be no occasion for
the wife 70 engage in the arduous and irksome
restaurant maintained by the house Would pro-
vide the principal meals Of the day AT the same
most rigid economy would be afforded to tenant
own meals According 70 the embryonic plans Of
the promoters the menagement OF the house VIII
charge 50 that the servant m . question need not
The scale Of rentals is to run from $40 to $50
apartment.
AS an evidence OF the great demand for accom-
modations OF the kind above described. the Central
Realty Company which is completing its
ond building Morningside Park wherein a gen.
eral dining room is to be maintained for the ben
eft of the tenants informed the writer that four
teen of the apartments m this house had al
ready been leased in spite of the fact that the
premises are not yet ready for occupancy This
narkable renting record is largely attributed TO
the introduction OF the dining room There is
manifest desire TO avoid the of regular house
Aeepng among r Ser1a SEAMS 10 he {ps ho+ton9
OF il all. and whenever practicable the average
work rather than have servant 70 LOOK s,as sftss
And SO II fGes % 70 b pass c JS e ~ onfna as
the house sure to be soon filled with tenants.
Speculative builders of apartment houses do not
look with especial favor upon this new manifesto
ton. 1t presents knotty problems to them. While
they are. rule. eager TO meet the require
ments Of the times. the matter OF providing res
taurant or dining facilities in apartment house
brings with 1t financial considerations that will al
ways initiate against the development Of this kind
OF property. Banks and other financial institutions
to which builders look for their loans are aveEse
ground that their success depends largely on the
because the average investor does not care to as
sumo business Of this kind that IL would be
difficult TO find buyer for this type of house.
THE American Architect" in commenting upon
an article on Duplex Apartments" which ap-
peared In this column recently. and wherein atten-
ton was directed 20 the privacy afforded by the
location Of living rooms floor and sleeping
rooms on another and the abolition OF long pri-
vate halls says: Long corridors are a thing OF
the past In apartment house planning and a skill
ful architect can get Just pleasing interior
effects In an apartment all one floor as In one
divided between two floors"
While 1t is true that architects have here and
there effected this desirable reformation In the
majority OF modern apartment houses the long
dismal corridor remains dominant and obtrusiye
feature In one up 20 date building lust COM
pleted near Riverside Drive the front suites have
a private hall about thirty feet long which passes
the kitchen, the bathroom and the Chambers he
fore the living rooms reached Hillcrest on
Catnedral Heights, furnishes perhaps the Tnosf
notable example OF architects efforts 20 40
away with the Objectionable feature OF a long nrt
Nate nall Here a charming little reception Foono
with loaded glass windows and artistic man.
tel has been introduced at the entrance OF sscb
decorative treatment. and thus removes thS ir
arusue aspect Of the adjoining private hall Tbs
saVantaBes OF this arrangement are obvious n
teuIs 70 the apartments nearly much privac1 a.
Is obtained in a private dwelling as
SIR WILLIAM C. F4N HORNE HERE