The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-19
PARIS HOMES
Most Of the People Live
Above Stores.
How the Great Apartment Houses
are Conducted in tine Big
French City.


rare in Paris. In the suburbs or en-
virons of the city there are "chateauxp
and villas" and "pavi.i ons,'' each
standing by itself, with more or less
land attached, which are at once rec
ognized as private residences, although
they look stately, stiff and o0d, with 1t
tie that is attractive and homelike, ex-
cept the grounds. Within the fortiica-
tions these separate dwellings are few
in number, occupied by the very rlcn,
and generally they are benind L:sh and
formidable stone walls, and seen only
from the tops of omnibuses and tram
cars. Some are hidden away in retired
courts and gardens. with. books of
buildings all around them. A few stand
direc..y upon the streets or avenues. AL
of these private houses are called no
tells" and stores are called "maga-
zines" and the word house" is oftener
applied to business places than to
homes. Hotels, in fact, do carry this
name also, in numerous cases.
A large half of Paris lives in apart
ment houses. Simply called apart
ments." This is certainly the city of
apartments Dwellings of this kid are
numerous in the stories above the stor-s
and offices on the busiest and most
fashionable streets. Only in limited
areas are there purely residential dis
tricts, without business p aces on the
ground floor. Throughout much the
greater part of the city the lower floor
is occupied by shops or other business.
and the rest of the buildings above and
in rear are in apartments. Passing
store after store. or shop after shop.
with display windows and more or less
business conducted on the sidewalk,
one comes to a large gate or double
door. with heavy trimmings in iron or
brass. There may be knocker, or a
bell handle, or an electric button, on the
gate at one side. While looking at the
attractions of a milliner's window, or
the equally artistic display of a pork
and sausage shop next to this formid-
able, prisonlike door, a handsome pri-
yate carriage may drive up. The foot
man touches the button, or rings the
bell, the big gates silently and mystic
riously swing open, and the carriaga
rolls in. If the gates are not closed too
soon, one may see into this passage and
into handsome court or garden be-
yond, adorned with trees and flowers,
fountains and statuary From the
sides OF the passage itself, or from the
court Within, are spacious, light, richly
furnished entrances and stairca :es
leading to the apartments above, VIII CHI
probably begin on the first floor" or
what we should call the second story. If
the house is of the first class, there will
be on the sides of the passage from the
street, within the gate or door. tbs
room of the Concierge" or doorkeepAr.
on the one hand, and on the other some
Office, perhaps receiving room for sup
plies or bicycle storage. The apartment
entrances will be from the court
Such an interior court may be en-
tlrely surrounded by one or more OF
these large apartment buildings, al.
having but one access to the street /
have one in mind which has six en-
frances or stairways to the five floors
including French roof, above the lower
story. On each landing are two apart
ments, right and left. This buildin e &C
commodities sixty families, besides the
occupants of the ground floor And they
all live at the same street number, with
only one outer door. Being a new-com-
er, perhaps only lodger or boarder.
not yet known to that important per-
sonage, the concierge (of whom more
anon), and desiring to have new
gown sent by Redfern TO my room, for
the madam, or some little matter of
that sort. my only safe plan is to give
my address in full, thus: 1872 rue Luz
beck,-Esc. d.; Leme et. g., which, be-
ing translated Tin reverse) means that
may be found at the left-hand apart
ment of the fourth floor, reached by
stairway ID of the apartment house of
the number and street given.
AS matter of fact, few If any of
these sixty families live on Lubbock
street. The apartments. of all face the
court, and even those whose rooms run
through to the street seem to regard
the openings thereon as back windows
mus the interior portions of the occu-
pied squares, which in Boston or New
ork would be alleys and back wards
and stables, are here the inclosed courts
ana gardens, upon which front the res
licences. Calling this fair examp of
modern Partisan departments" a house
we may say that Paris houses nearly a.
race the back yards, and their back
uoors open upon the front sidewalk. In
looking from the street upon what ap-
pears to the stranger as the rather for
uiaoihg, vet imposing and perhaps or
nate front of pig dwelling, over
snop row, one is reminded of the rep'y
Oh the washington darkey to the visit
or who stood at the Peace monument
gazing for the first time at the capitol:
NO, sab! this yere front Is not the
'front.', sab! it's the rear, sab! If YOU
wan, wants 10 see the front. sab, you mus
walk around to the rear, sah,"
III the street entrances can in anv
sense be called the front door, it is GER
tainly the back door also, Here. or i'm
some cases at small door beside it. or
cut In 1t Qike the small one in a big
New England barn door and markei
VIC, oil uellVerleS OF SuppueS are
mace, and here all the debris or refuse
Oh the entire establishment is disposed
OF. Ihere is no storage place within
LOT any waste material; and, for that
matter. none for supplies of any bulk.
II Is evidently assumed that the occu
pants, like most Parisians, will SUNNY
themselves with food from day to dav
ana VIII keep but a few days SUNNY IF
iuel on hand. Every day the premises
must be policed and refuse renewed
ms is done in the morning. From < RI
. o'clock the big aoors are opan and
,ne street is lively. Servants bring ont
Dig baskets, boxes and iron receptacles
iiiIed with ashes and refuse These arc
iett on the curling, or sometimes emn-
tied INTO the gutter. At the little hal
comes which are at almost every win
cow. on all floors. servants apnear ~,
the street side, throw out light r,1hbisb
TO the walk below, and brush clothing
vi snake rugs or hing them over the
,aiiings ana beat them vigorously with
an. implement the shape of an ,d-fasb-
Ioiled wicket ball bat, but made of rat
tan. little later the main passage is
swept out and the sidewalks swept to
IN, ,e gutter. Between and O'clock the
Dig, heavy. clumsy-looking garba o,e
carts come along. drawn by two Or
tnree great Norman stations in single
lNrsx1