The sun., 1901-08-13
THE BACHELOR APARTMENT.
Its Doubtful Status Undes tho Present
Building Laws.

building LAWS
To THE EprToR OF The SuN-Sir: Your
editorial In yesterdays paper. under tho
caption Growth OF Hotels and Apartment
Houses" fails TO explain the real reason
for the recent increase In the number OF
hotels, as shown in the records OF the De-
partment OF Buildings The reasons Tor
this condition are entirely legal. Part 5.
Section OF the Building Code. which has
been In force since December. 1899. de-
fines an apartment house ito mean and
include every building which shall be In
tended or designed for. or used as. tho
house or residence Of three or more fam
lilies. living independently Of each other,
and In which every such family or house.
hold shall have provided for 1t q Kitchen
ret bath tub and water closet separate
and apart from one another
Under Section 10 Of the same chapter,
hotel IL defined az q structure harboring
residents or guests under certain oon-
ditions and having a general public dining
room or cafe or both
The now Tenement House Act has super
seeded the Code. as far a. It refers TO apart
ments, but the definition In tho now act re-
mains substantially the same.
Under the Code. bachelor apaitments
without public dining rooms could be oon-
structed non-freproof to the height OF
seventy -hve feet, or seven stories. covering
rs per cent. Of the lot. Under the new act /:
the legal limit Of height for non-fireproof
structures Is Ave stories. except upon
lots over forty feet wide, when they. may
be built six stories, and 10 per cent. IL the
limit of the lot allowed to be covered.
The Building Code has never actually
recognized the existence OF the bacheior
apartment and the Department OF Build
ings rules that they are apartments. not
withstanding that they contain no -sepa-
quoted. As the dining room was usually
omitted In the smaller houses. they could not
be classed ar hotels. During the past two
years under the Code, a very large mum.
ber OF these houses have been erected
seven stories high. non-hreproof without
public dining room.
continuance OF this ruling under the
Tenement House Act restricts the builder
OF the bachelor apartment TO fve or six
stories II built non-freproof and to 70 per
cent. Of his lot area.
As most buildings Of this character are
required 10 be over six stories In order 10
make them paying properties, the investor
finds il more profitable 70 class his building
a. hotel and put in a dining room, and al
portionally cheaper TO add a number OF
stories 10 the height. Hence the growth
In the number Of new buildings classed as
hotels.
The tenement house Is a condition as
we'll az a structure. and do not believe that
the Tenement House Commission intended,
In framing the present excellent law, to
cover the bachelor apartment house. Ger
tainly their definition does not do so.
The Municipal Assembly has power un-
der the Charter to revise the Building Code,
and In justice to large class OF investors
In New York real estate, the Assembly
should at once do 80. so as to mako its
provisions consistent with the present tene-
inent laws; and they should at the same
time recognize the bachelor apartment and
provide for its erection under the regu-
lations approximately the same as were
applied TO apartments prior TO tho passage
OF the Tenement Act.
At present an architect Is absolutely at
sea In attempting to advise his client as 70
the law In reference to this large and grow
ing class OF buildings. He Is entitled to
relief. CHARLES II. lsRAELs.
NRw YORK Aug II.