The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-25
INVENTED OUR FLAT HOUSE.
DEATH or NAN VINO BTILT FIRST
NEW YORK APARTMENTS.
Thomas Fitzpatrick Lived 10 See q Vast
Majority OF New Workers Adopt Iiis
Idea He Was Leading Methodist and
Owned some Noted Trotting uOrses.

Thomas fitzpatrick, whose death was
briefly noted in The SCN yesterday, did as
much a. almost any man To determine
the chardc IF of modern New York He
was known in the building trade az the
originator of the apartment house. In n
ir" months il will toe fifty years since he
planned and erected the first house in the
cl'N Tor the occupal ion of several families
each having it, separate housekeeping
facilities and conyen.ncas Many au-
th"rities say that rhe apartment house
Wa Il New York idea. and that the one Mr..
hlpatI1ck built was the first in the world
Mr. fitzpatrick was born in Killylea.
County Armagh. Ireland, in 1922. and came
To America in 1913. He engaged at once
IN Ia" building business aud he and his
brother Edward eventually baciin. the
leaders ~ that trade in the old city of New
York. The firm which they founded nut
up nearly three thousand buildings before
Mr. fitzpatrick retired, about five years ago.
III IN" 40 Whenever it Was necessary
Tor more than one family To live IN a house
III Ne" York. they all had To- get water from
a pump III the back yard. and the sanitary
arrangements were common property
There were not many dwellings except
mos" 81 persons in better than ordinary
circumstances. which had bat h rooms then
Mr.. hilpatrlck observing the incon-
NencleS OF this tuat ion, evolved the apart
nent house idea. The first apartmen
nous" he built wa a fve--tory structure
IN lhlrt!cth street, near Lexington avenue
IL had a bath room with hot and cold water
ana kitchen for each family and was
looked upon a. providing a remarkable
degree of comfort and privacy. The adj
vantagcs of the plan were recognized. and
before long apartment houses began TO
60 up in great numbers Many of the
best Of them were the work Of Mr.. Kill
pat rick'- firm.
In 1851 Mir fitzpatrick put up six-.torv
apar' ineht house IN Fourth avenue near
HiN'y-s"cond street, which he called the
Hethcrington, that having been his
Wiie.S maiden name. The biggest and
best house he ever built was the" Hoffman
Arms. ten-story building at Fif,y-ninth
street and Madison avenue. which when
1t was finished. in lss3. was the most adj
Nahced house OF the kind in design and
improvement.
Practically all Of Mr. Fitzpatrick work
was dorc with stone and wood he sort
which was then known as freproof, but is
now designated "Snmi-'ireproof When
the era Of steel cages and cnveloping walls
came III he was ready To retire from the |
i"ld and give the younger generation |
chance. One Of his grandsons is a success
ful builder Of the new school.
When Mr.. kilpatrick's first venture
IN ia. Ihiriicth street was accomplished |
IN 1873 there We're lust five families i'm New
York dwelling in what might properly I've |
termed apart mcuts. He lived to see 60 |
per cent. of the population Of Greater Now
York and more than Is per cent Of the in |
hahtants of the Oft city housed in tina, |
way.
Mr. fitzpatrick had TWO interests. besides |
huld'ng modern city. close Ia his heart |
fast trutting horses and the Met |
Church; and he managed To rec |
nnclle them so we'll that horsemen never !
looked upon him as a Methodist, and Metho-
dlsts never looked upon him as a horscman.
His friends used 10 say that he would drop
any employment 20 go to a trot or prayer |
meeting. |
II was their interest in horses that made |
Mr. kllpatr!ck. Commodore Vanderbilt !
and Robert Bonner cronies for many wears,
IN the DAYS when the horsemon Of New York |
used to speed their trotters up Eighth |
avenue 10 Macombs Dam bridge there were
few drivers on the road who could make |
his trio take their dust.
Like Mr. Bonner. Mr. Fitzpatrick never
raced his horses for money. though there
may haN" been times when he was CON |
blind to the speculations OF the
men who trained them. His stable won
many notable victory at Fleetwood. Sir |
Walter and Lady Winfield We're among his
best known horses Two weeks before !
Sir Walter died Mr. fitzpatrick had a chance
10 sell him FOR sl2,ooO
\ great part ~ the large fortune Mr..
kilratrick made from his business was given
10 the Methodist Church. In 1854 he and |
.thcrs organized the Kip's Bay Methodist
VI ssion and built it's church IN Thirty !
.evcn'h street. In is73 he built the Peoples
Methodist Fpisc opll Church in Sixty-fir.t
'tr'ot near second avenue, and he was after
ward generous supporter of IL.
There were few laymen Of greater in
'ucnrc IN the denomination and few more
powerful and convincing speakers AT re-
igOp- meetings
Mr.. kilparck's wife was Mary Hether-
ngj on. She is still living and so are their
it children: Walter r. Frank J.. T. |
hudson Mrs Richard y. Kelly. Mrs. Robert
K. Tomln and Miss Narrarct. Mr.. and |
lrs. Fitzpatrick lived at 1872 East Seventy
bird street