Evening journal., 1907-02-23
ARE ERECTING
MANY APARTMENTS
Towns of 1000 People Are
Adopting Flat Buildings
For AbOdeS

In Paris nearly every family lives IN
a fiat. II is not at all unusual 70 find
men who are well-to-do dwelling in
second-story apartments over a store.
The rise I'm and values has reached a
point where the earning power Of the
average individual is not great enough
to permit his family to occupy a. sep
arate house. The same is coming TO be
true in all the larger cities. This is
illustrated by the fact that in Chicago.
although agents and some others have
been declaring that there were too
mnay fats the latter are increasing at
an astonishing rate. For the last year
50 per cent. OF all the new buildings
erected I'm that city were flats, and a.
per cent. Of the capital invested in new
buildings was put into the same kind
of structures.
It is an interesting illustration of the
conservatism OF this city that no great
apartment house has yet been erected
here. tt is the only city OF its size in
the world-that is i'm either the Euro
pean or American world-in which this
KIND Of Improvement. has been neg
lected. Ana there is not the slightest
doubt that a modern apartment house
built on q great scale in the fashion
able West End would be extremely
popular and a very profitable invest
mont
In considering the development OF
the apartment house an expert finds
some Of the causes in the methods OF
design and construction. "The earlier
fiat buildings OF a decade or so ago"
he says. were unsatisfactory affairs.
They were small with few convent
| ences and so slightly separated one
from another that not only the odors
from one fat prevaded all the flats in
the house. but the occupants Of one
were constantly disturbed by the noises
Of their reighbors in the adjoining fiat
Then the gas range and the laundry
nxings were not yet introduced, and
! the denizens Of upper fats had TO carry
coal. an6 often water; had the greatest
est difficulty in drying their clothes;
had to climb up narrow and dark stair
ways and passages, and generally had
rnany inconvcniences to contend with
that were productive Of much hasty
| language and improper expletives.
"But the genius Of the architect and
/ the experience Of the fiat owners soon
came &c lHelE rescue anu lllt NlpuNAi u
fiat building has become a model Of
convenience. and often elegance. In
fact. decorated entrances and SNOWY
facades are becoming the rule. The
kitchens are furnished with gas ranges
and refrigerators. Laundry fixtures and
laundry dryers are supplied. Electric
alarm mail boxes receive the carriers
gift and announce its arrival, auto
matic telephones take the place Of
stairs ana electric gas lighters dispense
with matches.
'The dweller IN a modern fiat is as
much isolated from his neighbor as Is
/ he who lives IN an old-fashioned house
/ in a row. All these improvements and
many moro still coming make the fiat
desirable home for any economically
| inclined family. be they rich or poor.
I Even ~ country towns Of 10000 people
or over may now be found ambitious
Tat or apartment buildings which less
than ten years ago were supposed to be
/ the exclusive prerogative Of the degen-
crate inhabitants Of big cities"