The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-23
THE REAL ESTATE MARKET
WIPING OUT TENEMENT HOUSE
Law VIOLATIONS.

Many Of the so 600 Violations Now On FILE
Are Of Q Trivial Character u WIN
BE Aemsvea BY 4 Bill which Has just
Received the Governor's Signature.
At the present time there are, 1t % said.
not fewer than 5000 ~vioations' on ale
against tsnement houses. A. majority
Of tho violations are Of Q trivial character
and relate ohleny TO hrS escspss skyliehts.
basement rooms, and scuttles. They are
In many cases the result Of requirements
In the tenement house act which the
trainers Of the act are now convinced are
Of no sanitary or fire protective xalue.
The violations are Of oourse intdrfous
TO property owners, 70 II rs difficult TO
sell or 70 borrow. money on a tenement
house which does not conform TO the
tenement house act. Tho 'btik Of these
violations are now feIh6v6db by thb Grady
Robinson bill, which received the sigma
turo Of Gov. Hughes . few dAth Ago.
The measure II likely to. have q most
important effect on the real estate mar
ket In creating 4 demand Tor, old
Law tenements, a olsss Of property In
which there has been very little dealing
OF late.
The bill had the support Of tho friends
Of the tenement house aot. II is sum-
marixed and explained a. follows BY
Lawrence WELLER. secretary Of the Tens-
meut House Commission. which drew up
the act.
Fire Escapes-The present section with
regard to FIRE escapes on new teusments
contains . great macs Of minute detail
extending over many pages Of the act, most
of which addresses Itself 10 constipation
OF having FIRE escapes built strong enough.
The Amendment as passed repeats AL Of the
present section and leaves In thel law only the
essential copditions-namely, where the bal
comics shall be located. their minimum width
the fact that they shall be connected D"
stairs, the maxir9nm angie Of such START. the
provision OF drop ladders from the lowest
balcony or goosS neck ladders 10 the top bal
cony. etc.. leaving all the minute details to
be embodied In regulations to be adopted by
the Tenement House Department. Another
substantive change 10 to permit IRE escape
balconies to open from . private hall - veil
az from. a room In each apartment. The
present Law does not permit this, although
il ie the best form Of construction. A new
provision 10 inserted requiring that acoees
to fire escapes shall not be o~bstruct<d.
Provision 10 made for stone fire ESCAPES
as well a. iron.
Existing Fire Escapea on Old Houses--
| The pi esent section IL repealed And . new
section enacted for the sake OF clarity
| Fire escapes now existing located In outer
courts but not dist.st more : thirty
feet from the outer end Of the court are
permitted to remain provided b court IL
- 49, L.A 49, tat In S1Afh Fl tn .
present law does not permit such nre eAcapes
il they are located In q court forty>er nifty
feet in length, wen though the FIRE eepape
balcony ls only ten feet away from the
outer end of the court. Also. n the court
Ia less than six feet wtd the balconies
are unlawful. This provision now 10 changed
to i've feet, % there are mGny balconies
In such courts that are entirely safe and
should be allowed to remain. Party wall
balconies that IL, connecting the window
Of one building with the window OF another
and without any laddsrsj now eristtnf In
courts which are not more than nfteen feet
In depth and not less than I'VE feet ID
width are permitted 10 remain without
change. At the present time no sucn
balconies In any. court. are allowed, even
thoush the court might be onIy I'VE fket
deep and ten feet wide. This u AsgreAt
injustice and was not contemplated.
scuttles.-Ths present law prohibits the
location Of Q 6cuttle In q closet. Many
ecuttles are % located. II the door to the
closet Ia removed so that people can get at
tho scuttie quickly or 10 only bolted with q
bolt or hook Il 10 q better condition than
having O scuttle In the opel hall In many
cases. Tho amendment permitted this In
existing houses.
skylishts. Great trouble and unnec-
cessary expense have been caused owners by
the detailed requirements OF the present law
with regard to the size OF skylishts. Nearly
every conceivable variation Of condition IL
found in existing houses. In many cases no
changes can be made that would be OF value
in improving the light Of the hall. because
the amount Of light that will descend to the
lower stairs is limited by the size Of the
stairwell, and putting In . now skylitht Of
larger size does not improve the HIGHT.
Moreover. this 10 q very troublesome altera-
ton, involves cutting open the roof, re-
framing 1t and Is very expensive, All
that was sought to have accomplished by
the original section was to insure q maximum
Of light and ventilation - far as practica-
BILE in existing halls. II Ia now proposed
10 require this and 70 leave the method to
the Tenement House Department.
Interior Rooms.-The present Law with
regard 10 interior TOotue uoo ttNou 8Icot
trouble. There are many rooms. especially
In fats which ruin Through from tne street
to the yard. thus insurtnS thorough ven
tilation. where there are existing windows
or large sliding doofs or large Alcovee. and
where the providing OF new windows will
not improve the situation. and In fact In
some cases is impossible, yet under the
law the owner is compelled to provide
new windows. In many cases there are
q exciting windows twelve square feet In
area: not being fifteen square feet they
are contrary to law and the law requires
that the windows be enlarged. This means
expenAe and has practically no copnpensst-
ing advantages to the tenants or owners
The amendment makes the following
substantive changes: Lowering the mini
mum size OF open airshAfts on which rooms
open in existing houAAs from twenty-five
to twenty aouAre feet. providing that whore
new Windows Att inAtAlled they shall be
pulley hung sAsh and the sarns siss - Ia
the present law. Also . new proviso that
they shall be ID line with windows In outer
rooms.
Where there are existing windows lees In
size than Is square feet. or large olass Sid
Ing doort or large Alcovs openings In nats
that run through from ttreet to yard. It
10 proposed to give the Department power to
permit the occupancy OF such rooms when
satisAsd that no material irapfovsnh<nt ia
the light and ventilation can b fnAdt that
would warfant the provfdint Of nav win.
dows. but this po&er is only 20 Be accorded
under certain limited specihed conditions
- ct forth Ia the bill - follows: (3b Whore
- = -f.A>A A-A Ia IA so