Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-19


lar. However you as real estate men are
even more familiar than / with the great
demand for a modern steam heated apart
ment Let us now consider this matter
from a landlords or an investment side.
In the first the steam heated apartment
will bring larger returns on the invest
ment than the present type Of furnace
heated flats. For instance. In the came
neighborhood and within two blocks is To-
Gated a modern steam heated apartment
of nine families and st. Louis flat OF
eight families In the apartment house
six rooms heated bring a rental of $50 per
month. The furnace heated apartments in
the same neighborhood and fully as de-
sirable bring $40. The apartments are prac-
tlcally OF the same size and of equal desir-
ability in regard to location and arrange
ment. A difference OF $50 per month equals
$40 per year. The nine apartments which
the building contains will provide annually
81 100 for coal, janitor and water. l am
quite sure without more definite facts at
hand that by careful management $500 Of
this sum is net annual gain to the owner
OF the building Figured in this way. the
steam plant is a perpetual business propo-
sition to the owner that is the cost of-coal,
janltor and water is invested and delivered
in the form of heat to the tenant at
profit from % to IS per cent.
Considering that the steam plant Is not
| only a business proposition, but Is the
| principal means of attracting and holding
| tenants It certainly should be attractive
to the landlord. In the last year the st.
| Louis flats that l have mentioned have
had three changes of tenants against one
in the steam heated apartment; and when
one considered that the furnace heated flat
is practically new, and the steam heated
| apartment has been erected for ten or
| twelve years the competition and the ten
| ant-holding ability Is even more pro-
| nounced
The original investment Of a steam heated
| apartment Is considerably less per apart
ment, than equal accommodations in the
| st. Louis flat. Apartments of this class
| should be erected principally in unlts OF
six families. II has been found by expert
| ment that a building of more than three
stories is the most profitable. 1t Is dith-
| cult to secure a tenant who will occupy
the fourth floor without elevator
| In three-story building all of the apart
| ments are of equal attractiveness. In
| building apartments in units OF six
| families a central hallway is usually pro-
| vided, two families on each floor ana the
building three stories high. In this way
one entrance hall and stairway In the
front and wall rear stairs and one rear
| porch answers for the six families By
| units Of six I do not mean that the build
ing should contain only six families, but
the most economical proposition is build
ing of six. twelve, eighteen or twenty-four
apartments, arranged with one entrance
and front stairs and one rear stairs Tor
each six families. There are exceptions to
this rule, but in general way thS mas
been found to be the most economical In
is found in the Bernard and the Uinta.
On the corner of Leavenworth street and
park avenue Each building contains
eighteen families and each building has
three entrances.
In regard to heating steam is the most
practical and / earnestly recommend the
vacuum or double pipe system. 1t has
been found by actual tasks that this sys-
tenn will save from 20 to 1915 per cent In
coal bills. It is usually customary to pro-
, vide a small ianitors apartment In the
basement giving him his rent as part OF
his compensation for services. In a small
, building the Janitor needs to devote only a
l part of his time to the care Of heating
apparatus and building
1t is needless. of course to explain that
the larger building containing eighteen to
twenty-four families can be managed with
: more eCOHOHy IMAM a SNN'S
six families.
Public laundry for all of the tenants is
usually provided in the basement as wei
as individual store room for each family
1t is customary for the landlord to provide
hot water during all months of the yeal
:. and nay all water rent. The landlord keeps
= the walks free from snow in the winter
= and cares for the lawn in summer. HI
. also provides light for all public halls ant
| stairways,
In the speakers opinion a three-storN
= | apartment is a more attractive investment
than the higher buildings where elevators
are necessary Insurance companies vii
. not as a rule make a loan on the six to ten
story apartment house with elevator serv
ice and heavy overhead expenses. As Z
. rule apartments Of this height are run oil
" the apartment hotel plan. That is, suites
=. of living room. bedroom and bath, living
!. room two bedrooms and bath, living, thre
= bedrooms and bath, with a general caf
= located conveniently in the building. Tn
= Pacedena In Detroit is an excellent ex
- ample of this class of building, occupying
"a a half block of ground, ten stories high
:, with a large public dining room and numeT
:, Gus private dining rooms together with
= roof garden and promenade located on tn
- top floor. Each tenant provides his ow
: furniture for the apartment and pays 10
n his light. and all other expenses are care
:, for by the owner of the building. In thes
n days of servant girl problems this metho
ii of living possesses many advantages, an
a these buildings are exceedingly popular
= eastern cities Detroit for instance, wit
= a population of 100000, supports six lars
=, buildings OF this nature, each building COZ
II tanning from eighty to 150 apartments
H. am of the opinion that there is room ,
n Omaha at the present time for one mos
10 crate size apartment hotel These buil'
n. ings will bring approximately $25 per mont
NJ per room, and II such building were az
al vantageously located and carefully d.
H. signed, the chances of an unusually prof
no able investment are excellent. The incon
from such building will compare favo
~ ably per cubic foot contents with our dow
nj town office buildings, and such a buildir
m can be placed just outside of the busine
n section on ground which is considerab
less valuable in comparison to the grouI
o. on which our office building stands.
he However. for the average investor, Il
ed three-story apartment is the most a