New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-20
II Is in the Greenwich
Village Section of
the City.
CAUSE OF PECULIAR
TWISTS AND TURNS
Peoples Institute issues BOOK
let. Which Also Tells About
Ewing Conditions.
Rr rHr pEoPLEs INSTITUTE.

ionahle folk of New 1ork NltS uscu W
drive two miles into the country 70
Greenwich Village, along. the mia la
Road" traversing what is no" ma, arr
Row, the Bowery and WaVeriey IIs0c.
Tho drive took them past pauper
cyaVevard often complained OF as an
vnsightlv spot. unworthy of so genIeei
and fashionable a driveway. mat
e,rsvevard is now Washington square
orc 81 the most beautiful parks IN New New
york CITY. But modern New YORK stiii
calls this territory south OF l4th ST
and west of Fifth sy. by the old NAME
Greenwich Village. r
In 1892 an epidemic OF yellow FEVER
broke out in New York City, ana hish
board fence was stretched across the
island as a quarantine boundary,
C.en,v;cb Village. always considered
narticularly healthful, became a refuge
from the fever stricken city. Almost
overnight the tiny village "sprouted
into town" In the haste or emer-
cency building there was no time 10
Straigbten the village lanes and COW
maths and these rapidly became streets.
I,ater the makeshift houses were re-
placed by substantial brick and stone
structures. But the twists and curves
OF the streets we're never changed AIo
when, finally, the city. growing 70 the
north, met and annexed the Vlhage' 'ne
two communities had TO Mt together AS
best they could.
in choosing a dwelling place is not,
care the surroundings picturesque
us il near a park ?" as school near
by?o but (alas that 1t should be SOD
How much does II cost!
Now there is a little of everything
in the way of rent in the village.
To begin with, If you are men, over
between Fifth and Sixth avs. you can
pay as much as you like. There are
some fine spacious old-tashloned eIe.
vator apartments in that region that
run from $1,000 10 $4,000 year. The
INNER floors rise we'll above the sur
rounding houses and cannot be equalled
for sun and air. Their south windows
command a far view of lower New
York. with the Woolworth Building
towering over the city.
On these same blocks, in between the
apartment buildings, are rows OF quaint
red brick houses left over from the
time when the Dutch influence pre-
vailed in our architecture. fou nave
heard Of the woman who said to her
arcbitect. 'Now. what | want is
small house with large rooms ana
nlentv of them" Well, these Green
wich Village houses really meet those
~equirements. From the street they
look small and cosey, but inside they
turn out TO be ten and twelve room
houses. often with a quite stable
backward and sometimes back porch!
house of this type, well equipped
with modern plumbing and a good fur
mace. rents for from $1,000 10 S2,4OO,
according TO size and location.
But il is not necessary 10 pay Sl,zOV
year 70 live in this Fifth av. section
of Greenwich Village. There are Jew
modern elevator apartments (four and
FIVE rooms) for $50 TO $40 a month, and
= number of old-fashioned ''walk-up"
apartments and converted floors" six
and seven good-siZed rooms, with heat
and hot water) as low as 500 month.
There are unheated floors and apart
rnents for much less. And down on the
south side of the square, where the
artists live. studio rooms OF really
noble proportions, with tiny kitchens
and baths tucked in somewhere, can be
had for S25.
But il is over west Of Sixth av., from
Sixth 10 Eighth and Hudson, that the
real fun of living IN Greenwich village
begins. Here among the crazy little
crooked streets. left over from the VII
lage of long ago. IL is really possible
10 live-right in the heart Of New York
and not starve your family 70 pay the
rent. To be sure, the elevator and the
Esllbov are dispensed with. The young
and vigorous. the newly married who
don't want many callers, can climb up
four or five flights to little apartments
flooded with sunshine, whose windows
look far out over the city roofs. The
ret Of US are content with second and
third floors. where we get a reasonable
E l. - rraA rrra gc
the street. But all of US, young and
old pay moderate rent, which is the
main thing.
To begin with, there are the apart
ment houses-plenty of them, but not
close enough together to keep out light
modern steam-heated, non-elevator
apartments, with all light rooms and no
dark Railways. The average rent for
apartments in the finest of these build
ings is S28 to $50 for four rooms, 1913
to S35 for FIVE rooms, and S37 to $40 for
six rooms. These figures vary little,
according to the number of fights you
climb, according TO location, and ac-
cording TO the newness OF the houses.
A few three-room apartments can be
found at $40 to S25.
JUS a word in description of these
apartments. Each has a bathroom,
small but adequate. with modern plumb
ing and an outside window, and with
hot water always on tap. The kitchens
are very fair-sized, with gas range,
ice chest and cupboards furnished. The
bedrooms are, Of course, small But
the sitting room and dining room, usu-
ally opening into each other, make a
fine, big. comfortable living room.
The older type of house, where each
tenant heats his own fat but where
there is a bath and hot water. are also
to be found. and of course the rents in
these buildings are much lower.
So much for the steam heated apart
ments. Remember that We have quoted
reasonable rentals. Bargains can be
found here and there at considerably
lower figures. Remember, also, that al
though these are high class apartments
they are rented by the month; there is
no lease hanging over your head; you
can move out when you like.
But the best of Greenwich Village
rents is vet 10 be told Ia between
the apartment houses are hundreds and
hundreds of houses of every conceiy-
able size and shape; big, handsome,
solid-looking houses. with high ceilings
and square rooms, built perhaps fifty
wears ago; narrow, more commonplace
houses, that were the style of thirty
wears back; houses set back from the
street, with front porches and real
front yards; crooked little wooden
houses, with gabled windows; queer
one-room "fatiron" houses, made to TIT
into co. ers and angles; and, finally.
dozens and dozens OF beautiful old
Dutch houses, with square-barred win.
dows and carved doorways and sprawl