The sun., 1916-10-01
UNDERMINING OLD
BROOKLYN HOMES
Realty Associates Make Inter
esting Experiment With
Fine Old Houses.

Frequently real estate men are asked.
What Is to become Of this old %ncighbor-
hood Sometimes the qucstioner refers
to the old wholesale district In lower
Manhattan sometimes to old Green
witch or Chelsea. and sometimes TO the
vast home section In Brooklyn that for
the last forty years has made that bor-
oush famous the country over as 'the
city OF homes" Manhattan's problems
are being solved gradually by the intro
duction of new trades into the old mer-
camille district and by the erection of
flats in the residential sections. But in
every case the character OF the section
Is being changed. and not always for the
better.
In Brooklyn the experiment Is being
tried successfully OF bringing the old
home sections back to their former state
of desirability. The Realty Associates.
leaders In this movement. and owners
OF more than 100 houses through the
older part Is Of the borough. are pressing
the experiment and their success has
been such that they even hope to be able
TO restore the old Bedford section. the
Stuyvesant section. the Heights and
many more parts OF the borough to the
positions they held before population
began to leave for newer districts on the
outskirts OF the city.
One Of the principal charms Of these
old Brooklyn sections was their well
built homes. These houses were put up
when building materials we're much
cheaper than they are to-day and when
labor was not nearly so costly. At that
time. too. city dwellers had not become
accustomed to the small rooms OF the
average apartment house. and builders.
to satisfy tho demand Of the time.
planned large rooms and high ceilings.
But f"w OF the old dwellings, we'll built
as they were. had electric lighting or
modern plumbing. hardwood flooring or
any Of the other later day Improvements
which are now considered essential.
1t was the lack Of such features hat
caused n depression In value In the older
buildings and tho increase In the values
Of the land they occupied was not sum
cient to offset the building loss. The
result has been q gradual depreciation
amounting in some cases to as much as
80 to 40 per cent. though throughout
most OF the older part Of the borough
20 per cent. would be nearer the average,
As a start on their experiment the
Realty Associates selected three houses
In different sections for modern!zing,
They are sections which once were
among the most desirable In the borough
and which still retain much of their for
mer attractiveness, Every modern con-
venlence was installed and the buildings
were redecorated. Within a compare
lively short time all three were sold at
prices comparing favoratly with values
In the best days of the communities
Satisfied with their success the owners
are going to proceed with the modern
izing OF more houses,
The Realty Associates say tho de-
mand for homes In Brooklyn 10 greater
than for many years. They say that
the call Is not so much from residents
Of Manhattan as It 10 from Brooklynites
who have grown tired Of apartment
house living. They say that many Man
haitian residents are removing to Brook
Ign and that they are filling apartment
houses as fast as they can be built.