New-York tribune., 1920-12-26
Must Have Children
To Show to &c t
Into Chicago Houses
Builders of us Small Gar
den Homes'' Bar Families
Withou, Offspring; The
Price Is Only $500

Garden Homes, Chicaso's newest
worktngman's dwelling colony, started
several months ago by Benjamin J.
Rosentha!, backed by influential and
wealthy men Of the Windy City as
step toward the relief of tho housing
situation there. is now receiving It's
finishing touches. There arc Its houses
In the colony. which covers an area of
forty acres In the lower section Of the
city. They were built for workingmen
with children TO buy on terms within
reach of most operatives.
James +. Basiger, general manager
Of the Chicago Housing Association,
writing in Permanent Builder, tells the
story of the start and the progress of
the interesting development, which be
REGARDS az the finest housing opera
L!0n eve. nnepn ~ AneIic "
"Aftcr setting ASIDE part OF the
poses" Mr.. Basiger writes, "the rest
was divided into 30-foot lots and the
work was begun.
Cost Up $l,7oo House
"The plan was to sell these homes to
WUIkluSlucu7 at dCUudl COSC, anu Wucu
the project was formed it was believed
that this cost, would be around $4,000
house. Increases in wages and ma
terial costs soon made this figure i'm
possible. 1t had to be revised, and
the typical house in Garden Homes
costs S5,700 This caused much disap-
pontment, but no man who agreed to
buy home at the lower price has been
allowed to lose q penny. If better
wages did not enable him to go on with
the purchase Ill the advanced figure
made necessary he has been reimbursed
for every outlay and expense, his money
returned with interest, his moving ex-
penses paid both ways ,and everything
done to keep aim on the right side Of
the ledger.
How Attractiveness Was Secured
1.-The task Of drawing the plans was
given to Charles S. Frost, Chicago
architect lie was required to produce
house attractive in appearance as
we'll as sound in construction, with
enough variety to keep the Garden
Homes from looking like that drear-
lest thing on earth, row of com
pany houses in factory district. He
succeeded in this work. From one
typical set of floor plans, in which
the variations arc slight, he has
evolved eight types of external appear
ance. Still further variety is given by
differences in materials used and by
the use of some double houses. The
result is that q street in Garden
Homes compares favorably with any
street in any suburb. Every house is
quilt of common brick or of hollow
tile and stucco--the double houses are
all Of this last MATERIAL The roofs
are covered with asphalt shingles.
by little thought and care in Sc
ecting the brick to be used, and readi-
less in getting of color brick, which
so many quantity builders do not like,
wonderful effects have been produced,
heightened by the use of different col
ored mortars. Thcle is nothing cheap
in the appearance of these cottages.
Some Of the finest stucco work in chi
cago is to be found in Garden Homes.
One hundred and seventy-tive of
these houses are now virtually finished.
VI these nihoty-eignt are hollow tile.
Tie rest are sclid brick. The company
attends to The planting, hedging and
parking. The Money secured by the
sale or the business lots was turned
back to the building enterprise by the
company
Each house has good sized living
room, and kitchen and dining room
thrown together Most families who |
do their own work will find that the |
Simplest plan, and for state occasions :
the table can be set in the living room.
Upstairs are three bedrooms and a
bath, besides linen closet. Good
Easements, with competent heating ap-
paratus, are under all the houses.
Opposed to Race Suicide
Families with no children need not
n ~, hn, @,l-
elsewhere. The bedrock motive of the
men who put through this housing
scheme was love of children, and chill
dren must be in evidence before u
purchase can be made.
ne tnanclai arrangements are un-
usual. The bu- er pays 10 per cent
down. On the typical house costing
$500 his initial payment would be
$57o The remainder is paid in 240
'Qual monthly lnstailr.ents. In other
words, the man has twenty years to
pay for his home, though if he wishes
to pay for it sooner he can do So In
ierest on the deferred payment is 6 per
cent a year
lhe men Of the association, having
oadc a study Of wage earners, knew
nat one fear lies very close to the sur
zee Of every thrifty workers mind.
nat IS the fear of sickness or accident.
pay out M savings now and then
It sick and 1ehind in my payments.
ien | will lose cverything.' That is,
e way millions of men look at tho
after.
This danger was eliminated in
ry practical way. Every purchaser
'kes out Insurance. His life is in
4red for $4,000. his house is insured
nd he carries health and accident in
drance. All this is paid for in month
rent Instruments. On a typical
'ouse, costing $500, the buyer paws.
'ter his first ~ per cent, S44724 per
ear III equal monthly instalnlents.
his comes to 1927 month. Sup
use he is forty years old at the time
purchase. His life insurance will
ost hun 1885 a month. His healtb
nd accident insurance comes to 20
snts month and his fire insurance is
cents a month. This is d total Of
AIS a month.
III the head Of The house lives and
WORKS, OF course, he pays. If he dies
lls insurance pays, and his wife aud
children have q place to live. r. ho
gets sick or hurt his health and acci-
'ent insurance pays the monthly in
staiiments-the amount is made lust
'arge enough to pay that
Ihose who helped Nh Rosenthal 10
MAKE possible this housing project IN
,iude Ogden Armour, Thomas +. vii
on, Charles Dawes, Harry A. Wheeler
Dorr Felt, Charles ". Folds anl I,oni,
.ckstein. 10