The New York herald., 1921-01-23
TUB SAVED
WASHINGTON SQUARE
Forced Up Rents in Surrounding Area
and Drove Professional Villagers
to Other Districts,
by MARTHA CONAN.

for a home decided TO settle downtown,
or the real estate expert conceived the
idea OF restoring an old fashioned house
and converting it into several apart
ments. rents began to rise in proportion
to the expenditure. and the Bohemians
could no longer afford to live here and
they sought other old time dwellings in
out of the way streets, where rents were
still moderate.
They were succeeded in the Washing
ton Square district by men and women
whose fathers or grandfathers. or per-
haps. great-grandfathers, had once
lived. The newcomers cherish the
heavy solid mahogany doors far more
than painted ones of steel; they revere
the silver door knobs and have them
retinished or polished to shine as they
did in the age of Innocence" They
restored the carved mantels and the fire
places and when settled in these quaint
surroundings they feel that they have
found a bit OF the really old New York.
which, Mr. Pepe says. is the only sizable
portion Of the city remaining practically
intact.
j. Irving Walsh. another OF the aids
to rehabilltating the village, is one of
the strongest believers I'm its future. He
maintains that the long haired dwellers
were never so numerous as the public
has been led to think and that their
complete removal from the old fashioned
quarter, even from west of Sheridan
Square. Is a matter of a short time.
The accessibility of lower Fifth ave-
nue. Is one of It's greatest assets. accord
ing to Mr.. Walsh. And It will remain a
district convenient to subways. bus lines.
surface cars elevated and tube for an
indefinite time he asserts. There Is no
other section in the city so convenient for
the business man and the shopper, the
theatregoer. the writer and the artist, he
says. Downtown is only twelve minutes
away. the theatres are about the same
distance by elevated. bus or subway. and
some of the shops are within walking
distance
Tho two great railway terminals are
connected with the square by various
routes. Ard another advantage OF the
district IS that tho dweller usually
travels in the opposite direction to the
morning and evening crowds You come
nearer TO ease and freedom of move
ment in tho village than in any other
thickly settled section.
Houses Are More Prctcntious Now.
Most OF tho fine old brown stone and
brick houses on tho square, on lower
Fifth avenue and It's cross streets have
been acquired within the last few years.
As there are few available houses here
newcomers have had to content them
selves with dwellings further west,
across Sixth avenue and even on the
other side OF Seventh avenue and
Fourth street which crosses these num-
bered streets over here.
Some Of these more recently remod-
ellcd houses were not quite so pre-
tentious IN the days they were built
Yet they have practically all the at
tractive features OF the more expensive
Fifth avenue house. Perhaps the man
tells are not marble. nor are the door
handles OF silver, nor tho doors them
selves OF solid mahogany. But the at
mosphere Is there and the houses can
be made over into comfortable modern
homes. They are 80 well built. so de-
lightfully and substantially finished in
side that they easily lend themselves 10
the apartment plan.
The duplex idea is being introduced
into many Of these remodellcd houses
The entire house Is often too large for
one family so the purchaser has the
high stoop replaced by an American
basement This gives tho owner the
basement aud the parlor floor. or per.
haps the FIRST bedroom floor. aud by
building q stairway inside he can reach
either noor without using the tenants
entrance.
Mr.. walsh has followed this plan I'm
his new house at % West Ninth street
The arrangement. he says, has all the
advantages OF private house and Il
leaves no waste space and expresses n
feeling different from the average up-
town house OF tho fashionable apart
ment
The washington Square Association,