The Washington times., 1921-01-01
BUILD HOMES FOR
| CHICAGO W0RKMEN
Newest Dwelling Colony Said to
Be Finest Housing Opera
ton in America.

workingman's dwelling colony,
started several months ago by Ben
jamin J. Roscnthal. backed by inhu-
entail and wealthy men OF the Windy
city as a step toward the relief OF
the housing situation there, Is now
receiving its finishing touches. There
arc 170 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
70 buy on terms within reach Of most
operatives.
James y. Bssiger, general manager
of the Chicago Housing Association,
writing in Permanent Builder. tells
the story of the start and the prog
ress OF the interesting development,
which he regards as the finest nous
ing operation ever known In Amer
lea"
AFTER setting aside a part of the
forty acres for business and other
purposes" Mr.. Bssiger writes. "the
rest was divided into thirty-foot lots
and the work was begun
COST $500 A HOUSE.
"The plan was 10 sell these homes
to workinGmen at actual cost and
when the project was formed il was
4
around $4,000 a house. Increases in
wages and material costs soon made
this figure impossible. II had 10 be
revised and the typical house in Car
den Homes costs $1,000.
This caused much disappointment,
but no man who agreed to buy home
at the lower price has been allowed
to lose a penny. If better wages did
not enable him to go on with the
purchase at 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 u keep him on the right side
of the ledger.
MADE ATTRACTIVE.
THE task of drawing the plans
was given TO Charles s. Frost. Chi
cago architect. He was required to
produce a house attractive in appear
ance as well as sound in construc-
ton. with enough variety to keep the
Garden Homes from looking like that
dreariest thing on earth, row OF
| company houses in factory dis
trict. He succeeded in this work
From one typical set OF floor plans
in which the variations are slight. he
has evolved eight types OF external
appearance. Still further variety is
given by differences in materials used
and by the use of some double houses.
The result is that a street in Garden
Homes compares favorably with any
street in any suburb. Every house
Is built of common brick or of hol-
! low tile and stucco--the double
! houses are all OF this last material.
/ The roofs are covered with asphalt
shingles.
"By a little thought and care in
| selecting the brick to be used. and
readiness in getting on color brick,
which so many quantity builders do
| not like. wonderful effects have been
produced, heightened by the use of
| different colored mortars. There is
nothing cheap in the appearance of
| these cottages. Some Of the finest
| stucco work in Chicago is to be found
in Garden Homes.
OF TILE AND BRICK.
"One hundred and seventy-five OF
these houses are now virtually fin
ished. OF these ninety-eight are hol
! low tile, the rest are solid brick
The company attends to the planting
| hedging and parking. The money Sc
| cured by the sale of the business lots
was turned back to the building en-
terprise by the company.
Each house has a good sized liv'
ing room and a kitchen and dining
room thrown together. Most fam
| lilies who do their own work VIII fno
that the simplest plan. and for state
| occasions the table can be set in the
| living doom. Upstairs are three bed
| rooms and a bath, besides a liner
| closet Good Easements, with com
| petent heating apparatus are under
all the houses.
OPPOSED TO RACE SUICIDE.
Families with no children need moi
apply :. they can take their race sui
| eide elsewhere. The bedrock motive
| Of the men who put through this
housing scheme was love of children
and children must be in evidence be-
| fore "A purchase can be made.
The financial arrangements ae un