The Washington herald., 1921-08-13
PLAS
REDUCES COST OF
BUILDING HOMES
Housing Corporation.
Aims to Help Erect
1000 Homes.
CUTS HIGH RENTS
Buyers, by Putting Up 20 Per
Cent of Cost, Get Full
Advantages.

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 1.-TWO
thousand new houses for the Pitts
burgh district within the next year
is the aim OF the Housing Corpora
tion of the Pittsburgh Chamber of
Commerce, formed to better Sthe
acute rent and home situation here.
Cheap money, construction at about
one half the usual cost and expert
supervision without charge are lead
ing features OF the plan. 1t has so
appealed to the public that scores of
building applications have been
filed.
The movement Is for civic better
ment, without profit to the corpora
ton. Its officers are giving their
time and business experience with
out hope of financial reward. Bank
ers, builders and material dealers
have fallen into line. The result
has been that money for construc-
tion is available at the legal rate of
s per cent without bonus. materials
are being provided at little more
than cost and some 1000 lots have
been listed as available sites for
dwellings.
Helps In Financing.
The corporation has no money.
nor does 1t assume any obligations.
On the other hand. II insists that
every house be financed before work
is started. but it helps in the fl
nanCing
1t demands that each prospective
builder shall have not less than 20
per cent of the total cost. Then IL
tells him where he can get a first
| mortgage for so per cent. and II
necessary II puts him in touch with
an institution that will take a sec
ond mortgage for the remaining 20
per cent.
This plan is primarily TO help
those living on moderate salaries
and incomes who have been hardest
hit by the shortage Of houses and
the consequent high rents" A. W.
Thompson. president OF the corpora
ton. says,
with this in mind we have set
out to build modest, substantial and
comfortable homes at low cost.
Hest nOustS viii HdNc ali NOh-
veniences and necessities. They will
be good to look upon, but will not
be snowy. and best of all they will
be worth every cent invested In
them
We are simply applying to the
man who wants home the methods
by which mass production has been
successful and giving him the bene-
fit OF the saving in costs"
Applications for houses are
grouped into blocks of ten or more
to get the benefit of heavy buying
and concentrated supervision.
Has Eleven Basic Plans.
The corporation has eleven basic
plans and will build houses of four.
five. six and seven rooms at cost
of from $3.50 to $1,000 a room. From
these basic plans a limited number
of other designs can be evolved
The plans are regarded as the best
| possible for this community.
Employees of a leading newspaper
soon iiIled a club and decided to To-
cate their colony in the South Hills
, district, while a large party of Uni
| versity of Pittsburgh professors
took UP. the question of building on
land near the university. Neighbors
living in flats and apartments in
the congested residence sections
have also approved the plan by form
ing neighborhood clubs. A number
of manufacturing companies have
taken up with the corporation the
| idea of providing houses to sell To
| their employees at cost.