The Washington herald., 1922-07-16
EXPERT
DESCRIBES new
KITCHENETTE PLAN
California Builder Tells
Of Origin Growth
Of Idea.

Between the rainbow colorings OF
the Sierra Nevadas and the blue
Pacific is Southern California. I'm
der unskissed skies and scented with
the fragrance of orange blossoms
this greatest playground OF Amer
lea is always warmed by the pres
ence of a flood of tourists from the
East. who go there to be warmed"
by the sun and kissed by the dew"
as Gene Field said. There was the
birthplace of the "kitcheLette"
The influx of guests made 1t nec-
essary for Southern California, used
in a broad way but narrowed to
the city Of Los Angeles and suburbs
lying outside its periphery, to cre-
ate a place to house its guests, a
place where work would be light
and living carried Or at the mini
mum of expense; where the trouble
some problem of household help
would be solved and at least a sem
blance OF the home which they had
left could be enjoyed with some de-
gree of privacy. This led to the
sleight-of-hand kitchenette, and in
stead of tucking In the bed cloth
ing. as had been done for years,
they tucked in the bed also, and the
whole arrangement filled a long-felt
want and one for which II was de-
signed.
AThe Cutest Little Flat
As these sojourners returned to
their Eastern homes with the tale
of perhaps their first long vaca-
tionel trip their neighbors asked
them were they lived, and many
times the answer was I'VE rented
the cutest little fiat of two rooms,
with disappearing beds, a bathroom
and a little kitchen all furnished,
bought most of our food at a deli
catessen and had our meals IA
home" This seed, sown in Cali
fornia. in Portland. Ore, ard Seat
tie, Wash, spread like horse-radish
root into the Middle West, then
farther East until within a decade
1t was only limited by the Atlantic
ocean.
1t must not be Inferred that this
form of dwelling does not meet de-
mands In other communities, be-
cause many families live in kitchen
cite apartments very properly, but
nevertheless il is the residence of
sojourner. Inability to finance
the desire for a home, the uncer-
tainty of a permanent location. or
livelihood. especially in our more
corgested communities. make ten
ancy a necessity. Within my re-
membrance, the duplex was un-
known in Minneapolis: the modern
house consisted of a wet sink. hard
wood floor in the kitchen. bay win
dow, electric bell and gas; then
came the English basement kitchen.
which was followed by the heated
| ri hut -
rooms iLJ each fiat, and after 1t
came the still larger apartment and
the four-fiat building with separate
heating plans.
These were all poor Investments
from the standpoint Of interest re-
turn, but with the advent of the
modern kitchenette the erection
generally OF other types OF dwell
ings ceased to a great extent, be-
cause the interest returns and the
opportunity of sale for a long price
of the kttchenette proved attractive
to the builder, and today II is the
prevailing type Of apartment build
ing.
Kitchenette Belongs to Class b.
But 1 contend that the kitchen
cite does not belong to the family
of dwellings in Glass A Of a hous-
ing cooe. IL DelongS To Class b,
which includes the hotel. We have
an excellent example in Minneap-
olis-a freproof structure covering
land 160x30o, ten stories high, con-
taing a thousand rooms and housing
| over fifteen hundred people. An
excellently appointed hostelry It is,
with Its large inclosed verander,
enormous reception and lounge
rooms. billiard room, barber shop
and hair-dressing rooms, its deli
catessen, where they stand In line
in order to be served provisions for
one meal in paper bags.
Rooms are rented by the day, week
or month. furnished and unfurnished,
with Service or without. You may
take your meals in the public dinning
room or prepare them over your little
gas stove in your own space, but
you must not cook odiferous vege-
tables under penalty of eviction.
Think of 1t, never being able to
cook a New England dinner or rub
garlic on your salad bowl, or serve
I1iederkranz cheese and crackers