The Washington herald., 1922-07-16

with a bottle of near but very far
much difference between this plan
kitchenette apartments are ell sub
stitutes of this type and as they
become older they are either fur
nished and rented by the week or
attract a less and less desirable
class OF occupants.
Light housekeeping 1t is, but not
quite SO light as In the congested
districts of our largest cities where
at high rentals the same mode of
living Is carried on by entirely re-
spectacle people who are compelled
to use the lavatory as a sink, the
bath tub as a refrigerator and put
the gas plate over the bath tub to
prepare the simple but delectable
breakfast and lunch. the exact ne
cessities for which are obtained be-
fore each meal from the nearby
delicatessen.
Need for Housing Code.
Now here Is where a housing
code should become a force. The
spreading of these types of dwell
ings was So fast that restrictions in
city ordinances did not keep up in
its growth, in spite of the protest
of housing reformers. The builder
did not care SO long as the building
produced an income which would
permit him to sell or exchange IL
at a handsome profit. One OF our
most astute operators in this class
of buildings states that II does not
pay to own kitchenette apart-
ment building but 1t does pay 10
build them and sell them. He has
made a lot of money.
The type which was built first
was with a nonfireproof front and
rear stairway, inside bathroom or
kitchenette and rather small living
room with some kind Of a disap-
pearing bed. Ventilation for either
the kitchen or bath was obtained
through a skylight and only one
way of egress and ingress was pro-
vided, the total superficial floor area
being less than, 800 feet and con-
tained in a space II by II feet.
This type of building was common,
In Minneapolis, st. Paul and other
cities.
The other arrangement in COM
mon use in Minneapolis and st. Paul
was perhaps much worse. This was
because 1t Permitted over-crowding,
and over-crowding of living rooms
Is the epitome of slum dwellings
reducing the moral fabric OF our
society. Note the possibilities of a
man and wife leasing the apartment
and renting out the living room to
anotheH couple. four persons living
their lives In average living space
per couple of about 225 square feet
1t will be seen that while the two
room apartment appears to give
more space. II has the possibilities
OF anordinS less space and les,
privacy.
In Minneapolis these types of
construction have been done away
with. We do not permit inside
bathrooms or kitchenette. and we
have limited the size of a buiIdinp
requiring side and rear yards. and
also two stairways. at least one M
which must be a fireproof stairway
and stair hall.
Demand for More Room.
But a protest has also been made
against these types by tenants and
probably without knowledge of IN.
protests of law makers and hous-
Ing retormers. Others have seen
the tendency of these small and
unattractive apartments become
the place of habitation OF a
cheaper tenancy. They have come
10 realize that this mode of living
Is unsatisfactory and now a de-.
fnano has come for larger apart
ments. He would be a foolish in
Vestor today who did not meet the
popular demand for a two, three
ana four-room apartment building
where plenty of Gods free air and
sunlight can filter into all rooms
and clarity and disinfect them
More space where you can feel freer
and have a better chance to broad
en- your existence.
while all larger cities suffer from
the same ills in housing, perban,
our experience here in MINNEAPOLIS
is similar to other cities and our
advancement may be an example 10
some who are less fortunate than
we are with our housing law. The
type which we are now building is