Evening star., 1926-10-30
APARTMENT HOME
OWNING |DEA|SOLD
Cliff DWeIIers Followed Plan
and U. S. Has Had 1t for
/ Last Forty Years.
BY ROBERT BATES WARREN
Nsuonal Chairman, Cooperative Apartment
Division. National Association OF
Real Eafafn Rnnrda

Division. National Association OF
Real Estate Boards.
The idea Of 'own your own apart
ment home" Is as old as the ancient
cliff dwellers. In the United states
the plan has been growing by leaps
and bounds with the development of
corporation law, it's origin in this
country dating back some 40 years
War conditions brought about the
trst cooperative apartment in Wash
ington. Under the Salisbury law and
Ball rent act an occupant of an
apartment could not be dispossessed
by an owner unless that owner re-
quired the property for his own per-
sonal use. The signing of the armis-
tice found thousands of people living
in rooming houses and paying high
rent for cramped quarters, who were
desirous Of procuring apartments in
various buildings If possession Of
those apartments could be obtained.
With this situation obtaining, 1t was
conceived that II a building then filled
with monthly rental tenants were Of
fered for sale on the cooperative own
ership plan. the purchasers Of the in
lividual suites would then become
owners and, as such. would be entitled
under the then existing laws to de-
mand personal possession Of their re-
spective apartments.
Many Occupants Bought.
The firm OF Allan f. Walker offered
several of the buildings they owned
for sale on this cooperative plan. It
was found In numerous cases that the
occupants themselves purchased the
apartments they had been renting,
realizing that O) if they did not they
would necessarily be ousted, and (2)
It was unquestionably more economic
/,
The popularity of this innovation
was immediate and widespread. Build
ings sold out In a few weeks; some
times only a few days were needed to
effect complete sale to those desiring
occupancy. Early purchasers were in
many instances offered appreciable
profits for the resale of suites they
had just bought.
AS the advantages and practicable
ity of the new plan became better un-
derstood the demand grew apace
Among the first buildings to be COM
pletely sold on the cooperative own.
ership plan were the Kendrick, the
northumberland, Cavanaugh Courts
the Lambert, the Stafford, the Adel-
phia, the Avondale, Copley Courts,
the Netherlands, Dumbarton Courts
and Rutland Courts.
New Buildings Offered
The conversion of older structures
TO cooperative ownership having been
proven successful, the construction of
new buildings for sale as cooperative
apartment homes was pioneered by
the firm of NJ. & r. B. Warren. They
first erected the building at 1705
I4anier place, which was almost en-
tirely sold out in 1S days.
This was quickly followed by a
group Of six buildings in Cleveland
Park, at 30l5-3028 Porter street. Some
innovations We're incorporated in
these apartments, including land
scaped grounds of generous size, play
grounds for children, garages for the
use Of the owner-Occupants and other
community features.
A downtown building, at 1895 N
street followed. and then an impos.
Ing edifice at 2540 Massachusetts ave
nua, known as the Army and Navy
Apartment" This more elaborate
building proving popular, NJ. & r. B.
Warren undertook the construction
"f Il million-dollar cooperative at 1861
crescent place. designed along the
Georgian English architecture and
presenting such modern features as