REAL   ESTATE







AND







NEW YORK, OCTOBER 25, 1913





■■IIIIIBIIIIIIIIM^^^^^^

I                                ■                                                 1

I   THREE-SEVENTY-FIVE   PARK    AVENUE   I





I                  A Fine Example of the Best Modern Practice in Plan and Construe-                   I

I                  tion—Best Materials Preferred  Because  of Economy of Maintenance.                   |





THREE years ago Park avenue, from
4Sth street north to 56th street, was
a district of tenements and factories and
endless railroad tracks. The announced
decision of the New York Central to
cover over the tracks, which lie below
the street level, and the final acceptance
by the city of the railroad company's
plan to make a parkway in the center of
the avenue, made property owners and
builders see the possibilities for real es¬
tate development and the probability of
the avenue in this section becoming the
finest residential ave¬
nue for apartment
houses in New York.

Park avenue is 200
feet wide, is only
equalled in width by
upper Broadway, and is
without the tremendous
disadvantage of Broad¬
way's surface cars and
immense traffic.

Acquiring the Site.

The Montana Con¬
struction Company pur¬
chased the Steinway
Piano factory on Park
avenue, between 52d
and SSd streets, a plot
on the block north of
this, and also two plots
in S3d street, besides
two plots on 52d street,
the total purchase ag¬
gregating approximate¬
ly twenty-two city lots.

The company pro¬
ceeded at once to im¬
prove the small plot on
Park avenue north of
S3d street, known as
No. 383 Park avenue,
with a fine twelve-story
building, and in May,
1912, began the con¬
struction of No. 375
Park avenue, now
the completed "Mon¬
tana."

In planning this great structure, cov¬
ering nearly sixteen city lots, with a
200-foot frontage on Park avenue, the
owners decided that comparatively small
apartments varying from eight to twelve
rooms, each with three and four baths,
would be the proper size suites to attract
the greatest number of desirable tenants.
Each apartment was planned with two
maids' rooms, a maids' dining-room and
a kitchen, whether the total number of
rooms of the suite was eight or twelve.

Messrs. Rouse & Goldstone, archi¬
tects, developed the plan and the archi¬
tectural features embodying it, and the
completed building is undoubtedly with¬
out its equal in many respects. Its front
is massive and imposing, with a lime¬
stone  base  three  stories  high, and  Ro¬





man brick and terra cotta cornices rising
above. The design is in the style of the
Itahan Renaissance, and is simple vvith
little ornamentation.

A Driveway into the Building.

The main entrance to the building is
through a driveway on Park avenue, en¬
abling motors and other vehicles to
drive directly into the building, and have
their passengers alight under shelter,
and thereafter drive out again. There
is   space   for   three   or   four   motor   cars







There is a dignity
detail.





RoUm/   ,^   Goldstone,   Archite^'ts.
THliHli-SHVB.\'TY-FIVE    PARK   AVENUE,
in the general mass and a reserve   in   the  use  of  Italian   Renaissance
The carriage    entrance   Is   beneath the  central   block.





to wait for their passengers, and the
chauffeurs are provided with waiting-
rooms on either side of the court.

On entering the hall, one is struck
with its immensity and simplicity. The
main entrance corridor is 25 feet wide,
and 150 feet long. The walls continue
to the ceiling in a series of arches in
unbroken lines of caen stone, absolutely
without ornamentation, and the effect is
most unusual and attractive.

An  Imposing   Decorative  Effect

The large central foyer, or the hall
opening from this main corridor, is done
in plaster relief, in the style of the Louis
XVI. period, and adds an imposing dec¬
orative eflfect to the simply designed cor¬
ridors.

Accesssible   from   the   entrance   hall¬





ways are five passenger elevators, each in
different wings of the building, four
serving two apartments each and one
serving one apartment only. There are
four service elevators in addition, two
of which are in party shafts and supply
five apartments.

There are nine apartments on each
floor, all of them provided with four
rooms in the service portion, one spa¬
cious living-room, a dining-room, and
either two, three, four or five bedrooms.
The apartments with eleven and twelve
rooms have a large
drawing or reception
room in addition to
the living-room, and
the twelve-room apart¬
ments have a library.

There are two master
baths in all apartments,
and three in apartments
witli four or more bed¬
rooms. One of the
maids' bedrooms in all
l)Ut the smallest apart¬
ments is unusually
large and will accom¬
modate two maids.
Plenty of Closets.
Every bedroom has
two closets in it. Every
kitchen has two closets,
and some of them have
three. Every pantry
has a closet, some have
two, and some have
three closets. There are
large dressers in the
kitchens and pantries,
dififerently arranged
from the usual type of
dresser. There is a
china closet or cabinet
in every pantry, with
removable shelves. At
least one of the hall
closets is shelved for
linen. There is a
special c ab i n e t to
hold liroom and car-
the   kitchen   of   every





pet   sweepers
apartment.

Attractive Kitchens.

The kitchen sinks are 36 inches long,
and the ranges have eight hole tops,
two ovens, a broiler, plate warmer and
large hood connected directly to a ven¬
tilating flue. The pantries have steam
heated plate warmers.

The walls and floors around kitchen
and pantry plumbing fixtures are cov¬
ered with either tile or marble.

The refrigerators are porcelain fin¬
ished inside and out, and are supplied
with  artificial   refrigeration.

Master bathrooms have recessed por¬
celain tubs, let into the tile walls and
floors, making the spaces around them
absolutely sanitary.