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^xREAL ESTATE
AND
NEW YORK, JANUARY 9, 1915
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I THE PASSING OF THE THREE-FAMILY HOUSE I
Is the Tenement House Department to Blame, or
Are Social and Economic Conditions the Reason?
By CYRUS C. MILLER, Ex-President Borough of the Bronx.
T, HE passing of tlie two and three-
family house in the Boroughs of
Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx is to be
regretted for many reasons. We can all
remember the decent thrifty American,
German and Irish owners who lived in
part of their houses and rented out the
other floors to tenants like themselves.
In a part of the city built up in this
way the conservative owners and their
families numbered one-half of the citi¬
zens or at least one-third. They were
frugal, industrious and law-abiding. Ihey
were interested in all the phases of city
administration because they helped di¬
rectly to pay the bills.
The housing of our people m multi-
family tenements increases the percent¬
age of citizens who feel no direct inter¬
est in the government and is apt to be
accompanied by all the evils of over¬
crowding. Therefore we should en¬
courage any movement which will help
to maintain the number of land-owners
and to spread out the population over a
larger area. The ambition to own their
own homes is common to all peoples,
and this desire will be gratified when¬
ever economic conditions permit.
This article is not intended either to
support or condemn the Tenement
House Law, but to examine into its
effect, if any, on the three-family house.
We might examine therefore, into the
case of buildings erected in the last few
years, to see whether there has been any
lessening of the number of two and
three family houses, and if so. what the
causes are.
Decline of the Three-Story House.
In the year 1912 in Brooklyn there
were erected 36 (or 4 per cent.) two-
story tenement houses; 418 (or 47 per
cent.) three-story tenement houses; 379
(or 43 per cent.) four-story tenement
houses; 21 (or 2 per cent.) five-story
tenement houses; 30 (or 3 per cent.) six
story tenement houses, out of a total of
884 tenements.
And in the year 1913 there were
erected 83 (or 10 per cent.) two-story
tenement houses; 227 (or 29 per cent)
three-story tenement houses; 425 (or 54
per cent.) four-story tenement houses;
22 (or 3 per cent.) five-story tenement
houses; 23 (or 3 per cent.) six-story ten¬
ement houses, out of a total of 780 ten¬
ement houses erected.
It may be seen, therefore, that there
was a decrease of three-story tenement
houses from 418 (or 47 per cent.) in
1912, to 227 (or 29 per cent.) in 1913.
The Tenement House Law under which
these houses were erected had not been
changed during the two years men¬
tioned. This is a fair example of the
increasing number of four-story houses
and decreasing number of three-story
houses for the past ten years or more.
In the Borough of Queens the great
bulk of the houses erected are three-
story houses. In 1913 there were erected
in Queens 25 (or 8 per cent.) two-story
tenement houses* 244 (or 78 per cent.)
three-story tenement houses; 43 (or 13
per cent.) four-story tenement houses;
2 (or 1 per cent) five-story tenement
houses, out of a total of 314.
iliilllMM^^^^
HO.X. CYRUS C. MILLER.
It must be noted that three-story
tenements are not always for three
families.
In 1912, out of 418 three-story tene¬
ments erected in Brooklyn 119 (or 28
per cent.) were for three families each,
and the balance, or 299, were for six
families each; while out of 227 three-
story tenements erected in 1913 only 34
were three-family houses, which is only
15 per cent., and the balance of 193
buildings were for six families each,
showing that the percentage of three-
family houses had decreased from 28
per cent in 1912 to 15 per cent in 1913.
It has been claimed that the Tene¬
ment House Law, which controls the
erection and maintenance of the three-
family house, is so drastic that it
hampers the erection of such houses.
Having started with the assumption that
three-family houses are desirable in the
community we should follow that up
with the decision that the Tenement
House Law should be abolished or
amended in so far as it relates to the
three-family house if it has the effect
that is charged, and provided also that
the requirements of the Tenement House
Law are unreasonable. On the other
hand, while we are anxious to preserve
the three-family house we must not re¬
move the reasonable restrictions which
make for healthful, safe and hygienic
housing. It is evident that the con¬
struction, alteration and maintenance of
such houses must be under the control
of some city department.
Let us compare the provisions of the
Tenement House Law as they affect the
three-story, three-family house and the
five-story house. (See table below.)
It would seem in the first place that
the requirements for the three-family
house are not unreasonable, and are not
so costly as those for the five-family
house. If, therefore, the number of
three-family houses diminishes and the
five-story house increases, we must con¬
clude that there are reasons other than
the Tenement House Law.
Economic and Social Reasons.
I am inclined to think that the rea¬
sons are economic and social, rather
than legal, and this view is supported
by tiie fact that in the older boroughs
like Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx,
where land values have increased, mak¬
ing heavier expenses to be secured nec¬
essarily from the rents, the three-fam¬
ily house is disappearing, and that in
the newer boroughs like Queens and
Richmond where land values are low, the
three-family house flourishes. Four, five
and six-story tenements, with two, three
or four families on a floor, enable the
owner to gain a larger income from the
investment and pay the increased taxa¬
tion on the higher value of the lots. The
smaller apartments in a big tenement
likewise can be rented for a smaller rent
and, therefore, meet the economic neces¬
sities of the tenants.
At present the three-story and four-
story building are treated alike by the
Tenement House Law with regard to
fire protection and light courts.
Perhaps it would encourage the build¬
ing of three-family houses if the provi¬
sions of the law now applicable to the
five-story tenement were applied to the
four-story tenements. This would re¬
quire fireproof halls and stairs and
larger light courts, but the question then
would arise whether this would not re¬
sult in increasing the cost of four-story
tenements and therefore encouraging
Miiterial of building:
Beams over cellar:
rdlar stairs:
Stairs:
Stair halls:
Stair Hall Enclosure:
Yards :
Outer courts :
Inner courts :
Lighting of stairs and
halls:
FIRE PROTECTION.
Three-story (three-family).
The entire building may be of wood if
outside the fire limits.
The cellar iy the danger point, yet beams
may be of wood.
May be inside of the building, though
this is dangerous construction.
May be of wood, soffits or under side to
be covered with metal lath or plaster
boards.
Floors may be wooden beams with 5
inches of cement deafening.
Stairs may be enclosed with ordinary
wooden stud partitions covered on both
sides with metal lath or plaster boards.
LIGHT AND VENTILATION.
Need be only 10 ft. deep.
Permitted to be 4 ft. wide.
May be 4 ft. wide by 12 ft. long.
No window required ; skylight In the roof
with 12-Inch stairwell sufficient.
Five-story.
B*uiMing must have walls of
brick, stone or concrete.
Iron or steel beams with fire¬
proof filling required.
Outside cellar stairs prohibited.
No opening between cellar
and upper stories permitted.
Stairs must be iron, steel, mar¬
ble or stone in all their
parts.
Floors must be iron beams
with fireproof filling.
Stairs must be enclosed with¬
in brick walls with fireproof
self-closing doors at all open¬
ings.
Must be 12 ft. deep.
Must be 6 ft. wide.
Must be 12 ft. wide by 24 ft.
long.
Window to the outer air of 18
sq. ft. required for each floor.