Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 96, no. 2472: Articles]: July 31, 1915

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REAL ESTATE AND ^^ BUILDERS mim, NEW YORK, JULY 31, 1915 iiliiililillliilillllllllilllllllllililllilllHIililllliilU^^^ I THE COMMITTEE ON TENEMENT PLANS | Principles of Good Designing Laid Down by Specialists—Ap¬ proved Examples From Drawings in Tenement Department aiiiiH liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiilin liiiiiiii THE report of the Committee on Tenement Plans in New York, issued by its secretary, Cecil C. Evers, presents the conclusions of a notably thorough and systematic study. The object of the report is to supply in¬ formation that will tend to improve the average quality of apartments in the more common grades and types of tenement houses—to point out how safe, wholesome and convenient liv¬ ing quarters may be built that will cost no more, and that will bring Steadier investment returns,- than the general run of existing accommoda¬ tions. It discusses the principles of good planning, and gives examples of what the committee considers to be the most approved plans evolved for diiTerent plot units. The members of the committee are Lawrence Veiller, chairman; Cecil C. Evers, secretary; William H. Abbott, C. Grant La Farge, and Rudolph P. Miller. The committee was organized on November 13, 1913, at the Engi¬ neers' Club. Its work has been fa¬ cilitated by Tenement House Commis¬ sioner Joiin J. Murphy, who placed at its disposal every convenience for inspecting material of public record in his department. More than three hundred plans were examined and twenty conferences were held, the sec¬ retary's report being adopted on Julv 2, 1915. The members of the committee came together in response to invitations is¬ sued by the Record and Guide, which took the initiative at the request of public spirited men who had observed the success of the method adopted by the New York Chapter of the Ameri¬ can Institute of Architects for pro¬ moting good taste in the matter of tenement house design. The Chap¬ ter awards medals each year for ex¬ cellence of exterior design in tene¬ ment houses (including what are popu¬ larly known as apartment buildings) erected during the preceding twelve¬ month. The metropolitan newspapers, as well as technical journals, have been glad to publish illustrations of the houses thus singled out as note¬ worthy by a professional body of ar¬ chitects. The publicity given to current ex¬ amples of well designed buildings has proved to be of educational value, and it is recognized that the awards of the Chapter of the American Institute T N response to invitations issued ■•• by the Record and Guide, sev¬ eral prominent men, interested in promoting better tenement house construction, formed the Commit¬ tee on Tenement Plans in New York. In the accompanying re¬ port are given the findings of the committee, which met many times and examined a great number of plans in order to arrive at a satis¬ factory conclusion. Typical plans of units of various sizes and a short digest of each are printed in this issue. The houses considered are those renting for moderate sums and which are adapted to the more congested sections of the city. form one of several influences which are bringing about a marked advance in apartment and tenement house ar¬ chitecture in New York City. Excellence of design is chiefly a matter of artistic expression, while excellence of plan is dependent main¬ ly upon practical considerations. Hav¬ ing set for itself the definite aim of encouraging a popular demand for good architecture in relation to the prevailing type of domestic housing, the New York Chapter of the Ameri¬ can Institute logically and properly makes its awards exclusively with ref¬ erence to exterior design. Its aim is distinctly public spirited, a special phase of the general effort in the di¬ rection of a more beautiful, con¬ venient and sanitary city; and is be¬ ing effectively carried out. However, it is the interior plan which directly affects the health and comfort of the occupants of a house; and because of the success of the method employed by the New York Chapter, it was felt that a similar method should be adopted with re¬ spect to interior plans. Tenement House Commissioner John J. Murphy on various occasions had given public expression to this thought, but no association of professional men had taken it up; and the reason was fairly apparent. The principles of design are fixed and well known to compe¬ tent artists, but there was no concen¬ sus of opinion as to what constitutes a good plan. Before any such agreement of opin¬ ion could be reachSed a cooperative study would have to be undertaken for the purpose of reconciling several distinct points of view often supposed to be antagonistic; namely, that of sanitary science, that of social and economic conditions, that of the prac¬ tical requirements of construction, and that of the capitalist. The Commit¬ tee on Tenement Plans in New York is composed of men each of whom might be expected to view the tene¬ ment problem from a different angle, but all of whom had a common in¬ terest in it and were qualified by pro¬ fessional experience to contribute to¬ wards its solution. The work consisted : (1) in estab¬ lishing the relative importance of the factors necessary to ensure safe, wholesome and convenient accommo¬ dations to tenants, while securing for the owner a successful investment of capital; and (2) in selecting from among the plans filed with the Tene¬ ment House Department typical ex¬ amples to illustrate the principles laid down bv the committee. Mr. Evers' report is so brief and compact that nothing would be gained by attempting to summarize here the findings of the committee. It may be noted, however, that Mr. Evers makes a point of the fact that, under normal conditions ef supply of housing, badly lighted and badly ventilated rooms do not bring a satisfactory return on the money invested in their construction. Many builders act in the belief that the biggest profit is to be obtained only when the site is occupied up to the limits permitted by law; whereas, on the contrary, many properties are un¬ successful investments merely because of the presence of inferior rooms, say one or two repeated on each floor, which do not bring in enough to pay their relative share of the taxes, in¬ terest, and operating cost. It seems worth while recording that this special argument in favor of sani¬ tary housing was confirmed by the abundant practical observations of Mr. Evers, who is vice-president of the Lawyers' Mortgage Company. Before proceeding to its examina¬ tion of plans the committee ascertained from statistics compiled for it by the Tenement Liouse Department that the common house frontages in New York were approximately 25 feet, 50 feet and 100 feet. In the 25-foot class, plans of houses with a frontage of not less than 23 feet nor more than 27 feet were eligible for considera¬ tion ; and corresponding variations were adopted for the other classes.