Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 82, no. 2127: December 19, 1908: Supplement

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1200 RECORD AND GUIDE December 19,1908 ..^ , J^, Nos. 712 and 714 5th av are shpwn two good examples of hiislnass buildings, In the former case a certain residential character is retained as befitting the use bf the building by a decorative artist, without in any way affecting its rental value. In the" latter building, No. 714,; is shown one with a maximum of light and air on each fioor, the general composition being good and at the same time securing tlie effect of proper supports for the upper stories by means of the side piers ■ carried all the way down to the sidewalk level. : ■-:' "f In the case of No. 520 Sth av, the old brownstone front has been maintained above the store, but the alteration has been carried out in such a manner as to make a harmonious front, the store being the predominating feature. In the photograph of the building on the southwest corner qf 62d st and Madison av can be seen what was originally a dwelling-house, the lower 'two stories having had the beam levels altered and the upper poftibn of the building changed for apartments, entrance being secured by means of a central tower building, containing the electric elevator and stairs which are built fireproof, this part being the- new portion of the structure. The exterior of the building being finished in cement gray stucco and the small roofs of bay windows and main cornice of red Spanish tile. In No. 138 West 65th st, the beam levels were left as they were originally in the dwelling-house, except that the first tier of beams is raised in the front portion, so that entrance to the. NO. 400 FIFTH AVENUE. . An alteration, makeshift. Two stores would have been tel:ter, the ,flrst one, with high ceiling entering from street level. Second story '^tore reached from an interior stairs and elevator; the general effect of thia building is unkempt, the outside stairs and area disfiguring, and the placing of signs haphazard. ,vator is compai'atively easy and not costly to install and operate; the cost of the electric service in an ordinary 5-Bty ,building will run from eight to thirty dollars a month, accord¬ ing to the use and size of the car. This is an item which must be taken into consideration in the laying-out of the plan, as in some neighborhoods it is desirable to install an elevator, [and the interest on the cost of its installation and running will .often be more than offset by the increased rentals. Tbere are, .however, many neighborhoods where an elevator Is not neces¬ sary Jn a 5-sty building. INDIVIDUAL EXAMPLES. The accompanying photographs tell their own stories. Take jthe photograph of No. 400 Sth av as an example. Here, in the ;wrlter's opinion, good judgment has not been used, for while I a number of stores are secured, the income of the three is not so large as could be had in this neighborhood from two stores. ,by making the main one a well-proportioned business premises, with high ceiling and entering from the street level, and the ! second story store reached by means of either an easy interior .staircase or by means of an elevator placed so as to have easy I access from the street. No. 582 Fifth Avenue Is a building with a new front ;in which the floor levels of the first twb stories have been i changed so as to conform to the new requirements. This is an old building with a new front and seems to admirably solve the problem, the front having dignity and a maximum of light procured for the .upper floors without in any way detracting from Its architectural treatment. A PIONEER IN 65TH STREET, No. 138 West 65th street. A former (our-story browDBtone dwell¬ ing solentlflcally altered.