Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 97, no. 2514: Articles]: May 20, 1916

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REAL ESTATE Hi AND NEW YORK, MAY 20, 1916 CAUSE AND EFFECT IN APARTMENT HOUSE CONSTRUCTION IN NEW YORK CITY By REGINALD PELHAM BOLTON Author of "Building for Profit"—"Power for Profit" WHY is an apartment building con¬ structed in a certain locality; why does it contain a certain number of apartments; why should the number of rooms per apartment vary, and why should the height vary in different parts of the city of New York? These are problems which constantly present themselves to builder and opera¬ tor. The student asks further why a certain number of apartments are built every year, and whence come the avail- .\part- Population Pro¬ Borougli ments 1915 portion Manhattan .. 535,124 2,143,061 Ito 4 . 127,6-9 625,635 Ito 5 Brooklyn . . .. 265,609 1,803,191 Ito 6.7 . 26,572 395,651 1 to 15 Riclimond . . 1,652 98,684 Ito 60 Total ...... 956,616 5,066,222 On an average basis of ^yi persons occupying an apartment, the total of 956,616 such spaces would account for 4,300,000 people out of the total by the Table No. 1: Existing Borough. Jan. 1,1915. Manhattan............. 35,839 Bronx.................. 4,847 Brooklyn............... 35,296 Queens................. 1,922 Richmond.............. 396 Summary of Report of Tenement House Department for 1915. TENEMENT BUILDINGS. BUILDINGS OF OLD LAW TYPE. New Bldgs. Demolished Added hy in- Existing erected. & converted, spection. Dec. 31. ____ 209 27 35,657 ----- 19 41 4,869 .... 259 131 35,168 46 7 1,883 ----- 16 3 383 Existing Borough. Jan. 1, 1915 Manhattain............ 5,097 Bronx.................. 4,942 Brooklyn............... 11,248 Queens................. 3,264 Richmond.............. 24 78,300 BUILDINGS OF NEW Erected during year. 143 313 641 268 LAW TYPE. Demolished & converted. 1 "6 11 Added by in¬ spection. 24,575 TOTAL OLD 1,365 18 AND NBW LAW BUILDINGS. Existing Borough. Jan. 1, 1915. .Manhattan............. 40.9.36 Bronx.................. 9,789 Brooklyn............... 46,544 Queens................. 5,186 Richmond.............. 420 Erected during year. 143 313 641 268 Demolished Added by in- & converted, spection. 210 27 19 41 265 131 57 7 16 3 102,875 1,365 567 209 77,960 Existing Dec. 31. 5,2.39 5,255 11,883 3,521 24 25,922 Existing Dec, 31. 40,896 10,124 47,051 5,404 407 103,882 design by the Tenement House Law. This exterior element ruled a line across the course of tenement-house design and changed the situation so radically that the field of apartment house construc¬ tion and occupation is divided into two parts—the old law and new law build¬ ings. One result of the greatest value which has flowed from the operation of the Tenement House Law is the compilation of statistics upon the subject by the De¬ partment charged with its administra¬ tion. Year by year these have become more specific and comprehensive, and now afford a record over a sufficient period to render it possible to study both the effect of the law itself, and the progress of the changes due in part to its operation, and in part to those some¬ what mysterious developments of the habits of the public, as well as the shifting of centres of business and popu¬ lation. An analysis of the statistics of the Department is productive of prac¬ tical information and should aflford some guidance to the large number of per¬ sons concerned in the operation, con¬ struction, planning and occupation of apartment buildings. See tables Nos. 1 and 2. First Important Feature. The first important feature which comes to view is the fact that the type of apartment building known as the old- law tenement, which has had no ex¬ pansion since the passage of the Tene¬ ment House Law, can have no future increase, but must decrease by some process and at some rate of progress dictated by commercial or physical de- able tenants. The owner of old prop¬ erty asks what is to become of his in¬ vestment. Information bearing upon these subjects seems to be of direct and monetary value to those who are con¬ cerned in investment in and loans upon this class of real estate. Builders build to sell or rent. Mort¬ gagees loan on assumably safe and con¬ tinuous investments. * Owners of old buildings are compelled to hold them if rentals fall or to sell at a loss to any available purchaser. All of these are afTected by the supply of tenants in suitable numbers whose needs and wishes,must be met and who will pay a rental sufficient to render the building investment profitable. Which of these factors controls the situation, and what are the determining elements in the pres¬ ent developments of location, type and character of apartment house construc¬ tion? Old and New Apartments. The tenement or apartment house, which is really a community building, is now the largest fixed feature of New York City domestic life. That it has met the requirements and has developed by the demands of the resident popula¬ tion of this city is clear from the fact that the great majority of the popula¬ tion reside in that class of building. The following statement, comparing the number of apartments with the popu¬ lation of the several borou.ghs, shows how greatly the apartment house has af¬ fected the life of the people of this city; Table No. 2: Summary of Report of Tenement House Department for 1915. NU.MBER OK APARTMENTS I.M OLD LAW BUILDINGS. Demolished Added by in- Existing Borough. Jan. 1,1915 Manhattan............. 393,725 Bronx................... 32,816 Brooklyn............... 165,869 Queens................. 8,278 Richmond.............. 1,535 Erected. & converted. 1,308 80 912 163 44 spection. 170 1.30 458 32 18 Existing Dec. 31,1915, 392,485 32,882 165,373 8,135 1,497 Borough. Manhattan. Bronx..... Brooklyn... Queens..... Richmond.. 602,223 APARTMENTS IN Existing Jan. 1.1915 .. 137.889 87,.507 90,a56 16,3.34 155 2,507 80S NEW LAW BUILDINGS. Demolished Added by in- Erected. & converted, spection. 4.783 41 Borough. Manhattan. Bronx...... Brooklyn,.. Queens..... Richmond.. 332,741 TOTAL APARTMENTS Existing Jan. 1,1915. .......... 531,614 ......... 120,.323 ......... 2,56.725 ......... 24.612 ......... 1,690 7,271 9,416 2,147 23,617 IN BOTH Erected. 4.783 7,271 9,416 2,147 1 36 44 122 CLASSES OF Demolished & converted. 1,349 81 •948 207 44 600,372 Existing Dec. 31.1915. 142,639 94,777 100,236 18,4.37 155 BUILDINGS. Added by in¬ spection. 170 130 4.58 32 18 356,244 Existing Dec. .31,1915. 535,124 127,659 285,609 26,572 1,(162 934,964 23.617 2,629 956,616 State Census of 5,066,222, or 86 per cent, of the whole population, leaving only 14 per cent, resident in private dwellings, in small stores, in hotels and institu¬ tions. During a comparatively short period of time, the character and form of the tenement building has undergone sub¬ stantial changes, the most radical of which was that due to the restrictions and requirements imported into theic preciation. The extent and rate of the removal or alteration of this class of building is a subject of interesting study in itself, and is particularly important in its bearing on the resulting replace¬ ment of old by new-law buildinp-s. _ The situation at the pre'ient time in this re¬ gard is peculiar. At the end of fifteen years of operation of the Tenement House Law, or on January 1, 1915, there were 35,839 buildings of the old type