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Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 100, no. 2587: Articles]: October 13, 1917

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REAL ESTATE AND (Copyright. 1917. by The Record and Onlde Oo.) NEW YORK, OCTOBER 13, 1917 REPORT OF TENEMENT HOUSE DEPARTMENT Principal Events of Year 1916 Recounted, Showing Some of the Accomplishments of the Department By HON. JOHN J. MURPHY, Commissioner, Tenement House Department FEW people realize how directly the work ^ -" the Tenement House De¬ partment comes into contact with their daily lives. It is seldom that the occu¬ pant of an apartment understands or is even interested in the number of things that go wrong about the building in which he lives, unless the matter af¬ fects his own suite. But the owner of the building knows what constant atten¬ tion is necessary to maintain the struc¬ ture in proper condition and prevent rapid deterioration. There are 104,753 tenement houses in the city; therefore the extent and variety of the Tenement House Department's duties may be re¬ alized. At the close of 1916 there were 976,397 apartments in tenement houses in New York City. The average in¬ crease is about 30,000 a year, though this year this figure will be somewhat decreased on account of the building inactivity. The Department found it necessary during 1916 to file violations against 3Sy\23 tenement houses, or upon one tenement in every J:hree in the city. In many cases the violation filed was for a trivial matter, but the repairing of the defect often demonstrated the old say¬ ing that "a stitch in tiine saves nine." During 1916, 29,053 tenement houses were cleared of violations, the number of orders dismissed and canceled be¬ ing 155,440. Important Developments. The most notable events of 1916 were the epidemic of poliomyelitis extending from June 1 to October 31; the passage and adoption of the Building Zone Res¬ olution on July 25, and the transfer to the Tenement House Department of certain powers under the Labor Law, regarding bakeries and confectioneries in tenements. Other items of interest were : (1) changes in departmental pro¬ cedure by the establishment of the Model District Number 142; (2) instal¬ lation of the system of notifying ten¬ ants or janitors of violations of law, and placing responsibility therefor upon them w^henever conditions so warrant; (3) census of vacant apartments. The epidemic of poliomyelitis began about June, 1916, and apparently originated in the southern district of Brooklyn. The Department made a thorough sanitary inspection, not only of every tenement house in which a case was reported, but also in the entire block immediately surrounding. The total comp-laints for 1916 were 48,352, about 8,000 more than during 1915. The adoption of the Building Zone Resolution conferred additional powers and duties upon the Tenement House Commissioner and upon the Tenement House Department. It beca-.e neces¬ sary to make an inspection of every tenement house located in the Business or Residence District, noting any busi¬ ness use of the premises at the time of the passage of the Resolution, and fur¬ ther, to clearly establish on the records of the Department, the Use District in which the tenement is located. On October 1, 1916, certain powers under the Labor Law, regarding baker¬ ies, confectioneries, etc., in tenements, and certain powers of the Department of Health pertaining to same, were HON. JOHN J. MURPHY. transferred to the Tenement House De¬ partment. The transfer imposes upon the Department additional duties enforcing^ those provisions of the Labor Law relative to construction of and structural changes in bakeshops and confectioneries. With the object of facilitating results in compliance of violations, especially in any congested sections where condi¬ tions warrant urgent action, the Tene¬ ment House Department, towards the close of 1916, inaugurated a new sys¬ tem for the attainment of this purpose. Accordingly, several blocks bounded by Hester, Elizabeth, Spring and Mott streets, Manhattan, and known as Model District No. 142, were designated for experiment. An important under¬ lying principle of the experiment is the securing of the removal of violations by personal suasion, rather than by means of the customary correspond¬ ence. Only four violations were filed in the district during one calendar month. During .the same period, 147 tenants' notices were issued, which, upon reinspection, were found promptly com¬ plied with. Apartment Census. During the first week in March, 1916, the Department conducted a census of vacant apartments in order to ascer¬ tain whether the percentage of vacan¬ cies had increased materially since the previous census, and whether building was keeping pace with the demand for accommodations. On the whole, the census justified the conclusion that at that lime there was no discrepancy be¬ tween the demand for housing accom¬ modation and the supply. Tables compiled by the Department show that the total vacancies in the city at that time was 5.60 per cent.,) while the total vacancies in new-law tenements was 4.03 per cent., and in old-law tenements, 6.52 per cent. The highest percentage of vacancies was in thc old-law tenements in Richmond, viz., 9.01 per cent.; the lowest was in new-law tenemente in Queens, 2.73 per cent. There has been a remarkable growth of the new-law tenement. Of the total number of 104,753 tenements in the city, 27.149 are of the new-law type. There are 597,955 apartments in old-law tene¬ ments, and 378.422 apartments in new- law tenements, so that 38 per cent, of all the apartments in the city are in tenements of the new-law type. They equal 76 per cent, of the total apart¬ ments in the Bronx, and 71 per cent, o^ the total apartments in Queens. More tenement houses were con¬ structed in 1915 and 1916, and more capital employed in 1916 than in 1914. In the latter year, 119 tenement houses were erected in Manhattan, containing 4.125 apartments, or accommodations for 18.562 persons, upon the usual basis of 4?/ persons to an apartment, and at an estimated cost of $19,376,000, exclusive of the cost of the land. * It should be noted that, although 4^^ persons in an apartment is the basis commonly used in estimating a popula¬ tion, there are many indications that this figure is no longer true of apart¬ ments in Manhattan, where there are many suites containing only two or three rooms. An average of four per¬ sons in an apartment would possibly be more nearly correct. Tenement House Locations. The location in which tenement houses were eirected during 1915 and 1916, is a matter of interest and im¬ portance, showing as it does, the gen¬ eral trend of new tenement house oper¬ ations. While tenement building is not en¬ tirely confined to any particular section of Manhattan, it nevertheless cannot be said that many new tenement houses were erected in purely tenement dis- iricts. Through all these districts, however, there exist many tenement houses erected since the new law took effect. Practically all of the vacant space available for tenement purposes in the lower part of the Borough when the new law was passed in 1901, was utilized for new tenement houses in the years immediately subsequent to the passage of the law. New tenement houses can now be erected in lower Manhattan, therefore, only by the demolition of old buildings of various kinds. A rather noteworthy beginning in this respect was made during 1915 and 1916, as v\^ill be seen from the following list of tenement houses and loft buildings, which either have been, or are about to be demolished, plans having been ap¬ proved for new tenement houses upon the site. Loft buildings demolished to provide new tenement house sites include 42 to 50 West 67th street. 103 and 105 Avenue A, 6 and 8 East 8th street, 10 and U East 18th street, 18 to 26 East Sth street (two buildings), east side of Elizabeth street, 55 feet south of Grand street, north side Broome street, 75.11 feet west of Mulberry, 59 and 61 West lOth street (two buildings), and 132 and 134 Thomp¬ son street. The following old tenement houses were RECORD AND GUID£> IS IN ITS FIFTIETH YEAR OF CONTINUOUS PUBLICATION,