Yesterday, EV Grieve discovered a page in the NYPL archives titled: "Apartment Houses of the Metropolis," from 1909. A "model tenement house" at 224-226 Avenue B was being advertised for $20 to $25 per month rent—each unit contained two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room or parlor. So the question is, how much are these apartments going for today? They note there are a couple of two-bedrooms on the market at 224 Avenue B right now, going for $2,395 and $2,295—to put things in perspective, "$25 in 1909 is equivalent to $589.50 in 2009 [but] inflation calculators don't take into account East Village inflation." Another apartment was recently on the market in the same building for $3,500/month—still a 2 bedroom/1 bath.
How Much Was An East Village Apartment in 1909?
Tenement Museum Exposes 103 Orchard
If you've ever lived in an older building in New York, you've probably wondered what was behind your walls (a secret room, perhaps!). Or maybe that's just us. Anyway, the Tenement Museum is readying their visitors center, and has just posted up some gorgeous photos of the process. When they renovated their 97 Orchard space, there was more in-depth archeological research done; the selective demolition at 103 Orchard Street includes the basement, ground, and second floors of the building — which dates back to the 1880s. Click through for some hot shots of ceiling timbers! Phantom staircases! Old playing cards! And much, much more.
City Hands Over East Village Building To Squatters
Earlier this week, a former squat, the Bullet Space at 292 East 3rd Street in the East Village, was turned over to its residents. Or, as the NY Post puts it, "Nearly 30 years after an eclectic group of poets, performers, anarchists and artists illegally occupied a burned-out East Village tenement, they've officially become a Manhattan co-op."
4-Alarm Fire in Chinatown Kills 1, Injures At Least 21
A fire broke out in a 6-story Chinatown tenement at 22 James Street around 3:47 a.m. this morning. The fire apparently started on the 4th floor, but spread to the 3rd. CityRoom reports that a man was found dead inside and a woman who may have jumped from the building is critically injured; there are at least 20 others injured and the building's other residents, dozens of adults and children, are currently homeless. WCBS 2 says the fire department, which rescued some tenants from fire escapes, had a tough time fighting the blaze due to the high winds.
Most East Village Tenement Tenants Settle for $75K
building into a home--with a gym, nanny suite, etc.--for his family. The tenants questioned whether Economakis would really live in the building, suspecting he would rent it out at market rates or flip it for millions, and the situation raised questions about rent laws for years. In the summer, the Court of Appeals ruled that Economakis could evict them; the Post says the tenants "gave in because they weren't confident they would beat" their landlord in Manhattan Supreme Court. A tenant added, "I don't think we can afford Manhattan anymore."
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