The Housing Book

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THE GIFT OF
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The housing book; containing
3 1924 014 903 953
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When
Home
Building a
READ
Bungalows, Camps and Mountain
Houses,
By William
Phillips
Comstock
The Swiss Chalet Book,
By William
Rumford
Fireplaces and
By
Made,
S. B.
Dana
How They Are
6. Curtis Gillespie
Two Family and Twin
Houses,
By William
T.
Comstock
Garages and Motor Boat Houses,

By William Phillips Comstock
The Hollow
Tile House,
By Frederick
Squires
Wall Papers and Wall Coverings,

By Arthur Seymour Jennings
American Renaissance, a Book on the
History of Domestic Colonial Architecture in America,
By Joy Wheeler Dow
THE WILLIAM
T.
COMSTOCK
CO.
PUBLISHERS
is
WABREN STREET
NEW TORE
CITT
THE
HOUSING
BOOK
Containing Photographic Reproductions, with Floor Plans
One and Two Family
of Workingmen's Homes,
Houses of Frame, Brick, Stucco and Concrete
Construction; also Four, Six and Nine Family
Apartments. Showing Single Houses,
Groups and Developments that have
been built in various parts of the
United States
Compiled by
WILLIAM PHILLIPS COMSTOCK

Editor of
Architecture and Building
From
the Designs of
Many Prominent
Architects
150 Illustrations and Plans
NEW YORK
THE WILLIAM
23
T.
COMSTOCK
WARREN STREET
CO.
Ckipyright,
191&
By
The William
T.
Comstock Co.
<9nv #arben
There are spots of wondrous beauty
In every clime and land,
Some were fashioned by Old Nature,
Some were made by Man's crude hand,
Some
wildest settings,
a mansion fair.
Some, are massive in their beauty,
Some are slight and light as
lie
in
the
Some adorn
But
the
air.
spot of rarest beauty,

Quite the fairest gem of all.
Is that spot of verdant Nature
Just within our garden wall.
With our own toil have we built it.
It has known our loving care.
And naught can match the joy we feel
When calmly seated there.
PREFACE
IN
this present
day when peace
all the questions
is
hovering over the world, with
of reconstructions and readjustments to be set-
among the all important problems facing the country is the

one of industrial housing. The scarcity of suitable homes for working
tled,
men is the starting point. What is true of one industrial center
is
true
of the next, and so on through the whole chain of mill and factory
towns, steel and mining centers throughout the country.
sporadic
movement
for better homes for working
men
some years ago.

Port Simlight, England, may be hailed as a pioneer and recently here
and there in the United States employers of large nmnbers of men,
reading the signs of the times, animated in part by a philanthropic
spirit, and influenced by the economic side of the situation, have instarted
stituted small colonies for housing their help, near their industrial
plants.
"And then came the war"

mark the ending and beginning
â
of
cry that for years to come will
many
things in our
lives,
customs
and habits. The U. S. Government in order to facilitate war work

came to the aid of private enterprise and the housing movement went
forward with marvelous rapidity.
present in this book examples of the
We
earlier order, initiated
by the heads of large plants or corporations, and of developments carried out imder Government direction, which altogether will give a
clear comprehension of the large scope embraced, and also give suggestions to those
who may wish
or even single houses.
No
designs for small building projects
attempt has been made to give an estimate
of cost in any of these operations; the present instability in prices

of material, the difference in value of such in different localities, and
the ever changing labor situation, making any fair or stable valuation
impossible. It is a question that each community must solve for itself
governed by lo?al conditions.
William Phillips Comistock.

August, 1919.
List
Clarence Wilson Brazer
H. Errol Coffin
of
Contributors
New York City.
Broadway, New York City
1133 Broadway,
1123
Sibley Building, Rochester, N. Y.
Ailing DeForest
Albert F. Edwards
30 Church Street,
& Weeks
425 Fifth Avenue,
Electus D. Litchfield
477 Fifth Avenue,
Hiss
Rossel
Edward
Geo. B. Post
Sons
Carroll H. Pratt
C. E.
John
Schermerhorn
F.
Suppes
City
City
City
Norfolk, Va.
Mitchell
&
New York
New York
New York
101
Park Avenue,
681 Fifth Avenue,
New York
New York
City
City
430 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Akron, O.
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Page
11
Introduction
Eclipse Park, Beloit,
Wis
George B. Post
17
&
Sons, Architects.
Development at Cradock, Va
George B. Post & Sons, Architects.
27
Westinghouse Village, South Philadelphia, Pa

Clarence Wilson Brazer, Architect.
37
Harriman Townsite,
Bristol,
Pa
47
Carroll H. Pratt, Architect.
Overlook Colony, Claymont, Del

H. Errol Coffin, Architect.
65
Yorkship Village, West Collingswood, N. J
71
Electus D. Litchfield, Architect.
Development at
Erie,
Pa
79
Albert F. Edwards, Architect.
Development
at Bridgeport,
Conn
89
Hiss and Weeks, Architects.

Firestone Park, Akron,
John F. Suppes, Architect.
Development
for Colored
Rossel
Edward
Workers, Truxton, Va
101
106
Mitchell, Architect.
Development at Donora, Pa
One Hundred Concrete Houses.
110
Designs for Single and Double Houses of Moderate Cost

C. E. Schermerhorn, Architect.
114
Small Concrete Houses
121
INTRODUCTION
ONE
need not turn back so many years to note the changes

that have occurred in oiu* ways of living in village, town and
city, not only in the homes of our native citizens but in the
dwellings of our ever-changing body of immigrants.
little more
than a quarter century but certainly not a half century, will cover
this evolution.
Take a
War,
for then
the Civil
typical
New England
town
New England was the center or starting point
of most of the industries, and Pennsylvania with
was
steel
still
at a period after
on the edge of the "far west."
and iron and

The operatives had no
its
coal
homes, according to the present understanding of the word.
They
dwelt mostly in the factory boarding houses built and maintained by

the corporations for the accommodation of their "help"; while fore-
men, overseers and higher employees whose positions were mostly of

life tenure had the advantage of a village house, rented from some
private party or often owned by themselves. According to standards
of today those houses would seem unlivable, but were the best the
times provided.
The
or
pump
sanitation
was
Water might be
primitive.
supplied by well
or in rare cases, public water works had arrived and a cold
water faucet in the kitchen sink was the advance guard of modern
improvements. There was no heat except for a stove in the sitting
room, and occasionally the parlor the latter room being choicely
kept for Sunday afternoon or evening callers. The bath-room was

xmknown and a wash tub by the kitchen fire on Saturday nights, in
the private house, was a high degree of comfort, but imagination can
hardly picture the discomforts and privations of the heatless sleeping
rooms of the corporation boarding house in the rigorous climate of
New
England.
Mill operatives in those days were wholly drawn from the farming
districts and smaller villages, where the old fashioned large family
made
the seeking of a
a necessity.
Low
new
field of labor for
11
its members
The young people
some of
wages and content prevailed.
INTRODUCTION
own but their children never
Then immigration set
factories.
married and settled into homes of their
went into the
The
in.
nulls,
foreign
workshops or
women
filled
the great spinning and weaving rooms
and machine
shops and in the public works, which were then installing gas and
water systems, all this entailing much digging of ground and laying
The foreign men worked
of the miUs.
Where
out of streets.
did they live?
in the forges
Anywhere.
They
filtered into
They
occupied the meanest houses in the outskirts, and who cannot remember
in almost any town its noxious squatters' settlement. The American
the vermin-infested frame buildings of the boarding house.
on improving its streets, its property, and putting its

money out at interest and giving its children a high school education,
looked on with indifference, sometimes with contempt, or saw not at
all; but to the steady courage of these first immigrants is due, perhaps,
public, intent
the continuation of the strong foundations of our early

wealths.
comparison
is
common-
not to be drawn between these and the
early settlers of the country, and yet they were pioneers in their way,
coming from barren homes and meager possessions to this land for
the betterment of their condition. The mill towns of New England
are not the only type of these days.
little
later the mines, steel
and furnaces of Pennsylvania drew armies of the day laborers,

and a picture of the living conditions in the towns and squalid hill
villages and the poverty of the workers with the attendant epidemics
of disease is woven into the history of the state. The flow of immigration kept up with an ever-changing nationality, and another phase
soon appeared unrest of the operatives. If not evinced in an actual
strike, it was shown in the restlessness of the men employed
a changanother
always
dissatisfied. The problem
ing about from one job to
to the manufacturers was vexing, but as long as new men came along
they were not much concerned, and did not seek a solution. It has
taken many seasons, many changes, many minds before it has dawned
upon some employers that the workman would be better contented
mills
if
provided with better living quarters, and, moreover, would be more
efiicient in his
sequent
Pages of statistics have been prepared to show

employer of the constant changing of help with con-
work.
the cost to the
damage
to machinery, attendant overhead expenses,
of material, but specific mention
is
and waste
not needed here.
The manufacturing companies and corporations have not been

slow to provide an outward show of advancement and prosperity.
12
INTRODUCTION
Splendid oflSce buildings and model factory buildings fitted with the
most up-to-date machinery are evidence of the progressiveness of
the owners. In many cases, clubs and reading rooms are established
for the workers, a social welfare
work vmdertaken with its "better

babies," and milk stations and often optical and dental clinics.
A
district nurse is employed and the laboring man and his family taught
the elements of personal hygiene ^how to combat influenza and
tuberculosis, but the great fundamental of improving his home con-
ditions has been neglected.
The coming
war brought a sudden realization of faulty

housing conditions and forced upon the manufacturing companies
and owners of tenement property the conviction that the need of houses
and better houses must be met and met quickly. The U. S. Government started a Housing Corporation, and private firms in many
localities immediately began to buUd, not only houses but towns.
Villages, complete in every requirement, sprang up as if by magic
on land that but lately was meadow or field and are the product of
quick, intensified work planned to meet the present need.
As soon as a corporation or housing company takes a parcel of
land to be developed, siu-veyors and engineers map out the streets
and the architect and builder follow with plans for various types
of the
of houses.
and welfare of the prospective tenants, providing for sanitation, educational and religious
opportunities, recreation centers and civic Hfe. Houses of different
sizes, varying from three to ten rooms, meet the needs of different
families; nmning water, sewerage systems, electricity and gas are
The
provided.
chief consideration
hospital
is
is
the comfort
often one of the
first
buildings erected,
and schools, churches and amusement haUs follow. The houses are
rented at reasonable rates or sold on easy installment terms. Around
the shipyards and converted industries, where the inrushing workers
were counted by the thousand, the demand was a serious problem
accommodate the
tenants comfortably. With the sudden cessation of war industries, this
demand has somewhat lessened, but it has been the awakening to a
new era, to a new and better condition of housing facilities that must
be fulfilled. One can see the economic advantage gained by the
carrying out of these ideas and putting these plans into effect, but
and could not be supplied
in season or in quantity to
the moral aspect of the question
is
13
also pointed out,
INTRODUCTION
Better homes, improved conditions of living for the working
men
of today, most of them foreign born, means better citizenship

and a better foundation for the next generation. Another body of
house and home seekers will be found in the men of our demobiUzed
Many
army.
Many
former work or localities. The

in different caUings and new scenes
will not return to their
shifting about will settle
many
new
of these have seen a
light in the hygienic standards of
Some came from the slums to which they never shotild

Whether or not the powers that be acknowledge their re-
their camps.
return.
sponsibility in this matter the
working
man
is
deciding
it
for himself
and demanding that society gives him the thing he needs. The encouragement to him of owning his home is a factor not to be overlooked.
Secretary of Labor Wilson has recently said
"I have found that the
man who owns
his
home
is
the least sus-
and is about the last man

to join in the industrial disturbances fomented by the radical agitators.
Owning a home gives a man an added sense of responsibihty to the
national and local government that makes for the best type of citizenceptible to the so-called Bolshevist doctrines
ship."
The demand
for houses
is
general and not confined to any particu-
from the Department of Labor show. The

is at hand for the best efforts of
each community to concentrate on a prompt solution of how to provide good and sufficient housing. Those who are looking for a better
day in the housing field for the wage earner and his family can be
lar locality as reports
scarcity
is
country wide and the time
with gratification at the achievement already attained in this

direction and which gives promise of greater development in the im-
filled
mediate future.
14
ENTRANCE TO ECLIPSE PARK, BELOIT,

16
Geo. B. Post
WIS.
&
Sons, Architects.
EcHpse Park,
Beloit, Wis.
George B. Post
Architects and
&
Sons
Town Planners
THE
development at Beloit, Wisconsin, known as Eclipse Park,

for the employees of Fairbanks, Morse and
Company, a large
manufacturing concern, employing thirty-six hundred men,
is
unique in the respect that the garden village which

has been planned
is composed entirely of
single family, detached houses, designed for
mechanics earning $20.00 per week and upwards. In laying
out the
streets the designers
have avoided the rectangular system, the streets

following the original contour of the land, conforming to the
lines of
least resistance in the easiest
and most natural grades, and the whole
tract being divided into blocks and parcels, each one quite different
in area and shape. All streets except the main boulevard, which is
80 feet wide, are 50 feet in width.

space
The sidewalks are 5 feet wide and

a grass-strip. Each house is set back at
is left on each side for

20 feet from the front line, giving space for grass and shrubs,
and making a park like effect for the whole section. The house lots
vary in size, according to the size of the house it holds, the smallest
least
houses of foin* rooms being set on lots 40 feet front by 80 feet deep.
These increase in size as the five, six, seven and eight-room houses are
located, imtil a plot with frontage of from 50 to 55 feet and depth of
from 100 to 110 feet is allotted to the eight-room house.
All the houses have concrete cellars with 7 feet clear headroom
under the entire first floor. The cellar is equipped with a special hot
air furnace, with flues and registers to all rooms. The furnace has a
hot water back connected with a boiler for winter use, and connections
are provided for a gas heater to be used with the boiler in warm
weather.
Stationary wash tubs are furnished in the cellar of the
larger types of houses. All the houses have a separate living room,
dining room and kitchen on first floor, with the exception of a few of
the smallest houses of four rooms, where the dining room and kitchen
17
THE HOUSING BOOK

The
rooms have an area of 150 to 190 square

feet in the smaller houses, and in the larger houses an area of 200 to
210 square feet. The dining rooms run from 100 square feet in the
are combined.
living
smaller to 140 square feet or
more
in the larger houses.
The
kitchens
most appealing feature in the planning, no one of them having

an area less than 90 square feet, increasing in some cases to 115 square
feet.
They are equipped with modem sink, drain board and dresser,
a gas range and commodious supply closet with shelves for storage
and kitchen utensils. In the four-room house, in which the kitchen
and dining room are combined, buffet corner seats are built in. In
others a dining room with alcove kitchenette, 6x10 feet, has been conare a
structed
and space provided for a
refrigerator.
Special study has been given to a convenient and sanitary type of

bedroom, ranging in size from 110 to 150 square feet. All bedrooms
have two windows, arranged for cross ventilation. Every bedroom
has a clothes closet, and each bedroom floor a linen closet. All houses
modern
and the lighting

is by electricity throughout.
The houses are of frame construction
with clapboard, shingle or stucco exterior finish, and the style is disare equipped with a bathroom with
fixtures
though the treatment is so skilfully diversified that

The entrance square is
it is free from monotony and yet harmonious.
proposed
to be made an attractive feature. Here it is
to erect a group
tinctively colonial,
of two-story buildings, irregular in outline
^the
first
story to be
and extending continuously around the enclosed

There will be accommodations for stores of
different kinds, a motion picture theatre, branch library, club rooms
and the like, while the second story will be used for apartments and
treated as an arcade
portions of the square.
offices.
In looking through the plates illustrating this development, one

is impressed by the diversity of styles, yet with an ease of treatment,
combined into a harmonious entirety. There is a fascination about
this assemblage of houses that prompts the wish that one might
live in such a community. There is the cottage with the gambrel roof
suggestive of early New England days, and the plain cement or stucco
house with the Spanish Mission style as a motif. The variety of
treatment in the numerous houses of simple cottage design will be
noticed in the porches, the dormer windows and in the roof lines some
with a straight slant, some with a sweeping curve and others broken
;
at the eaves line for
window
space, scarcely
18
any two being
alike.
Plate
Geo. B. Post
1.
AN EIGHT ROOM HOUSE,
First Floor.
BELOIT, WIS.
Second Floor.
19
&
Sons, Architects.
Plate
Gso. B. Post
2.
A BLOCK OF HOUSES, BELOIT, WIS.

(Floor Plans of
End House, Below.)
Second Floor.
First Floor.
20
&
M,XiS^MiXtii
Sons, Architects.
Plate
3.
A SEVEN ROOM HOUSE, BELOIT, WIS.
First
Geo. B. Post
Second Floor.
Floor.
21
&
Sons, Architects.
Plate
Geo. B. Post
4.
A FIVE ROOM HOUSE, BELOIT,
First
Floor.
WIS.
Second
22
Floor,
&
Sons, Architects.
Plate
S.
Plate
6.
Gô. B. PosL
STUCCO HOUSES BELOIT,
WIS.
(For Floor Plans, See Next Page.)
23
&
Sons, Architects.
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26
Development
at
George B. Post
Architects and
THE
demand
Cradock, Va.
&
Sons
Town Planneri
development of Cradock, Va., was the result of the urgent

for houses in the
Hampton Roads
district,
centering
ahout Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., and the object was to

provide homes for the employees of the Portsmouth Navy Yard, which
located nearby.
The Bureau of
Industrial Housing, orgamzed soon

after the United States entered the World War, engaged the firm of
is
& Sons, Architects, to plot out a town and design houses

and entrusted to them the selection of a site. This done, and
the Hegeman-Harris Co., Inc., selected as builders, the work was
speedily begun. The topography of the site chosen called for rectangular sections and streets, which plan was followed with a few
deviations to provide more direct and convenient access from one point
Gô. B. Post
therefor,
to another.
The town square
made a prominent
was planned
with the idea of giving it the air somewhat of the town common or
green which is found in many New England communities. Stores
border one side and the town hall, fire house and library occupy the
others.
careful survey of the existing needs was made and the
blocks were subdivided into lots, which were made 50x100 feet for
detached and semi-detached houses, and from 15 to 20 feet wide for
those in rows or terraces.
is
feature and
The general
features of these houses that are similar to those
planned by the same architects in other sections, are the provision of a

clothes closet in every bedroom, linen closet on bedroom floors, a supply closet in kitchen and coat closet in the entrance hall or living room.
The kitchens are supplied with tubs and sink, dressers with glass doors
and shelves above and drawers below, ranges with hot water boiler and
provision for gas connection to boiler and ample space for a work
table. Every house has a simuner kitchen, 8x10 feet, in the rear of
27
THE HOUSING BOOK

the house, an unusual feature brought into the scheme
This being low lying ground and water
acter of the land.
found near the
siu-f ace,
the construction of cellars
southern climate also would
demand
this,
is
impossible.
as a comfort
This summer kitchen allows for the storage of
sity.
erator
and a gas or
The heating
heater, which
by the char-
if
bemg
The
not a neces-
coal,
a refrig-
oil stove.
plant in the single houses
may be installed
in the living
with connections to radiators in
all
is
a special hot water
room or kitchen
the rooms.
as desired,
Semi-detached and
from which
a radiator in the bathroom is supplied. In these houses, where the
stairway is open, the surplus heat ascends, and where the stairway is
enclosed, an open work balustrade grill permits the heat to rise to the
bedroom floor. The houses are mostly of clapboard or frame construction, a small proportion of them being treated with stucco lath
terrace houses are equipped with stoves with a water back
or Bishopric board, either over the entire surface or
first
or second
story.
The
standardization of details
the general style adopted
is
a feature of special interest, as
was a simple
therefore are of a colonial type.
The
colonial treatment; the details

architects
detail standards for doorways, porches, shutters,
have devised certain
windows and other
parts that could be standardized, so that the cost of producing the
material was greatly reduced by the repetition of the same motif in
same type. All the houses are supplied with

sewer connections, electric lights and telephones. This development
has been given the name of Cradock and is a distinct town with its
own post oflBce. The name was given it as a memorial to Admiral
Cradock of the British Navy, who lost his life in battle with the German fleet off the coast of Chile early in the war. The street names
are arranged in alphabetical system, though they are really names of
famous admirals of the U. S. Navy.
By a glance at the plates several types of houses and methods of
scores of houses of the
treatment will be seen; although the general style
is
colonial, yet there
enough to banish sameness or monotony. In Plate 10 three

semi-detached houses are shown. These have six rooms each. The
two houses in full view are the reverse of one another. The porches
are treated differently, and in the high-posted verandas surmounted
is
diversity
a slight suggestion of the gallery conmion

to southern houses. In fact, the simple treatment of details, typical
of the best southern domestic architecture, is apparent throughout.
with a railing there
is
28
THE HOUSING BOOK

Plates 11 and 12 show cottages of pleasing design, and the plans show
clearly the well-considered accommodations.
Plate 13 gives a street
view in perspective, rather bare at present showing, but giving promise

of much attractiveness when nature has given her aid in the way of
trees, vines
and growing
Plate 14 shows one model of a
things.
and detail, but has

the advantage of being a house that time will improve and will wear
well to the eye and taste of the dweller therein. The floor plans show
ample room and convenient arrangement.
stucco house.
It
is
severely plain, both in design
29
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Plate
Geo. B. Post
11.
COTTAGE AT CEADOCK, VA.
k^d^
:^
&
Sons, Architects.
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Plan
Plate
Geo. B. Post
12.
COTTAGE AT CRADOCK,
33
VA'.
&
Sons, Architects.
Plate
A STREET VIEW, CHANNING AVENUE, CRADOCK
13.
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r^LANS FOR
^-^_-tii^_'
END HOUSE SHOWN ABOVE.

34
iLo^M
;i~;-V--r,4-JFr'n-
VA.
?ivecr isa-K
IS CO. IMO. CO/fT/mcTom
Geo. B. Post
&
Sons, Architects and
Town
Planners.
Wl-f
-^fi'^^h
e^^'-'-
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ft
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jtCONV 7LaDR.?LAN
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PLANS FOR END HOUSE SHOWN ABOVE.

35
Plate
Geo. B. Post
14.
&
Sons, Architects.
A STUCCO HOUSE, CRADOCK, VA.
Ej-)=- -îBO-a!--
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r'^"l^':ix!fm:^'~ '^7tl^_ _t|i" Jsaa
li:
Ft- OCR
^-hU^
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Second ruooK PL ah
Plan
36
Westinghouse
Village,
South Philadelphia, Pa.

Clarence Wilson Brazer
Town Planning Architect
Philadelphia
between
SOUTH
Essington, on
Delaware
lies
the towns of Lester and
River, about three miles north of
the
Chester, Pa., near the locality of the large
plant of the Westinghouse Electric and
The
ployees the town was projected.
Mfg.
new marine
Co., for
turbine
whose em-
tract of land comprises about
90 acres located in the open country some distance from any large
Therefore
the development is intended to be a permanent one, and the planning
and construction were all done with this end in view, and as planned
will eventually provide 1,100 homes for 6,000 people.
All the buildings and the complete town plan were designed by Clarence W.
Brazer, architect, but the actual work upon a section of 200 houses was
under the supervision of the U. S. Emergency Fleet Corporation,
which let the building contract to William Crawford, of New York.
The streets are provided with a dual system of storm and sanitary
sewers.
There are numerous open squares and playgrounds and
settlement, but near several other large industrial centers.
several churches
and
schools.
large recreation field
is
centrally
Y. M. C. A. building and school house

toward Philadelphia runs through the site,
located, with a boathouse,
near by.
trolley line
frontage was naturally reserved for stores, banks, movies,
and
this
etc.,
with apartments for shopkeepers and
above, these higher buildings
making a
two
stories
housing
district
offices in the
shield for the
and giving privacy from the noise of the plant and railroads. The
streets running north and south were specially designed for residences
so that practically every room in the village gets direct sunlight some
part of the day. The houses are built on sodded terraces in rows of
Itwo, four, six and eight and are all of the highest grade of construction.
There are no frame houses, most of them being built of
brick with a few houses of hollow tile and stucco construction to give
37
THE HOUSING BOOK

All of the houses have slate roofs and concrete cellars. Six
rooms to a house is the average, but there are a few larger houses and
a number with five rooms. Inside, all the houses are excellently finished
and provided with modern kitchens, bathrooms, furnaces, hot-water
variety.
heaters and electric lights.
A bird's-eye view of the town plan
shown on Plate 15, also a

planting plan of more than usual interest showing a well laid-out
scheme to have tree-lined streets and the variety of tree to be used,
the quantity and size of these trees and the places in which to put
them. Our forefathers were animated by sentiment when individually
they planted a tree for the benefit of the coming generations, but the
modern method dictated by a clear foresight accomplishes at once
by wholesale planting, its purposes to lend an esthetic setting and to
convey health and comfort to the town dwellers. On Plate 16 we
have a group of houses with the air of an old New England village.
The house to the left in appearance belongs to a century ago, but by
observation of the fioor plans on the same plate it will be seen that
this is but a section of a four-family house, the ground plan following
irregularly an angular outline formed of two houses in the center
with a wing house at either end. The interiors are ingeniously arranged with every possible convenience. The house in the center of
this group with piUared porch stands with dignity among its neighInstead of being a family
bors and with an air of bygone days.
mansion which it suggests it is designed for two foremen's famihes,
which will be seen by the plans foimd in the text on page 40. These
are snug quarters of five rooms and bath, well arranged and equipped
with the modern improvements which lighten and brighten household
is
work.
The houses shown on Plate 17
are built in groups, with accom-
modations for four and eight families and contain five or six
rooms each. These show a changing style in porches and roofs, the
house at the extreme left being one end of a group of eight houses,
The compactness of the
the plans of which are shown on Plate 18.
arrangement, which also embraces all the conveniences of closet room
recommends itself. The adjoining house with

for four families, with a similar arrangeintended
pillared front is
ment of rooms, but with a casual difference here and there which an
inspection of the plans on the same plate will show.
and kitchen
facilities,
Plate 19 gives a view of a four-family house with plan annexed.

detail in plan to be noted is the separation of the entrances, giving
38
THE HOUSING BOOK

a
privacy in approach not always attained in a block of houses.

photographic reproductions of some of the houses after com-
little
Two
shown on Plate 20, These are of the type shown on

Plate 17 in which the gambrel roof is conspicuous. The gambrel
dormer gives an additional effect of quaintness. The plans on Plate
pletion are
18 apply also to these houses.
39
flRjT
rue
CJ&R,- ?_ A
BB-(t^>4)
KL1 fcOOf VLA/I
FLOOR PLANS FOE PILLARED PORCH HOUSE SHOWN ON PAGE
BIRD'S
EYE VIEW OF TOWN PLAN, WESTINGHOUSE VILLAGE.
Ni
1^'
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yv-
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]:J
111 J
li>>:^c^J-/-:
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[t
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',
Plate
'
iTLLff
Clarence Wilson Brazer,
15.
Town Planning
PLANTING PLAN, WESTINGHOUSE VILLAGE, SOUTH PHILADELPHIA,

41
ITTI
PA.
Arrhitect.
Plate
16.
GROUP OF HOUSES, SOUTH PHILADELPHIA,
PA.
FLOOR PLANS FOR HOUSE TO THE LEFT OF ABOVE ILLUSTRATION.

42
Xt
fi
.^
Vl^^ViStiy*.
.*.
Plate
17.
GROUP OF HOUSES FOR FOUR AND EIGHT FAMILIES.
K(?or
Cla/j
IIj.
'>-
Ll
,i>. --
J FIFST
l|,
'in
FLOUK
Pl.A/4
FLOOR PLANS FOR HOUSE IN CENTRE OF ABOVE ILLUSTRATION (PILLARED FRONT).

43
o
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15
O
o
1-4
<
H
U3
t3
1-1
1-1
HI
O
H
>-l
W
O
w
tn
13
O
M
!^
O
fa
en
<
h
1-1
Pi
O
O
1-1
."jSr"
44
Plate
19.
GROUP OF
II13T
SIX
ROOM HOUSES, SOUTH PHILADELPHIA,
PA.
J EC 0/lD rLOOt PLAfl
LOOK. P LAA
45
Plate
20.
PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS OF HOUSES SHOWN ON PAGE

(For floor plans, see page
46
44)
43.
Harriman Townsite,
Bristol, Pa.
Carroll H. Pratt
Twn Planner
Architect and
UNDER
the direction of the Merchant Ship Building Corporation the great development known as Harriman Townsite
at Bristol, Pa.,
was planned and rapidly got underway when
the need of providing living quarters for the
army
of shipbuilders
gathered there became an urgent necessity. Bristol contained few

available houses for newcomers when the influx began, and it was
necessary to provide quickly for the great number of men employed
employed in the erection

Appointing Mr. Carroll H. Pratt as designer of the
in the plant as well as the construction force
of the houses.
buildings, the corporation here erected in record-breaking time a vast
administration building which contained every facility required by the
great
office force
of the company. Radiating from this building well
and sewered streets stretched forth, along which were built row
upon row of detached and semi-detached houses of excellent construcThe general plan laid out provided for all usual
tion and design.
facilities including stores, restaurants,
community
and necessary
schools, churches, playgrounds and parks, as well as different types
of dweUings for housing bachelors and families, running from the
common labor type, up through the skilled mechanics to foremen,
superintendents and executives.
leaved
This plan has been consistently followed and provides an equitable and appropriate disposition of the various grades of houses and
buildings of public or semi-public character. To meet the varying
needs the corporation built individual bachelor cottages, tiny family
cottages, larger cottages for larger families and huge boarding houses
hall. Then
for the single man who did not care to maintain a bachelor's
group
there were two-family houses, three and four- family houses and
even
sixteen
and
eight
seven,
houses containing accommodations for
All these houses were of the latest type of sanitary confamilies.
and equipped with every reasonable device for comfort, such

hot-air furnaces or
standard plumbing fixtures, electric lights,
struction
as
47
THE HOUSING BOOK

steam heat. The architectural style is also sufl&ciently varied to avoid
any suggestion of monotony, and while stucco appears to have been
a favorite material, there were enough houses of brick or frame conThe buildings to house the
struction to effect a pleasing contrast.
bachelor laborers and mechanics were placed at the northerly end of
the property nearest the plant, a
number of them being
erected for
temporary occupancy, without interior partitions or finish but with

weatherproof though temporary roofs and side walls and permanent
foundations and permanent plrmibing and heating equipment. The
blocks for bachelor houses were laid out with large buildings of the
boarding house or mess hall and dormitory type, housing sixty men
each, and at each end of the block, on the cross streets between, with
smaller buildings housing twenty men each.
South of this boarding house district and between these and the
open parks and playgrounds are placed the apartment houses for
families. These are of various types of exterior design, all two stories
high, having sloping slate roofs and exteriors of brick, stucco, clapboards or shingles. Apartments each have separate entrances and
are of three, four and five rooms each. Care has been taken to plan
all the rooms rectangular in shape, without irregular offsets or alcoves,
well lighted, conveniently arranged and of good size and amply pro-
Each family has access to a storage room in the

apartments are heated from a central plant. On another
side of the public space are placed the individual group houses for the
occupancy of married skilled laborers and mechanics. These rows of
vided with closets.
cellar,
and
all
dwellings offer an opportunity for considerable variation in exterior
design which has not been
lost,
and the same variety
in building
materials previously mentioned gives the completed street an appear-
ance not unlike that of a high-class suburban development.

Finally, at the southerly end of the plan
and surrounding a
smaller park are placed the single detached houses of five and six
rooms each, which have been provided for superintendents, foremen
and executives and which are also of varying plan and exterior design.
Along the main street east of the residential section are placed the
administration
building,
commissary-stores
them, police station,
with
apartments over
fire station and other community buildings.

Nearby is also to be built a hotel providing rooms for single men
and married couples. A group of school buildings including rooms
for elementary and high school grades, with assembly halls, etc., is a
part of the plan and adjoining these is the athletic field affording
opportunity for outdoor exercise and games,
48
THE HOUSING BOOK

With
this
general outline of the plan of townsite and the dis-
position of the various grades of houses,
open
community buildings and
an examination of the plates which contain the illusand plans of a good ninnber of these types will enable the
reader to f uUy understand and appreciate the development as a whole
and the units individually.
Plate 21 shows one of the smaller types of cottages of frame
construction, attractive in exterior, and the plans show arrangements
for housekeeping on a small scale but complete in detaU. Nothing
spaces,
trations
a make-shift device, even in the smallest home. Plate 22

illustrates one of the smaller so-called boarding houses or dormitories
is
left to
of the
bungalow
type, designed solely for night lodging.
The two
wings have access to a central toilet room provided with tubs, showers
and lavatories, and each wing is arranged to group the bedrooms
around a central living room in which the lodgers may find rest and
recreation other than sitting in the bedrooms. The three-family house
The exterior is in stucco finish; the roof and
is shown on Plate 23.
porch shelter, set in broad angles, present a new note in the surroundings. The plans of five rooms each for the end houses and four
rooms for the center show the same compact and sensible order with
nothing for comfort or convenience omitted.
The house illustrated on Plate 25 adds one more unit to the group
and another change in type. This house, designed for four families,
The
is of brick the first story and finished with clapboards above.
straight sloping roof with single dormer, the arched openings in two
of the porches, the separation of the front entrances are the main
points at variance from a commonplace design. The plans on the
preceding plate show a uniform disposition of the rooms and the

On
necessary conveniences in accordance with the general plan.
Plate 26 is another house of stucco finish but developed in this case
The style is simple without much
into a seven-family group house.
modification, but the irregular frontage line breaks the flatness and
gives in appearance all that is required for the part it occupies in
Four rooms
arrangement
the
and bath is the
comment.
further
no
needs
houses
being similar to the other small
four-family house appears on Plate 28 designed for two families
ground floor and two on the floor above in "flat" style. This
The floor plans follow on Plate
number allotted to each family and
the general scheme.
27.
on the
method of plan has its advantages, there being many who prefer a
stairs add somewhat to the
one-floor arrangement to a house where
separate entrance, giving
labor of housework. Each apartment has a
49
THE HOUSING BOOK

and desired privacy that each family seeks as its right.
A second-story veranda gives the upper apartments equal advantage
with the lower, and there is also a ^separate back porch and stairway.
These apartments contain four rooms and bath each, but with every
provision for a clean and sanitary way of living. The frame house on
Plate 30 extends its units to eight. It strikes a new note in appearance
yet is in harmony with the broad scheme of the development. This is
arranged for complete living apartments on one floor, four below
and four above; very simple and limited in scope yet giving means
for one or two persons to have a cozy and complete home. The rear
porch is also a feature of this group and the front entrances are
the needed
Plate 31 illustrates another eight-family house of

entirely different exterior. Stucco is again here made 4ise of and the
angled roof and broadly arched openings into the verandas on both
mainly apart.
floors avoids the usual
The
monotony often found
in a
long house row.
plans on Plate 32 are similar to the foregoing eight-apartment
more commodious, one more room having

been allowed in the scheme. The sixteen-family house on Plate 33
provides for the accommodations of a large number of persons under
house, but this
is
little
one roof, yet without apparent crowding.
row of houses
is
The
first
story of this long
of brick with the upper part finished in stucco.
The
front alternates gables and sloping rooflines with dormers, giving
again the varied appearance that has been universally maintained in
The two floors of the interior are divided

some of three and some of four rooms and bath.
this collection of buildings.
Into small apartments,
no noticeable variation in the disposal of space or difference

in convenient appliances. The same usual excellence prevails.
Plate 34 shows a view of the larger boarding house type, housing
sixty men. This is of frame construction, severely plain yet suitable
for its intended purpose. The plans on page 63 show a long corridor
running through the center of the building with the bedrooms opening
on either side. The toilet rooms are installed on this floor, with bathtubs, shower baths and lavatories. This floor also holds the messroom
and a large kitchen. The second floor shows the same plan in regard
to bedrooms and toilet rooms, but over the messroom the space has
been used for a recreation room partly and the remaining space turned
There
is
Plate 37 closes the illustrations given with this

development, showing a street view with a vista of further streets
into store closets.
and houses suggestive of a busy

fortable homes are the rule.
little residential
50
center,
where com-
.1
iLRCHAtiT aHiPBUiLwrn-coBimffnori
Plate
o&wS^!**r*^Carroll H. Pratt, Architect.
21.
A ONE FAMILY HOUSE, BRISTOL,
PA.
IT
fc.;d
HI J
jfi.
HP
-*
Second
First floor.
51
i'loor.
Plate
22.
A SMALL BOARDING HOUSE OR DORMITORY.
-^
tLt''l'M
-,-
>
12--
"'"Stti
SL3M
Plate
23.
A THREE FAMILY HOUSE, BRISTOL.
PA.
y- rz:~-'
**i*
,.
î:
53
r^-
r
t
I
B E:
i>
W-O: V
ip
-::J
Br:D
HtDM
ftr.t)
ra
ir-
RfL
JX>M
feajM.
-i;--,,^
(
SECOND FLOOR.
FIRST FLOOR.
53
ir^
e:-E:;]
FIRST FLOOR.
Plate
24.
SECOND FLOOR.
FLOOR PLANS, FOUR FAMILY HOUSE, TOP OF OPPOSITE PAGE.
Plate 25
A FOUR FAMILY HOUSE, BRISTOL,
PA.
(Floor plans, opposite page.;
Carroll H.
Plate
26.
A SEVEN FAMILY HOUSE, BRISTOL,

(Floor plans, see page
55
56.)
PA.
Pratt,
Architect.
FIRST FLOOR.
SECOND FLOOR.
Plate
27.
FLOOR PLANS, SEVEN FAMILY HOUSE, BOTTOM OF PAGE
56
55.
Plate
TH.
A FOUR FAMILY HOUSE, BRISTOL,
PA.
at
LL^;-i
SECOND FLOOR.
FIRST FLOOR.
57
.XIK)!"
Plate
FLOiE
RLMi.
29.
FLOOR PLANS, EIGHT FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE, TOP OF OPPOSITE PAGE.
58
Plate
30.
AN EIGHT FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE,
BRISTOL, PA.
(Floor plans, opposite page)
Plate
31.
ANOTHER EIGHT FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE,

(Floor plans, page 60)
59
BRISTOL, PA.
IrU'y'
144
F=T]-ratnr
o
o
M
O
O
J
Q
2;
O
O
w
oi
i-^~iJ
W!fli gwirl
Plate
tnw
32.
FLOOR PLANS, EIGHT FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE, SHOWN AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
60
59.
Plate
33.
A SIXTEEN- FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE, BRISTOL,
PA.
(Floor Plans, Page 62)
Plate
34.
A BOARDING HOUSE,
BRISTOL, PA.
(Floor Plans, Page
61
63)
^.^^
--">'^
^:
.--
:-.-
4-1- .;,'r,v|
^
''mmr
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LilJi
L_
Plate
35.
FLOOR PLANS, SIXTEEN FAMILY APARTMENT HOUSE, SHOWN ON PAGE

62
61
(TOP).
o
s
q
o
o
m
MC
III
1
l.'OM
<J
(f
H
H
<
64
Overlook Colony, Claymont, Del.

H. Errol Coffin
Architect
THE
inception and growth of this housing project is one of the

examples where the shortage of houses for industrial workers,
caused by the sudden expansion of manufacturing activities
in war times, was met by the General Chemical Co., who announced
their belief that the better a man is housed the better work he can do.
This development, designed to house about five thousand persons,
will be spread over a ground area of 240 acres, in which is included
a park and an attractive lake. Mr. H. Errol Coffin, architect, of
New York City, was called upon to design the entire village of 201
houses, and the building of these was carried out by The Stewart
Willey Co., Inc. of New York.
The houses are of the attached type, ranging in groups or rows
from four to thirty-nine houses each. They were so planned because
the people in this locality are accustomed to living in the row type
house, and the lower cost of construction in houses so designed was
also a factor that counted, being cheaper to build, maintain and heat
than the separate house. The houses are built of concrete, hollow tile,
brick and steel frame, with slate roofs of varying shades, this substantial construction being used to eliminate fire hazard and also to minimize future cost of maintenance. Taking advantage of material close
There
at hand one group of houses was made of cinder concrete.
being a large quantity of crushed coal cinders, ordinarily considered
a waste product, at the plant of the chemical company it was immediately utihzed after various tests had demonstrated its suitability for
the work in hand. With steel reinforcing rods imbedded in the concrete
as the work progressed, these cinder concrete walls were stronger and
more substantial than the usual walls of brick or of tile construction.
The exterior finish of stucco applied to another group makes a very
satisfactory appearance, mellowing with time and forming a delight-
background for vines and shrubbery. The general exterior appearance of the houses is that of a story and a half, but actually every
house is two full stories in height. This effect has been accomplished
by an ingenious arrangement of the staircases and the low slanting
ful
roofs, following the line of the stairs.
Most of
the houses are indi-
vidually heated, but ten of one group are heated from a central plant
located in the boarding house. Each family has a complete house,
65
THE HOUSING BOOK

with porch, front and rear yards.
In addition to the dwellings there

is a boarding house and a community building containing stores,
school, moving picture auditorium and superintendent's apartments.
Individual houses are fiu*ther planned to be constructed along the
winding highways of the company's property. Plate 38 shows an
elevation of one-half of a long row of houses built of cinder concrete,
the three gables forming a central figure and the other gables spaced
so as to break the roof hnes of the row. The plans of the two floors
show compactness and utihty.
Plate 39 shows a group of ten houses built of stucco. The elevation illustrates the varying arrangement of gables and the picture of
completed houses displays the different treatment in paneling of the
gable ends. These houses also show a little larger dimension of the
rooms and have a bathroom.
The seventeen-house group in stucco is shown on Plate 40, a
more pretentious in style and with more rooms, closets and conveniences.
Here is the same breaking of the roof line into gables,
little
the stucco covering the second story in a continuous plain surface.
The floor
plans indicate good-sized rooms, convenient kitchens, numer-
ous closets and a bathroom.
We are indebted to the publishers of Industrial Houses of Concrete and Stucco for
the cuts of the three elevation plans shown in the illustrations.
.SLCOND'fLOOL'PLAN'
'TTnCAL"TNTL]iMLDlATL-6'C()E.Ni:L'tiOU.3L3
SECOND FLOOR PLAN OF HOUSES SHOWN IN PAGE
66
69.
Plate
38.
A LONG ROW OF HOUSES, CLAYMONT, DEL.
"POR.CH-
r
r
R,
^ T-
LOO
H. Errol
Coffin, Architect.
y"iicoNi>
Tl-
ELEVATION PLAN OF ABOVE HOUSES.
67
fLOOlL
Plate
39.
A GROUP OF TEN HOUSES, CLAYMONT, DEL.
T] iiyT'
'r.Lo.oR.' P L
AN=
'Floor.' PLAN.'
TTLOUT IlLLVkTlOH
AT 0VItt,l.OOK
C OLO NY JTL.

68
.1.
^^.,nS
'
.<1,X\,.
Plate
40.
A GROUP OF SEVENTEEN HOUSES, CLAYMONT, DEL.
n&ST'fLOOIi'FLAN
TTriCAL'lNTERMLPIATL'(&'C0LNL]^'H0U^L3'
(For second floor plans, see page
66.)

69
ANOTHiiK VIEW
IW HOUSES SHOWN
ON PAGE 69
Wate
41.
ANOTHER VIEW OF HOUSES SHOWN ON PAGE

70
68.
Yorkship
Village,
West Collingswood, New Jersey

Electus D. Litchfield
Town Planner
Architect and
THIS
development is an instance of the rapid creation of

dwellings in answer to the demand for the housing of workers
so suddenly assembled in unusual places, where haste was im-
perative in the completion of
war
materials.
The U.
has legally the controlling interest in the property, but
by the
New York
S.
it
Government
was fostered
Shipbuilding Co. and built for the accommodation of
As
development the company

selected Mr. Electus D. Litchfield, of New York, who is also responsible for the general plan of the village, and the Tide- Water Building
Co., of New York, as the general contractors for the erection of the
houses.
Originally a contract was given to the above company for
907 houses. Since the completion of these, 500 additional houses, 6
apartment buildings, hotel, community house, gymnasium, garage and
three blocks of stores with lodge rooms above have been completed.
The new village has been fortunate in its natural settings. The
area selected comprises some 200 acres of moderately rolling land,
through which flows a winding stream, and the site is sufficiently elevated to allow for cellars without the necessity of waterproofing. There
are numerous fine old trees and hedge rows along the existing country
roads which are being preserved with greatest care. Low-lying
ground and wooded land is reserved for a park. By a study of the
town plan it will be seen that both care and skill were exercised to
their employees.
make a convenient and
architect for the
liveable
arrangement
and thoroughfares and parceling the house
The general layout
is
unusual.
The
in the direction of streets
plots.
central square,
from which
very attractive and the vistas obtained have a

varied effect, to which the curved and winding ways of the main
avenues lend further attraction. The streets are comparatively wide,
all streets radiate, is
ranging from 50 feet up to a maximum of 124 feet, which is the width

of Broadway, the main axial thoroughfare. It will be noted that
71
THE HOUSING BOOK

have been laid out midway between the blocks. These are
wide and provide convenient access to the rear of aU houses
in the community. The majority of the houses are in groups reaching a maximum of eleven units, while the smaller groups are designed for three families, with some semi-detached houses and a few
alleys
12 feet
single-family detached dwellings.
The designs
about sixty separate
houses embrace
for these
schemes, some following the English rural style, others after the
American Colonial, one idea in giving this variety being that the village
might have the appearance and quality of growth and age instead
new development.
of a
treated
in
various
The majority
ways
as
of the houses are of brick
bond and method of laying,
to
that no adjoining houses or sections of units are alike.
so
smaller
proportion are buUt of hollow terra cotta block stuccoed in various
The houses which divide themselves among the

four, five, six and seven room classes are planned on the most straightforward lines and nearly all are full two stories in height. Every
styles
and
colors.
house and apartment
is
equipped with the best type of plumbing.
Each house has an individual hot-air heater and the apartment houses
by steam plants. Gas cooking ranges and water heaters
have been installed, and in fact every visible need has been met with
"modern appliances.
Plate 44 shows a type of one of the smaller groups containing
five separate units, or, if the word has not gone out of fashion, five
tenements, which to the house-hunter expresses it more clearly. The
architect may design and build in units, but the ordinary dweller will
are heated
still
look for a tenement, in the
strict sense of
the word, to live
in.
This group presents a pleasing front, showing the doorways of the

three central houses, the outer domiciles having their entrances, with
a wide porch, placed at the respective ends.
gable on each end
breaks the monotony of a plain roof

distinguishing labels of Ya,
line.
The
elevation with the
Yb
and Yc, with the floor plans marked

in the same way, give much help toward a plain understanding of the
interior planning; the two houses on one end being the reverse of the
two on the other end. The design on Plate 45 presents a street view,
and the three-house group in the right foreground shows planning
considerably out of the ordinary which for sake of distinction is called
the 45-degree angle houses.
fashioned porch,
The
is
The
central house, with
of rectangular shape, as shown
by
its
plain old-
floor plan
Re.
other houses of this group are set at an angle of 45 degrees to

72
THE HOUSING BOOK

uncommon, though
appearance and the cutting off the street corner affords a
wider space for shrubbery, light and prospect. The floor plan connected with these wings is shown in plan known as Type T and is of
the house to the right of the center.
The house to the left would
the front line of the center house and give an

attractive,
be the reverse of this plan.
The
entire plan of the center house, with
wings attached, shows roughly the shape of a crescent.

On page 73 will be seen an elevation of the nine-family group
house composed of typical imits; that is, the floor plans and general
arrangements are the same as in the lesser groups, the only difference
being in the number combined. The houses terminating the group
at each end bear the same relation to the others and the long front is
diversified
by a
double windows.
and Type
variety of treatment in the porches
An elevation with plans
and
single
of a double house,
and
Type
(page 74), shows some variation, and the elevation and

plans of a triple unit, Ra and Re, show still another method of handling the familiar problem.
mapped-out plan of the town is given
on Plate 42, a study of which wiU enable the reader to visualize
many of the possibihties and attractions of what appears to be a
charming town.
We
are indebted to The Architectural
on pages 73 and
Forum
for the elevation
and plan cuts shown
74.
ELEVATION OF NINE- FAMILY GROUP HOUSE COMPOSED OF TYPICAL UNITS.
73
ELEVATION OF DOUBLE HOUSE, PLAN BELOW TO THE LEFT.
PLANS OF ABOVE ELEVATION.
PLANS OF ELEVATION BELOW.
ELEVATION OF THREE-FAMILY HOUSE, PLAN ABOVE TO THE RIGHT.
" Q
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75
\\-''A:.*ln
Plate
Electus D. Litchfield, Architect
43.
STREET VIEW SHOWING SINGLE HOUSE TYPES, YORKSHIP VILLAGE,

WEST COLLINGSWOOD, N. J.
76
Plate
44.
A GROUP OF FIVE HOUSES, WEST COLLINGSWOOD,
N.
J.
FLOOR PLANS OF TYPE
2o'-o"
FLOOR PLANS OF TYPE
FLOOR PLANS OF TYPE
Y-b
Plans oi above group.
(Note Designation marks.)
77
Y-c
Y-a.
Plate
45.
A GROUP OF THREE HOUSES, WEST COLLINGSWOOD,
FLOOR PLANS OF
TYPE R-C.
m:-i
l-
E..
l6o
hn.
zz-'z/r

N. J.
fc.B..
Development
Albert F.
at Erie, Pa.
Edwards
Architect
housing
THIS
dry
project for the American Brake Shoe and Foun-
Co. differs somewhat in respect to size and plan from other

schemes designed for a similar purpose that of building com-
fortable living quarters for the employees of a large manufacturing

It
plant.
is
more compact, but furnishes as many homes
in h smaller
area as those which are arranged on the spreading village plan.
The
buildings were
all planned and designed by Mr. Albert F. Edwards,

engaged by the company for the work, and the town plan
and construction were carried out by James Stewart & Co., engineers
and contractors. This was one of the rapidly completed housing
developments called into being by the needs of the war and is considered one of the best for the purpose among those erected for Government employees at that time. A glance at the view on Plate 46
shows the collection of houses, arranged on a rectangular plan, the
large block being intersected by streets at right angles to each other.
the architect
The houses
are all of the apartment style, which consist mainly of
six-family dwellings, with a few for two famihes or double houses,
the larger containing apartments of three to six rooms each to accom-
modate the needs of famihes of various sizes. The buildings shown

and B.
on Plate 47 are of two types, which we will designate as
The comer house is the duplicate of the one to the extreme left, and
The diversity in the
the two three-story flat houses are identical.
houses
gives
evidence
these
similar
of the skill and
arrangement of
ingenuity used in the entire plan to prevent the monotony usually
found in straight streets and severe block fronts. The floor plans for
wiU be seen on page 81, designed for two families, and the
Type
six rooms and bath, occupying two floors, give ample accommodation
for a good sized family. Type B, shown in the same view, represents
a class of house now common in towns and smaller cities throughout
the country.
It
is
designed to give comfortable living quarters to a
large class of the working population in such places as well as in the

79
THE HOUSING BOOK

These houses provide homes for three
families, one on each floor. The plans on the same plate show the space
well utilized. Ample closet room is provided, a pantry adds to the
convenience of the kitchen, and a back stairway gives access to each
floor so that the front of the house will not be marred by the litter
and usage of household service. Plate 48 shows some interesting
detail drawings and Plate 49 part of an elevation in detail and section
Plates 50 and 51 show photographic reproducof wall and porch.
tions of some of the six and nine family houses, with the accompanying floor plans, which are easily understood. These are on the regulation "flat" order, but a little study of them will show the care that
has been given to this problem and how happily it has been worked
out; the two lines of stairways, many closets and kitchen conveniences as in more pretentious abodes.
The absence of wash tubs in
the kitchens will be noticed, but a community laundry with sufficient
tubs has been provided in each basement.
All basements have cement
floors, and each tenant has a separate storeroom there.
The buildings
are constructed of concrete footings, with brick and tile foundation
walls.
The superstructure is of brick, and all party walls are of brick
and tile including the walls around stair shafts. All street sidewalks
and house walks are concrete. Houses are spaced to give small yard
room and sufficient air space, and a good-sized recreation ground has
been provided near at hand.
specialized
community groups.
80
Plate
46.
GENERAL PLAN, DEVELOPMENT AT
ERIE, PA.
rwjTrLoi-"
PLANS FOR TWO-FAMILY HOUSE, TYPE
81
"A,"
SHOWN ON PAGE
82.
P'ate
47.
HOUSES FOR TWO FAMILIES, TYPE
"A,"
AND THREE
FAMILIES, TYPE "B," AT ERIE, PA.
*-*
M HI
LOOL
Pllt' IDEME
jscoiiD'
toot.-
"J*-
'*
UAH
PLANS FOR THREE-FAMILY HOUSE, TYPE

"B," ABOVE.
(For plans, house type "A," see page
82
81.)
5%;
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5b
'
SIX-FAMILY BRICK HOUSES AT ERIE, PA.
---
1
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O.-
5tcomrLooiiruifi- THIK!) FIjOOR
'TiiairimfUnPlate
S2.
FLOOR PLANS OF
SIX
AND NINE-FAMILY HOUSES.
(See Opposite Page)
87
5imui!-
Plate
53.
Hiss
& Weeks,
_^
GENERAL
PLAN, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT BRIDGEPORT, CONN.
88
Architects.
Development
at Bridgeport, Conn.
Hiss and
Weeks
Architects
AS
the plant
of the
Remington Arms, brand new
in every
magic of an Aladdin Palace, so the

housing development to accompany this great industry sprang
into being. Every industrial center in the country felt the impetus
of war work, but in no place was the great upheaval more apparent
than in Bridgeport. An inrush of 75,000 people into a city whose
housing capacity was already stretched, made the problem a mighty
one.
part, arose with the
The Remington Arms Company had
their plans well in hand,
and where there was a barren tract of land some 35 acres in extent,
a stretch of boulders and vacancy, there is now a living town with
solid streets, terraced and graded grounds, and a lake some seven acres
in extent, made possible by a concrete dam and the barren hillside
is hidden by a park-like cover.
And all was transformed in as many
weeks as it would take years, ordinarily with the usual growth of a
town. The firm of Hiss and Weeks, architects, made the designs
and plans for the houses and the construction of houses, streets and
town was carried out by James Stewart & Co., Inc., contractors and
builders.
look at the plan of the development on Plate 53 will show

somewhat irregular streets, and the situation and arrangement of the
various types of houses which are illustrated in the plates, following.
row of small frame bungalows is shown on Plate 54> with the
and plans on the next page. These were hastily built

for temporary housing, with no plumbing except running water in
the kitchen, but they are to be made into permanent dwellings later
with provision for proper sanitation and conveniences. They are finished inside with natural wood, and heated by hot-air furnaces. Plate
56 shows houses designed for four famihes each, two on the ground
elevations
floor
and two on the
floor above.
These houses are of
solid brick with
front door for each house opens from the

lead, one
porch into the vestibule; two separate doors in the vestibule,
concrete foundations.
One
89
THE HOUSING BOOK

into the private hall of the lower
apartment and the other into the
stairway for the upstairs apartment, giving a separate entrance for
each family.
The
inside finish
is
stained cypress, floors are of ISTorth Carolina
pine and hot air heating apparatus
is
provided, one for each family.
The street view
presents a trim and well kept appearance and the plans
show that
the small details for a housekeeper's comfort have
all
been well thought out, such as closet room in plenty, built in china
closets, standard bathroom fixtures and complete kitchen equipment,
including both coal and gas ranges. Referring to the town plan on
page 88 there
where the houses are synunetrically

placed in groups called one, two and eleven family houses, designed
each for a single family. On Plate 58 is presented a view of a row of
houses for eleven families. These are similar in construction and inside
finish to the four-family brick houses previously mentioned, and the
interior arrangement gives it the name of the Philadelphia type house
that is, separate front and rear entrance for each family, party wall
between the dwellings, and basement area entrance for the delivery of
goods. The plans for six of these houses on pages 96 and 97 are easily
read, some variation in the setting of the stairway ascending from
living room will be noted and the general arrangement is simple and
convenient. On Plate 62 will be seen one and two family houses in
the same street, that border on the row of eleven houses. These are of
frame construction with the side walls and roof covered with stained
shingles, the inside trim being of cypress and the floors of hard pine.
The plans for the two family house will be found on Plate 63 and the
plans for the one-family house will be found on Plate 62. These show
a cosy arrangement of rooms with the usual up-to-date conveniences.
front elevation drawing of these two-frame houses is given on Plate
61.
These illustrations and plans show in part how the Remington
Arms and Ammunition Co. met its share of the housing problem
when the world sprang to war. That it is destined to be permanent
there is no doubt, and the working man in coming years will live
under conditions in a community which recognizes that it owes more
to its workers than a place to work.
This started as a private enterprise but the housing commission
and the recreation commission in Bridgeport are carrying on the good
work already well begun.
will be seen streets
90
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93
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i;r;t
and second i-loors-for the one-family house

(See Next Page for Floor Plans for the
(to
Two-Family House.)
the
right).
"^
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.jda_
"T
FIRST FLOOR.
SECOND FLOOR.
Plate
63.
FLOOR PLANS FOR TWO -FAMILY HOUSE ON PAGE

100
99.
Firestone Park at Akron, Ohio

John
F.
Suppes
Architect
Ailing DeForest
Landscape Architect
AMONG
the localities where there was a large demand for

houses for industrial workers was Akron, Ohio, and it is due
to the foresight of Mr. H. L. Firestone, President of the
Firestone Tire Co., that this project was started. Selecting a tract of
land in a rather shabby and neglected environ of the city the Firestone
Tire Co. acquired some eight hundred acres, with the preconceived
object of turning it into an attractive residential Park.
As
by Mr. Ailing DeForest, landscape architect, Fireconsists of a fair sized town built up around a sixteen acre
public park, at the head of which stands what is claimed to be the
largest and best equipped school in the state of Ohio. The streets
for the most part are laid out on the rectangular plan but in some cases
following curves where the natural contour of the land indicates. Generous lots are apportioned to each house, giving room for vegetable
gardens and flowers. Paved streets and sidewalks shaded by trees'
are a part of the plan and all work such as laying of sewers and placing
the wiring system for electric lighting and telephones under ground
has preceded street finishing and house building. Firestone Boulevard, the main thoroughfare of the town, is 110 feet wide for a distance
of 1,500 feet and branches off into two other boulevards, each of which
There are several churches, a number of stores,
is sixty feet wide.
a U. S. Post Office and a Y. W. C. A. building having forty-four
rooms. In addition to these public buildings there is the Firestone
Club House which is possesed of a large and commodious auditorium.
Like most of the other industrial developments, Firestone Park
stone
laid out
Park
has several different types of houses designed to meet the varying

needs of large and small families as well as single men. Here the
architect, Mr. John F. Suppes, was particularly happy in his designs
and has produced an unusually
attractive variety.
101
These houses,
THE HOUSING BOOK

most of which are of frame construction, are also possessed of what
is known as "all the modern conveniences" and are of durable highgrade construction, designed to
permanently.
last
In general the roofs are of creosoted shingles or
Oak
slate.
The
living
Gum
and the details of

bathrooms
and heating
closets, kitchen conveniences, well-appointed
equipment made a part of the plan which covers every house.
An examination of the plates will show some of the popular
types in this attractive village. Plate 64 includes two street views.
rooms finished
in carefully selected
The upper one shows

for
men with
or
and eight-room houses, designed

These are finished with hard wood
several seven
comfortable salaries.
and it alm.ost goes without saying, a

typical bathroom, clothes chute, cemented cellars, hot air furnace and
hot water heater. The cellar has a separate compartment divided off
for vegetables and fruit. The lower view on this plate gives a variety
in style and design of the six-room house, planned on a slightly smaller
scale but equal to the others in convenience and improvements.
Plate 65 shows a six-room house of frame construction, the upper
floors
and trim on
first floor,
half in shingle finish,
making a pleasing note
of color.
The
floor plans
show convenient and compact arrangement. The stairway though

ascending from the living room is screened by a passageway which
also acts as a shield from the kitchen. Closet room, so dear to a housewife's heart, is well provided and a clothes chute from the bathroom.
deck roof extending over back porch and part of kitchen roof sug-
gests a possible sleeping porch.
Plate 66 shows a very attractive
house of the semi-bungalow type.
The
first
story
is
finished in stucco,
with stained shingles above, capped by a slate roof.
It is one of the
six-room types as will be seen by the plans, yet with plenty of room
for a family of three or four people.
four windows adds to the apparent
The broad dormer including

The two front
size of the house.
chambers receive additional light therefrom and a closet also benefits

from the position of the smaller of these windows.
102
'5?!gK;r-~ V-
SEVEN AND EIGHT-ROOM HOUSES
::Ui-ix>-mimSWB,
TX FIRESTOXE PARK.
John E. Suppes, Architect.

Plate
64.
PARK.
SIX-ROOM HOUSES IN FIRESTONE
103
Plate
65.
A SIX-ROOM FRAME HOUSE IN FIRESTONE PARK.
SECOND FLOOR.
FIRST FLOOR.
104
John
F. Suppes, Architect.
Plate
John
66.
COTTAGE EXTERIOR IN STUCCO AND SHINGLE, FIRESTONE PARK.
SECOND FLOOR.
FIRST FLOOR.
105
r.
Suppes, Architect.
Development for Colored Workers

Truxton, Va.
Rossel
Edward
Mitchell
Archilcc.
is
a far cry
IT plantation to
from the cabin

the trim
little
in slaves'
quarters on a southern
colony solely for colored people at
In time and transition it is farther yet from the

solitary mountain shack built of rough boards, with its outside chimney of field stones or like as not of sticks laid crib fashion and plastered
with mud, to this model town. It is one of the amazing performances
few months ago, a field of
which this last year has accomplished.
waving corn today, by a wave of the magic wand, a complete village.
Officially this is known as U. S. Housing Project No. 150 C. and is
the only development exclusively for colored workers in the United
States. The town comprising some 250 houses of five-room size was
The designing was
laid out with the idea of making a model town.
Norfolk,
Va., and the Hegemandone by Rossel Edward Mitchell of
Harris Co., Inc., of New York, were the builders. The houses are
all of the same type as far as the interiors are concerned, but it has
Tuxton, Va.
been possible to introduce variations into the exterior designs to prevent a monotonous appearance. The houses are all of frame with
brick foundations and practically all are single houses, there being
Each house has a wellequipped bathroom furnished with vitreous ware, running water,
standard sinks and wash bowls. To these conveniences are also added
electric lights. The house lots are 28x100 for single houses and 40x100
for the two-family type. The streets are laid out with a view to ample
expansion to meet future needs and attention has been given to parks
and playgrounds.
school, Y. M. C. A. Building, stores, moving
picture theatre and a church are included in the scheme. Two views
given on Plates 67 and 68 show a variety of these houses. The street
front presents a diversified arrangement in regard to porches and
gables so that the eye is met with changing forms instead of tiresome
repetition.
The rear view of the same houses is neat and trim with
a promise of gardens and vine-covered porches. The elevations and
twenty-six double houses only in the group.
plans on Plates 69 and 70 further explain the comforts of these houses
which mark a distinct advance in homes for colored workers.

The town was named in honor of Admiral Truxton, U. S. N.
106
Plate
67,
A ROW OF HOUSES AT TRUXTON,
VA.
Rossel Edward Mitchell, Architect.

Plate
68.
REAR VIEW OF HOUSES SHOWN ABOVE.

107
PORCH
JJ
KlTCHtN
0"X to'-B"
p^
iflo-
C[
DiiiNt ?
'
Kitchen
Ded
10
O'x
Rja
lO
9'
-i
Po,f
Livit
CW
4L
Plate
69.
ELEVATIONS AND PLANS FOR HOUSES SHOWN ON PAGE

108
107.
PO(^H
B1N1N6 Kn
KjTcntN'
a y\
J"x I0-9'
10-9"
--L
14 0"X I0-9"
Ul
"^

Plate
70.
ON PAGE
ELEVATIONS AND PLANS FOR HOUSES SHOWN
109
107.
Development
ONE HUNDRED
the
at
Donora, Penn.
concrete houses have been recently built for
American Steel and Wire Company
to relieve a housing
shortage at their plant at Donora, Penn., and are intended

for homes for a number of their skilled and semi-skilled employees.
There are eight types of houses, consisting of four, five and six-
room double houses and six-room single houses, numbering in all

twenty double and sixty single houses.
Monolithic concrete construction property reinforced was chosen
on account of its superior building and fireproof qualities. The only
exposed frame work on the interior is the window sashes, so there is
practically no danger of fire spreading from one house to another.
Such construction also reduces depreciation and maintenance to the
lowest minimum.
Steel forms constructed under the patents of the Ijambie
crete
House Corporation,
that any part of the house
New
may
Con-
York, were used, and are so designed

easily be properly formed.
The
con-
was done by the Aberthaw Construction Co., Boston.

story at a time is formed and cast starting with the basement
walls and following with the first and second stories in order, permitting each, however, to harden properly before proceeding.
Basement walls are of solid concrete 9 inches in thickness and are
not reinforced, and the first and second story walls are six inches thick,
struction
One
properly reinforced.
tower and chute was first tried for placing concrete but this
was abandoned in favor of a small "Sasgen" derrick bolted to the
forms which hoisted buggies of concrete to the floors. The forms
proved very satisfactory, giving perfect alignment and smooth surfaces, so that the stucco originally specified was not really necessary,
the walls true and smooth as they came from the forms, requiring verT
little rubbing to give a satisfactory texture and color to the surface.
Roofs are constructed of wood rafters, covered with wood sheeting and cement asbestos shingles, and the cornices are of reinforced
concrete. The floors and ceiling for the second floor are of reinforced
concrete of the
beam
type, which are tied into the side walls so that
and room resembles a concrete box. The floors

are surfaced with wood flooring nailed to wooden sleepers embedded
practically each floor
in the concrete
when
casting.
110
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2;
o
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5
E
111
AT a
!r^"=Tii.'
vl..^-
V^^
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N.--^
*. iK
>
F"
FLoo K -
.^ c37"
.XHMHHHHHHHI'
- '^
-c o/i u f l o o r -
FLOOR PLANS FOR RIGHT- END HOUSE SHOWN ON PAGE UL
l<|-r1:HC_N
if
i.Tjj
fei; "^!
AIS
fei
A.
1^
1|
Vi^'tMC.TCoor^
14' 0"
a_
-U
nesr
Plate
FLOotj.
jri.cc/-iDK'i_orK
72.
TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN OF TWO-FAMILY TYPE OF HOUSE SHOWN ON PAGE HI (THIRD

_,
^.
HOUSE FROM
112
RIGHT).
The
walls
interior
are
furred, nailing strips having
been placed in the concrete
when casting
were
for the furring
and
strips,
nailing
placed
also
strips
in
Wall Board,
ceiling.
inches thick,
is
the
nailed to the
u
furring strips and plaster-
>,h;
ing of side walls and ceilings

is
done
directly
on
this
board, the furring creating
p
O
w
W
H
a dead air space which eliminates
the
possibility
of
W
o
Z
o
u
o
dampness.
These concrete houses
have been built complete in
every respect including furnaces, electric lights, bath
rooms,
<
in
cupboards,
ranges,
screens,
<"
swing hooks, etc.

Reference to Plate 71 will
show a street front of houses
of both the single- and
window
shades,
double-house
type.
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s
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Q
The
on Plate 72 (top
to the house
apply
of page)
floor plans
at the
right of this
tration which
is
1-1
illus-
of the one-
family six-room type. The

plans on the lower half of
same plate are of a uniform
J
<
W
w
type from which a number of

the double- or two-familv
houses
were
This
built.
a design of the smallest

type of the two-family
is
house,
be
containing,
seen,
but
four
as
will
rooms,
yet giving all the requirements necessary for a small

family.
113
Designs for Single and Double
Houses of Moderate Cost

C. E.
Schermerhorn
Architect
THE
following plates contain designs for six houses of moder-
ate cost
and though not belonging
to
any development or
in-
cluded in any one building operation they strictly comply with

the Government standards for war housing, as regards planning and
Government standards call for

attained in a large measure by applying
construction but go beyond what the

in artistic values.
This
is
logical principles of the
now
available building materials to create a
desirable home-like expression for the exterior.
All of these houses
show simplicity in design, planning and method of handling material

and are such as might be built successfully in any small town or
"I
suburb.
Plate 74 shows a five-rpom house of frame clapboard construcgambrel roof with its slight overhang giving a mark of dis-
tion, the
tinction.
Plate 75 llustrates a house of some larger dimensions with the
and shingles. Still another variety is shown

on Plate 76. This has a shingled exterior and ample light is gained
for the rooms by the two-story bay which merges into the roof, suggesting a tower.
twin house appears on Plate 77, finished in
stucco and clapboard, and the floor plans show compact and convenient
planning. Plate 78 contains another example of the double frame
house, with clapboard ^nish, the plans showing a variation from the
preceding design. Plate 79 shows still another design for the twin
house. This is of frame construction with stucco finish and the plans
are somewhat like those on Plate 77.
exterior finished in stucco
These designs are so dissimilar that the matter of choice is quite

They are adapted to the needs and tastes of a goodty number of
homebuilders, particularly those desiring a rmall house and at the
same time one not too expensive.
wide.
114
Plate
74.
E.
A FIVE. ROOM HOUSE, FRAME AND CLAPBOARD CONSTRUCTION.
Schermerhorn, Architect.
Plate
C.
75.
E,
A HOUSE WITH EXTERIOR IN STUCCO AND SHINGLE.
nUST FLOOL
/ECO/ID FLOOL
116
Schertnerhorn, Architect.
Plate
76.
A SIX-ROOM FRAME AND SHINGLE HOUSE.
C.
E.
JJecomd fLoOR.'
Yirzsr fi-ooR.'
117
Plate
C. E.
77.
A TWIN STUCCO CLAPBOARD HOUSE
TrsT
fi.QOR.
-'-i'ECOriO FA-OOta*
118
"M'u'jnr'M"n^---iinii. viMig
âUa<SUJliai!UliU!!!!!aJlUlUUia;UiUIUlUUlUl.uu(l).u.u..i
Plate
78.
C. E.
||||
iiuimiiiiiiuiiiIUIUIIUUIIIUIKUI
A DOUBLE FRAME AND CLAPBOARD HOUSE.
-s3ECO>^lt5
TlooR'
-"fiRanrlLooR119
IP'"
"M#^^f^
Plate
'*-
79.
C.
A DOUBLE HOUSE OF FRAME CONSTRUCTION WITH STUCCO
E.
^v,^
'
FINISH.
JTrst fLOoie
-vÊCOMD flOOR120
Small Concrete Houses
ON
and 81 are representations and plans of three

concrete houses, which may be caUed up to date in style
and method of construction. These are good examples of
the better class of industrial cottages, built to stand the wear
of wind
plates 80
and weather, and being fireproof have a permanency not attained in

frame construction. They are also an argument in favor of the small
detached house as a housing unit.
tractive
and
possible,
making
Home
made atworkingman to hve
ownership
provision for the
is
independently and comfortably. It is by the courtesy of the publishers

of "Industrial Houses of Concrete and Stucco" that we reproduce these
excellent specimens.
On
Plate 80
is a house that might be called tiny, did not the floor

plan show such an extent. It contains six rooms and bath, and the
sun porch is arranged to be enclosed with screens in summer or glass in
winter, affording an extra living room.
The dining room and
liv-
ing room are arched together which lengthens the interior space.
Natural wood finish and southern pine floors were used and with
a hot water heating system and standard bathroom little else is to be
desired for a comfortable way of living. On Plate 81 are two examples of two-story houses of poured concrete. The upper one almost
square in plan, of Craftsman style is compact and convenient. The
porch is extended in the plan, making an out-of-door living room,
that can be enclosed with wire or glass according to the season.
the exterior
wood work
is
treated with creosote stain, being
All
more
The
durable and giving a more mellow appearance than paint.
recommend
it
in
point
of
much
to
athas
this
plate
lower house on
tractiveness.
from
in
its
The broken roof
line that
forms the dormer gives
flatness yet does not suggest orn,ment.
natural line below
The main roof
the eaves, roofing the porch,
relief
slopes
and allows
narrow deck on the second floor level. The interior walls are of white
The floor plans show
finish and the woodwork stained gray green.
in
house
work
and a dish closet
that there was a thought to save steps
between kitchen and dining room opening both ways will be a greatly
appreciated convenience.
These houses have been erected at Virginia
Highlands, Va.
121
Plate
80.
A SMALL CONCRETE HOUSE OF SIX ROOMS AND BATH, BUILT AT

VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS, VA.
PLAN OF HOUSE SHOWN ABOVE.
22
==i^
-r+=
A SIX-ROOM CONCRETE HOUSE.
HVTycouVi^rt
T^^
A TWO -STORY CONCRETE COTTAGE.
flate
81.
123
2^fxw6PiArt.
ILLUSTRATION FROM "THE HOLLOW-TILE HOUSE.'

By Frederick
Squires, Architect.
(See Page 131)
124
ADVERTISEMENTS
1^
Page
132
The Bishopric Manufacturing Co
130
The
Wm.
T. Comstock
Hegeman-Harris
James Stewart
Co
131
128
Co., Inc
&
129
Co., Inc
Tide-Water Building Company
126
Stewart Willey Co
127
125
Designed by Electus D. Litchfield, Architect
YORKSHIP VILLAGE
CAMDEN,
Town
NEW
JERSEY
for a Population of Ten Thousand
Including Apartments, Hotels, Schools, Stores, Theatre, Bank, Garages, and

Social Improvement Buildings
This
work was
started
May
20th, 1918,
and
completed at the average rate of a finished

house every two hours. Refer to pages 71 to
78 for examples of the houses erected.
Constructed by
Tide -Water Building
Company
GENERAL CONTRACTORS
16 East 33rd Street, New York
A.
H.
MILTON NAPIER,
J.
STEVENSON,
E.
President
Vice-President
126
RANNEY, Secretary-Treasurer
W. HAMMER, General Superintendent
P.
CONTRACTORS
BROAPWAY
BUILDERS OF
OVERLOOK COLONY
CLAYMONT, DEL.
FOR THE
GENERAL CHEMICAL COMPANY

OF NEW YORK CITY
SEE PAGE
65
OF THIS BOOK
HOUSESDORMITORYBOARDING HOUSES-COMMUNITY BUILDINGBUILT IN NINE MONTHS UNDER THE MOST TRYING CONDITIONS
THE TRADE EVER SAW.
WE INVITE COMPARISON OF COST BETWEEN OVERLOOK COLONY,
AND ANY OTHER HOUSING PROJECT BUILT DURING SAME PERIOD.
THEM.
IF WE HAVE OBSTACLES TO OVERCOMEWE OVERCOME
MOTION
LOST
1000 WORKMEN KEPT GOING WITH NO
207
OUR FIELD ORGANIZATION
IS
THE BEST
PERSONAL ATTENTION GETS RESULTS

WE GIVE PERSONAL ATTENTION
CONCRETE
CUJNlîUiiii
IN THIS COLONY ALONE WE BUILT

HOUSES-HOLLOW TILE HOUSES-BRICK HOUSES-FRAME
iiwuo
HOUSES-
METAL LUMBER HOUSES
OUR RECORDS SHOWTHE BESTTHE CHEAPEST

THE QUICKEST TO BUILD
CUE DATA ON THIS IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL
PRELIMINARY OR FINAL
rwTTo T7tTTMATTNr, DEPARTMENT WILL GLADLY FURNISH
BARROW, WADE, GUTHRIE & CO. INp^hrf^TnD THEY WILL BE ACCURATE.
THEY STAND
oSr IcCOUNTING SYSTEM. OUR CLIENTS KNOW WHERE
StSd
TIME.
ALL THE
127
Builders of
GRADOCK,
VA.
See pages 27 to 36
TRUXTON, VA.
See pages 106 to 109
the conduct of extensive housing operations

DURING
for the United States Government, we have built up
new
an organization of experts in this comparatively

group house construction.
field of
In the course of our work we have gained experience not

to be acquired except by direct contact with and the successful solution of the many problems which the work
developed. Our experience covers every phase of multiple
house construction in a large way.
The
service of this expert organization and our experience are available for architects, municipalities, corporations or others contemplating housing developments.
Hegeman- Harris Company,
.33
Construction Engineers
WEST 42nd ST.
NEW YORK
128
Inc.
CITY
^Sr
il'^fiV'iTr'
WEST
-i^^SgW
^">
SIDE OF "A" STREET
Project No. 10, U. S. Hnusing Corporation, Erie, Pa.

A. H. Spahr, Architect, Pittsburgh
On Pages 79 to 100 is illustrated and described in part, two

housing projects constructed by us. The above illustration of the
West Side of "A" Street, Erie, Penna., shows twelve houses of the
United States Housing Corporation's Project No. 10, comprising six
hundred and fifty-two houses.
We have behind us a successful business career of seventy-flve
years' duration. Our clientele number upwards of six hundred and
it is with pride that we point to the great number who have
returned to us from two to ten and eleven times with more work
to be done. Out of forty-eight states in the Union, we have done
work in forty, also in five out of the seven provinces comprising the
Dominion of Canada, as well as in Great Britain and in France.
Varied as the location of our work is, it is not greater than our
experience in the different types of general contracting, which
covers bank, office and mercantile buildings, hotels, complete factory developments of many kinds, railroad construction, roadbed,
bridges and buildings, canal construction, locks, dredging, dipper
and hydraulic, and harbor development and shore protection construction.
JAMES STEWART & COMPANY,

30
INC.
CHURCH STREET, NEW YORK

BRANCH OFFICES:
Washington
Chicago
Cleveland
St.
Louis
129
Salt
Lake City
Norfolk
Toronto. Canada
Sixty employes' residences. Mesa Munition Works, Irvington, N. J.

Bishopric Sheathing used. Architects Strombach & Mertens, Irvington, N. J. Contractors: Essex Ccnstruction Co., Newark, N. J.
:
BETTER HOMES FOR WORKMEN

And
a Better Proposition for Archi-
tects,
Builders and Manufacturers
made in two forms

dovetailed key type for a Stucco
and Plaster background and a square
edge wood strip type for sheathing frame
and brick houses.
BISHOPRIC Board is
The former is a decidedly superior Stucco

and Plaster background which holds the
Stucco securely locked so it cannot crack
or crumble and the Sheathing makes a more
solid and more wind-tight wall than Ys inch
wood sheathing at a saving of 30 percent.
The Workman, the Architect, the Builder
and the Manufacturer all profit by the use
of these products.
They make a home
warmer and more dependable, yet more
economical, too. Bishopric Sheathing and

Bishopric Stucco and Plaster Board represent a combination of principles and ma-
"LOCKS THE PLASTER"
which have been successfully used

by master builders for generations.
terials
SRIcamASTER
Write for the
The
Bishopric Board was used In connection with the housing development at Belolt, Wisconsin.
full details
Bishopric
Manufacturing Co.
947 Este Ave.
130
CINCINNATI, O.
BUNGALOWS, CAMPS AND MOUNTAIN HOUSES

Wm.
Compiled by
Phillips Comstock, with article by C. E. Schermerhorn, A.A.I.A.
nils new revised and enlarged edition presents the thouglits and ideas of thirty-two different arcliitects, all reoopilzed designers
of bungalows, and a special article on tiie "Planning of Uie Bungalow," witli detail sketches showing how to plan conveniences in the house, and a plate of twenty-two different schemes for laying out of floor plans.
200 illustrations, 80 11:9 flO
designs
126 pages.
Cloth.
ip^.UU
Price
THE HOLLOW-TILE HOUSE

By Frederick
Squires. Architect
book wherein the reader is Introduced to hollow-tile in the making, is told how it is wrought into houses and is shown how
these houses look and from what foreign, ancestry their appearance is an heritage. It says the laat word on the con- Ujo cn
ip^.e/v
structiou of the fireproof home.
Cloth; 7%xl0 inches.
Price
-
THE SWISS CHALET BOOK

By
Giving the history of the Swiss chalet,
plans. Also its adaptation in America.
Cloth. Price
its evolution
Contains
Wm.
and
many
Dana
B.
S.
construction, showing numerous illustrations, diagrams, sections and

attractive designs.
150 pages, 250 illustrations and figures. fli9 Kfl
tpid.îv
AMERICAN RENAISSANCE
By Joy Wheeler Dow.
Architect
review of domestic architecture, with many Colonial examples. It is a carefully prepared history of American domestic architecture from Colonial days and Illustrated in the most elaborate manner. 182 pages and 96 plates, with 139 illustrations. (CA
(p^.w
Handsomely bound in cloth, gilt top. Price
AA
TWO FAMILY AND TWIN HOUSES

Edited by
Wm.
T.
Comstock
Consisting of a variety of designs contributed by leading architects in all parts of the country, showing the latest ideas la
planning this class of dwellings in city, village and suburbs, together with very complete deacriptions, covering all the latest
Improvements in sanitation, heating, lighting, etc
Two detailed spe(^fications. Elaborately illustrated. Full desorip-tEO
flfi
tp^-VU
tive te3ct.
Price
GARAGES AND MOTOR BOAT HOUSES

GARAGE CONSTRUCTION GARAGE EQUIPMENT
Compiled by Wm. Phillips Comstock
Showing the latest ideas in their planning
Comprising a large number of designs for both private and commercial buildings.
Also motorboat houses. The designs are contributed <E 9 00
and construction. For the country, suburban towns and cities.
<P*w
by twenty-four well-known architects. 136 illustrations jof exteriors and interiors. Price
HOW
TO FRAME A HOUSE
By Owen
B. Magrinnis
This book, which has met with popular avor in its previous editions, is now revised tn a most thorough
seventh edition.
This new
msuiner by the author, and extensively elaborated. The previous editions contained 06 pages and 119 illustrations.
edition contains 160 pages and 159 illustrations, the majority of which are new. as many of the old illustrations haveffil KA
^x.uu
been redrawn and improved. Cloth. Price
New
'
APARTMENTS OF THE BETTER CLASS

By A.
J.
Pardridê and Harold Bradley
lE^xhibiting photographic reproductions of the exterior,
and typical
and the rental schedule, of the majority of the apartments

9%xl2%-inch volume; 128 pages, printed on Sepia paper, and
tages
with a description of the essential advanof the better class along the North Side of Chicago, ffi K A(1
tpu-uv
beautifully bound.
Cloth, gilt.
Pricej net
floor plans, together
THE MODERN TYPE APARTMENT HOTELS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED

STATES
By Robert
Carroll Cash
This book shows the possibilities of the modern apartment hotel. It shows the investor the value of this type of building and
Photographs of
gives the architect ideas on construction ana arrangement of apartments designed by some clever designers.
CK An
50 modem apartment hotels in different parts of the TTnited States are shown vrith typical story plans of each build- tpj.vu
9x12 inches; beautifully bound; full-page illustration a de luxe edition in every way. Price, net
ing.
Sent postpaid upon receipt of price.
THE WILLIAM
T.
COMSTOCK COMPANY
Publishers
23
WARREN STREET
::
::
131
::
"
NEW YORK

ESTABLISHED
iSRs
Magazine Devoted
to
Contemporary Architectural Construction
ARCHITECTURE
AND BUILDING
PLifiUMILD
L'V
rik W1LLI,\M T COMSrOCK.
15C ALOI'V
COMPAHV HEV/
vonr.
SJSOAVtAR
Published Monthly
$2.50 a year
Size 9 X 12 inches
25c. a
copy
FACSIMILE OF COVER
Popular
articles for the
fireproofing, etc.
Home Owner
Illustrations
of
technical articles
on construction,
everything from the
skyscraper.
Special cover feature each month.
Published by The William T. Comstock Co.

23 WARREN STREET, NEW YORK CITY
132
home
to
the
PPsilLiai
ffii

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LIBRARY

dtorttcU Hntoetaita SItbtarg

BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE

SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND

Cornell University Library

3 1924 014 903 953

the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright

the United States on the use of the

The Swiss Chalet Book,

How They Are

Two Family and Twin

Garages and Motor Boat Houses,

Wall Papers and Wall Coverings,

By Joy Wheeler Dow

WILLIAM PHILLIPS COMSTOCK

Architecture and Building

150 Illustrations and Plans

spot of rarest beauty,

day when peace

all the questions

hovering over the world, with

of reconstructions and readjustments to be set-

among the all important problems facing the country is the

men is the starting point. What is true of one industrial center

for better homes for working

some years ago.

"And then came the war"

cry that for years to come will

and habits. The U. S. Government in order to facilitate war work

earlier order, initiated

who may wish

or even single houses.

designs for small building projects

attempt has been made to give an estimate

of cost in any of these operations; the present instability in prices

governed by lo?al conditions.

William Phillips Comistock.

Clarence Wilson Brazer

Sibley Building, Rochester, N. Y.

425 Fifth Avenue,

477 Fifth Avenue,

681 Fifth Avenue,

430 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

Westinghouse Village, South Philadelphia, Pa

Carroll H. Pratt, Architect.

Overlook Colony, Claymont, Del

Yorkship Village, West Collingswood, N. J

Electus D. Litchfield, Architect.

Albert F. Edwards, Architect.

Hiss and Weeks, Architects.

Designs for Single and Double Houses of Moderate Cost

Small Concrete Houses

need not turn back so many years to note the changes

New England was the center or starting point

of most of the industries, and Pennsylvania with

on the edge of the "far west."

and iron and

homes, according to the present understanding of the word.

dwelt mostly in the factory boarding houses built and maintained by