Basement apartment
Encyclopedia
A basement apartment is an apartment
located below street
level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house
or a business. Rent
in basement apartments is usually much lower than it is in above-ground units, due to a number of deficiencies common to basement apartments. The apartments are usually cramped, and tend to be noisy, both from uninsulated building noises and from traffic on the adjacent street. They are also particularly vulnerable to burglary
, especially those with windows at sidewalk level. In some instances, residential use of below-ground space is illegal, but is done anyway in order for the building owner to generate extra income. Karel Teige
says of the basement apartment under a house that "a basement apartment is a hostile environment and feels like an alien weight, dragging down the poor
, serving only if fed by blood and sweat, a place the worker is not allowed to consider as his own home..."
A number of noted artistic achievements have occurred in basement apartments occupied by struggling authors, painters, and musicians.
Andy Warhol
made one of his earliest films, Mrs. Warhol (black-and-white, 66 minutes), in the basement apartment of his house, where his mother (Julia Warhola
) lived.
Ruth McKenney
based a series of stories in The New Yorker
, later republished in the book My Sister Eileen
, on her experiences living with her sister in a moldy, one-room basement apartment above the Christopher Street
subway station at 14 Gay Street in Greenwich Village
for which she paid $45 a month. The apartment was burgled within the first week during the six months they lived there.
Homeowners will typically rent out basement apartments to tenants as a way to earn additional income so as to offset living expenses. Owning a home with a basement apartment can be an investment. Tenants will provide income to the home owner, reducing expenses, and equity will grow as the value of the property increases.
Basement apartments were the subject of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer
's hit single "Basement Apartment" in 2000.
In Canada
In general terms they are thought of as apartments in the basement of residential houses with the owner's living space on the upper floors, though there are many examples of it in older cities as part of older row house type buildings on main streets and even in older smaller apartment buildings. Even when it built on a hill and the Basement back door opens to a back yard, as in some houses and even town houses, they are still referred to as the basement if it is rented, or if the main living spaces of the family are on the upper floors. Modern basement apartments can be quite spacious and large, especially with some of the larger houses built in the suburbs.
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
located below street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
or a business. Rent
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
in basement apartments is usually much lower than it is in above-ground units, due to a number of deficiencies common to basement apartments. The apartments are usually cramped, and tend to be noisy, both from uninsulated building noises and from traffic on the adjacent street. They are also particularly vulnerable to burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, especially those with windows at sidewalk level. In some instances, residential use of below-ground space is illegal, but is done anyway in order for the building owner to generate extra income. Karel Teige
Karel Teige
Karel Teige was the major figure of the Czech avant-garde movement Devětsil in the 1920s, a graphic artist, photographer, and typographer...
says of the basement apartment under a house that "a basement apartment is a hostile environment and feels like an alien weight, dragging down the poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, serving only if fed by blood and sweat, a place the worker is not allowed to consider as his own home..."
A number of noted artistic achievements have occurred in basement apartments occupied by struggling authors, painters, and musicians.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
made one of his earliest films, Mrs. Warhol (black-and-white, 66 minutes), in the basement apartment of his house, where his mother (Julia Warhola
Julia Warhola
Júlia Varcholová, born Júlia Justína Zavacká, was the mother of the American artist Andy Warhol.-Life:...
) lived.
Ruth McKenney
Ruth McKenney
Ruth McKenney was an American author and journalist, best remembered for My Sister Eileen, a memoir of her experiences growing up in Ohio and moving to Greenwich Village with her sister Eileen McKenney. This was later adapted as the musical Wonderful Town by Leonard Bernstein.-Early life:McKenney...
based a series of stories in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, later republished in the book My Sister Eileen
My Sister Eileen
My Sister Eileen originated as a series of short stories by Ruth McKenney that eventually evolved into a book, a play, a musical, a radio play , two films, and a CBS television series in the 1960-1961 season....
, on her experiences living with her sister in a moldy, one-room basement apartment above the Christopher Street
Christopher Street (Manhattan)
Christopher Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the continuation of 9th St. to the west of its intersection with 6th Ave. The Stonewall Inn is located on Christopher Street, and, therefore, the street was at the center of New York's...
subway station at 14 Gay Street in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
for which she paid $45 a month. The apartment was burgled within the first week during the six months they lived there.
Homeowners will typically rent out basement apartments to tenants as a way to earn additional income so as to offset living expenses. Owning a home with a basement apartment can be an investment. Tenants will provide income to the home owner, reducing expenses, and equity will grow as the value of the property increases.
Basement apartments were the subject of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
's hit single "Basement Apartment" in 2000.