New Law Tenement
Encyclopedia
New Law Tenements were built in New York City
following the New York State Tenement House Act
of 1901, so-called the "New Law" to distinguish it from the previous two Tenement House Acts of 1879 and 1867. New Law tenements are distinct from "Old Law" and "pre-law" tenements both in structural design and exterior ornament.
which consumed more space than the 1879 law's airshaft, New Law tenements tend to be built on multiple lots or on corner lots to conserve space for dwelling units, the renting of which is the money-making purpose of the structure. A typical Lower East Side
or "East Village" street will be lined with five-story, austerely unornamented pre-law tenements (pre-1879) and six-story, bizarrely decorated old law (-1901) tenements, the much bulkier, grand-style New Law tenements on the corners, always at least six stories tall.
Aesthetically, the New Law coincided with the fashion for Beaux-Arts architecture. The fanciful sandstone faces, gargoyles and filigreed terracotta of the previous twenty years of tenement design gave way to the more abstractly classical
, but extremely florid ornamentation of this historically informed and integrated, urbane, international and more grandiose Parisian style. Unlike the flat street wall of all previous tenements, which maximized the space available to tenants, the street wall façade of the New Law tenement often features recessed indentations, sometimes curved, sometimes rectilinear, giving the impression that stylish appearance mattered to the designer and owner more than optimizing space. They also feature oval and arched windows -- more expensive to produce and replace -- heavy terracotta ornaments around the windows and often thin brick, again, more expensive to manufacture and to lay. They give an impression of opulence which belies their purpose, location and their inhabitants: many were built in the ghetto to make money on the housing of largely impoverished immigrants by packing several families into small apartments.http://www.bartleby.com/208/
New Law tenements can be seen throughout Manhattan
and especially in the Lower East Side
and Washington Heights
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
following the New York State Tenement House Act
New York State Tenement House Act
One of the reforms of the Progressive Era, the New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 was one of the first such laws to ban the construction of dark, poorly ventilated tenement buildings in the state of New York...
of 1901, so-called the "New Law" to distinguish it from the previous two Tenement House Acts of 1879 and 1867. New Law tenements are distinct from "Old Law" and "pre-law" tenements both in structural design and exterior ornament.
Design
Required under the New Law to include a large courtyardCourtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
which consumed more space than the 1879 law's airshaft, New Law tenements tend to be built on multiple lots or on corner lots to conserve space for dwelling units, the renting of which is the money-making purpose of the structure. A typical Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
or "East Village" street will be lined with five-story, austerely unornamented pre-law tenements (pre-1879) and six-story, bizarrely decorated old law (-1901) tenements, the much bulkier, grand-style New Law tenements on the corners, always at least six stories tall.
Aesthetically, the New Law coincided with the fashion for Beaux-Arts architecture. The fanciful sandstone faces, gargoyles and filigreed terracotta of the previous twenty years of tenement design gave way to the more abstractly classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
, but extremely florid ornamentation of this historically informed and integrated, urbane, international and more grandiose Parisian style. Unlike the flat street wall of all previous tenements, which maximized the space available to tenants, the street wall façade of the New Law tenement often features recessed indentations, sometimes curved, sometimes rectilinear, giving the impression that stylish appearance mattered to the designer and owner more than optimizing space. They also feature oval and arched windows -- more expensive to produce and replace -- heavy terracotta ornaments around the windows and often thin brick, again, more expensive to manufacture and to lay. They give an impression of opulence which belies their purpose, location and their inhabitants: many were built in the ghetto to make money on the housing of largely impoverished immigrants by packing several families into small apartments.http://www.bartleby.com/208/
New Law tenements can be seen throughout Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and especially in the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
and Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
.
Additional reading
- Lawrence Veiller, "New York's New Building Code" Charities Review 9 (1899-1900), 388-391.http://tenant.net/Community/LES/veiller2.html
- Lawrence Veiller, "The Tenement-House Exhibition of 1899" Charities Review 10 (1900-1901): 19-25. http://server1.fandm.edu/departments/AmericanStudies/faculty/schuyler/schuyler_urban/tenementhouse.html http://tenant.net/Community/LES/veiller1.html
- Robert DeForest and Lawrence Veiller, eds. The Tenement House Problem: Including the Report of the New York State Tenement House Commission, in two volumes (New York:MacMillan 1903) Volume I http://books.google.com/books?id=yM0JAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR7&lpg=PR7&dq=the+tenement+house+problem+robert+deforest+and+lawrence+veiller&source=web&ots=3aDDvzgGLn&sig=dV9pwzbS7UXQIMRrcdv_Q1wOG7E#PPR27,M1 http://www.archive.org/details/tenementhousepro01deforich Volume II http://books.google.com/books?id=3Wgtl1RHu7gC&pg=PP15&lpg=PP15&dq=the+tenement+house+problem+robert+deforest+and+lawrence+veiller+vol+ii&source=web&ots=Oh6pmaAUFX&sig=rcohw6PBj3tBgu8jpYTAmkiIFdA#PPP10,M1