REAL ESTATE
AND
NEW YORK, JULY 15, 1916
BUILDING STATISTICS FOR 1915 INDICATE
A RENEWAL OF STRUCTURAL ACTIVITY
Total Last Year Considerably Below Average for
Past Decade, But Shows Increase Over 1914
BUILDING operations in Manhattan
showed a decided improvement dur¬
ing 191S, as compared with the preced¬
ing year, according to the annual report
of the Building Department, but it must
not be thought that the activity has
reached that of normal years, which is
based upon a ten-year period. The esti¬
mated cost of the 489 new buildings for
which plans were filed during the year
amounted to $64,652,869, comparing with
411 buildings, costing $45,471,165 in 1914.
This represents a gain of 42 per cent,
over the latter year. The average plans
filed for the past ten years average about
$100,000,000 a year.
The average cost per building for the
year was $132,213, as against $110,635 for
1914. All told there were 3,237 altera¬
tions to buildings filed, aggregating $9,-
019,805, or an average cost per structure
of $2,786. This compares with 4,711
building alterations in 1914 costing $10,-
882,706, an average of $2,310 a building.
It will be seen that fewer alterations
were filed during 1915, but the average
cost per structure was considerably
more.
The total number of violations filed
during 1915 was 8,096 and the number
dismissed was 9,301, indicating a reduc¬
tion of 1,205 in the total of the cases
carried on the records of the bureau,
which shows a tendency on the part of
property owners to comply with the re¬
quirements of the bureau.
During 1914 a new system of filing
plans was inaugurated, the lot and block
system having been adopted. Durin.g
1915, nearly all the plans of the first tax
section have been filed according to this
scheme. The value of this system has
been repeatedly demonstrated in the
past year from the ease with which it
is possible to find plans for any building
erected in this section. This scheme re¬
bounds to the benefit of the owner as
well as facilitating the work of the de¬
partment. The efficiency can possibly
be realized when it is stated that now
plans for any building, south of Grand
street, can be produced instantly, while
formerly it often required days before
thev were found, especially if an old
building was in question. The filing
rooms were cleared of many useless rec¬
ords relating to buildings which have
been demolished, or filings for structures
which have never been built. Thousands
of plans have been removed by this
process.
The following table shows the build¬
ing operations which have been com¬
menced and completed during 1915 and
in progress at the close of 1915. These
are arranged by ta.x districts:
It will be seen that 321 buildings were
commenced, 348 coinpleted, some of
which were in progress at the beginning
of the year, while on December 31, 1915,
there were 197 buildin.gs uncompleted,
though in course of construction. There
was also 2.S97 alterations commenced,
2,763 completed and 490 in progress.
Tlie greatest amount of activity in new
Iniilding was in that section of Manhat¬
tan north of ISSth street, which com¬
prises, in the main, apartment houses to
meet the increasing demand. About one-
third of the entire building activity was
confined to this section. This condition
was also true in 1914.
The second area of building activity
was in ta.x district No. 5 which com¬
prises that section between 40th and 96th
streets east of Sixth avenue and Central
Park. This is a district which is bein.g
improved not only by high-class apart¬
ment houses and residences, notably in
the Park and Fifth avenue section, but
also by high grade business buildings
and hotels located north of the Grand
Central Terminal. Work on 59 new
buildings was commenced and S3 were
completed. At the end of the year 54
were still in pro.gress.
Tlie third tax district, namely, between
14th and 40th streets, comes next in or¬
der, SO buildings having been com¬
menced. 38 completed, while 41 in prog¬
ress. This district also was the most'
active from the alteration standpoint, 569
alterations having been commenced, 654
completed, and 125 in progress. _ The
section is given over practically in its
entirety to mercantile structures.
PLANS FOR NEW BUILDINGS AND ALTER¬
ATION'S FILED MONTHLY DURINCT THE
YEARS 1914 AND 1915.
.lanuary . .
February.
March. ...
April.....
May......
June.....
July......
August. ..
September.
October. , .
November.
December.
Total.
1914.
No. ot
Plans.
29
.3.5
40
4.3
57
Z2
.38
32
25
19
10
15
375
No. of
Bldgs.
34
36
44
49
64
32
43
36
28
19
11
15
411
Estimated
Cost.
$3,511,100
1.766,815
6,16S,.575
4,.371,000
7.065,900
3,.393,5,50
4,6u5,350
3,608,9,50
5,109,0.50
3,551,075
1,505,800
814,000
$45,471,165
BUILDING OPERATIONS COMMENCED AND COMPLETED DURING 1915 AND IN PROGRESS AT
THE CLOSE OF 1915 BY TAX DISTRICTS.
Dist.
Com¬
menced
15
21
50
1 South of Grand and Watts sts...
2 Bet. Grand, Watts and 14th sts...
3 Bet. 14th and 4nth sts..........
4 Bet. 40tb and 96th sts., west of
eth av. and Central Park..... 31
5 Bet. 40th and 9fith sts, east of
6th av and Central Park...... 59
6 Bet. 96th st and Harlem River,
east of Central Park and
Lenox av..................... 11
7 Bet. 96th st and 1.55th St., west
of Central Park and Lenox av. 27
8 North ot 15.5th st............... 107
Totals....................... 321
â– New Buildings
Com¬
pleted
18
29
38
36
53
15
SS
121
In
Progress.
10
11
41
Com¬
menced.
547
312
569
19
54
m
35
237
490
285
118
39
-Alterations-
Com¬
pleted.
603
296
654
235
549
264
12.3
39
In
Progress.
84
64
123
69
79
44
23
4
January. .
February.
March. ...
April.....
May......
June.....
July.....
August. . .
September.
October.
November.
December.
1915.
No. oE
Plans.
26
. 38
41
55
32
33
39
42
27
24
33
28
Total.
No. ot
Bldgs.
27
40
47
69
38
37
50
43
28
42
39
29
489
January.
February.
March. ..,
April.....
May.....
June.....
July.....
August. . .
September.
October. .
November.
December.
... 418
ALTERATIONS,
1914.
No. of
Alter¬
ations,
... 330
... 331
423
4S3
... 471
455
... 443
365
... 270
... 301
258
... 279
No. ot
Bldgs.
358
350
439
503
497
495
491
387
2Si
317
280
310
Total......... 4,409
1915.
No. of
Alter¬
ations.
16.8
210
. 297
. 310
286
273
250
. 245
228
'. 215
. 236
. 272
January. .
February.
March. ...
April.....
May......
June......
July......
August. ..,
September.
October. . .
November.
December.
4,711
No. ot
Bldgs.
175
222
318
342
314
286
268
263
259
245
256
289
Estimated
Cost.
$7,8.30,100
4,982,900
4,134,025
5,834,740
13,566,625
3,290,330
4,097,080
7,260,500
3,739,850
2,420,750
3,894,400
3,601,569
$64,652,869
Estimated
Cost.
$908,042
994,227
1,743,679
1,075,463
1,591,059
861,841
719,734
867,226
366,170
472,077
552,444
730,744
$10,882,706
Estimated
Cost.
$334,616
917,030
831,355
1,085,727
811,702
1,101,860
748.223
699,828
608,417
649,716
706,815
524,516
Total......... 2,990 3,237
$9,019,805
the com-
and 191S
348
197
2,597
2,763
490
The foregoing table shows
parative activity during 1914
by months. These figures do not show
any unusual condition, because as in for¬
mer years most of the plans were filed
in the spring. However, in May, 1915,
plans for several large structures were
filed, the total aggregating more than
$13,500,000.
The average cost of new buildings per
unit during 1914 and 1915 and also the
average from 1902 to 1914, inclusive, ap¬
pears in the following table:
AVERAGE COST OF BUILDINGS PER UNIT.
Av. 1902 to
1915. 1914. 1914,inc.
Private dwellings.....,$31,700 $80,100 .$48,000
Tenements........... 129,3.30 142,220 82,420
Hotels...............224,440 108,.3.30 392,240
Mercantile buildings.. 1.32,825 142,.305 137,640
All buildings......... 131.805 110,635 87,570
The average number of new buildings
for which plans were filed from 1902 to
1914 was 1,041, aggregating a total ex¬
penditure of $91,204,000, while during the
same period 3,505 alterations were
planned to cost $12,351,485. The total
average cost for these years for new
buildings and alterations was $99,225,185.
In Manhattan the increase during 1915
over 1914 in buildin.g operations was 30.7
per cent., Bronx 60.4 per cent., Brooklyn
8.8 per cent.. Queens 8.2 per cent, and
Richmond 14.S oer cent. _ The total
amount involved in building in the entire
city during 1915 was $172,897,691. In
Manhattan 172 buildings were planned to
be fireproof, which 15 36.32 per cent, of