Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 98, no. 2522: Articles]: July 15, 1916

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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 ■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