The Evolution of Buildings on the South Street Block - Paper Example

The architectural designs of various areas tend to change due to changes in several factors such as trends, climate, populations, and environmental issues. In most cities in the United States, buildings have shifted from short-storied buildings with walls made of bricks to tall skyscrapers with plenty of natural lighting. In most places, especially in the urban areas, changing trends in architectural designs have forced the landowners to in those prime properties to demolish outdated property in order to develop properties that are attractive to tenants. There is no doubt that the building of the Manhattan Bridge, Frank T. Modica Way, and Cherry Street block significantly changed over time and culminated in the opening of the Two Bridge Tower in Manhattan.

In New York City, the first government intervention of design of houses occurred in the year 1624 when colonialists first arrived in the city. A set of rules on design and location of houses was developed by the Dutch West India Company to set the standard of houses that could be built on the colony. Although these laws were abandoned as they were impractical, they set the standard on what was expected of buildings in New York. At this early stage of the city, the main aim of building regulations was to reduce the spread of fire and diseases through avoidance of congestion and proper sanitation.

In 1648, New York City enacted the first comprehensive laws in a bid to avoid fire outbreaks. These laws made it illegal for houses to have wooden and plaster chimneys. The chimneys were removed when people were appointed to inspect the violators of the law. Modern rules on fire protection of buildings began in 1775 after the city was razed down by a huge fire. The laws were aimed at preventing fire and controlling it once it started. All buildings were required to have masonry firewalls to prevent the fire from jumping to the next buildings.

Early construction designs also aimed to prevent diseases by maintaining hygienic conditions. Early laws guided sewage and trash disposal while made it illegal to dispose of trash in the canals. After several epidemics, the New York City legislature appointed health commissioners with the power to make and enforce regulations governing sanitation in the city. The city then started building sewers and providing running water to some homes. However, a rapid increase in population led to overcrowding of houses. It is estimated that between 1800 and 1810, the population of New York increased from 60,000 to more than 95,000. This rapid increase led to housing challenges and this, in turn, led to poor sanitation within the city. After countless cholera and yellow fever epidemics, the Health board decided to define sanitation and hygiene in greater detail. This involves regulating the maximum housing density and incorporation of professionals to assist the builders in the construction of houses. The city was permitted to buy houses that violated the building standards and to turn them over to new owners who would have to guarantee that they would construct following the standards.

The introduction of steam engines increased the population of New York further. Thousands of people immigrated to America, with New York as the main entry point. By 1850's the city had become the metropolis of North America, and it is during this period that modern housing began to emerge. A huge proportion of its population lives in collective accommodation. This was a unique phenomenon in the United States at that time. People had to live in poor houses which just passed the city regulations. Cellar rooms in which people had no access to natural lighting were also common. These rooms had only small gratings for natural ventilation and had to use lamps throughout the day. These houses were a profitable venture, and they could host more than 200 families at a time. Overcrowding, crime, and diseases were rife in this slums. It was after good campaigns by reformists that cellar rooms were banned and the buildings that had these rooms had to be demolished.

While some reformists were campaigning for quality homes for the poor people, an architect named Andrew James designed a 400-acre housing project that was located in New Jersey. In this project, houses were located in large pieces of land of approximately 5-10 acres and had circular roads that were well designed to ensure that it depicted a natural setting. The estate was served by a private ferry and railway, and I took I hour to reach it from New York. This estate provided a home for upper-middle-class individuals who could work in New York and then live in the suburbs.

It was in 1850's when pressure from citizens forced the government to regulate the tenement houses. Cholera outbreaks of 1950's and economic difficulties of 1857 forced the government to provide jobs for the unemployed as well as food. This suffering of people due to poor housing was taking a toll on them, and this was disturbing the social order of the city. In 1863, a draft revolt against forceful conscription of people into the army for the civil wall arose. It was led by the poor who lived in the wretched condition in the city. This led to new changes in the city spearheaded by the Citizen Association.

In1860's cellar housing was banned, and major changes in hygiene and fireproofing were enacted by the legislature through the Tenement house Act. This act aimed to provide guidelines on how new houses would be constructed. An office of a superintendent of buildings within the Fire Department was created, and it was tasked with ensuring that all houses for accommodation were compliant with all government regulations. All plans for new buildings to be constructed had to pass through the office of the superintendent for approval before the construction could be initiated. An appeal system was created where who felt aggrieved by the office of the superintendent could appeal. There was a need for people working in the construction industry such as architects or plumbers to be qualified and registered personnel only.

It was only after the Great Depression of 1930s that the government decided to build houses for the poor in New York. The government was able to construct good houses, with adequate fire escape and proper sanitation that could in which the poor could live well. The housing blocks had enough water points and included a bathroom within a housing unit. These government-constructed houses provided a challenge to the landlords, and this forced them to improve the quality of their houses in a bid to attract tenants. Some landlords also constructed high-quality houses hoping to collect higher rents from their tenants.

The Evolution of Buildings on the South Street Block

The South Street block is located in Manhattan, New York and it consists of four properties. It borders Cherry Street to the North, Pike Street and the Manhattan Bridge to the West, South Street to the South and Frank T Modica Way to the East. At the moment, half of the block, 250 South Street, is under construction while the other half hosts the Hamilton-Madison House at 253 South Street and two other smaller buildings at 82 Rutgers Street and 235 Cherry Street.

The first traceable buildings on this block of land are the tenement houses that were constructed in 1830's. The architects, if any, the builders and the owners of the block at this time are unknown. At this time, buildings were constructed to minimal regulations, and the main aim of these buildings was to get maximum rent from the tenants. The buildings were designed to host as many immigrant families as possible, and it provided very minimal amenities to the residents. The houses were constructed to maximize the available area for renting to low-income families. The buildings were overcrowded, filled with filth and it provided inadequate sanitation for its residents.

The buildings at the block aimed to maximize the density of floor space which was constrained in a lot measuring 25 feet by 100 feet. The 25 feet was constrained by the maximum length of the available joints for the wooden floor and the practice of constructing buildings within a single lot. It is vivid that the buildings occupied more than 90% of the lot. Thus most buildings had 18 tenement houses per floor. With this rate, the backyards were eliminated from the building. It also consisted of five stories and narrow steps to access the upper floors. The buildings consisted of long tenements across each floor which were arranged as railroad cars. In this arrangement, the tenements lacked sufficient natural lighting, ventilation and consisted of very small space. Only tenements at the exterior were on the street received natural lighting. It is clear that the owner of the building took advantage of lax government regulation to maximize his rental income.

Insufficient ventilation in the building was attributed to lack of air shafts. What made these buildings more dangerous was the fact that several buildings were constructed adjacent to each other. Since the buildings were facing south, it meant that only 2 out of the 18 tenement rooms in a floor could receive direct sunlight. Thus, the tenements were located in dark courts which could only be accessed through narrow foul-smelling alleys. In these conditions, a fire could easily spread from one building to the neighboring at an alarming speed. To make the matters worse, these buildings lacked adequate fire escapes, and thus, huge fires could trap and kill the tenants inside the buildings.

In 1850's most buildings in the bock incorporated airshafts in the tenements in a bid to improve ventilation. This was a very small improvement to the buildings, but considering how the building was constructed it is important these minimal changes were the only changes that could be feasible in the buildings. Other improvements that were done to improve sanitation involved the construction of several sinks in the small yards.

As the building aged, its residents increased, and thus this made the overcrowding and the living conditions in the house deteriorated. The living conditions offered at this building would be intolerable for living at this age. However, at the time it was better than most residential houses. The intolerable living conditions in the tenement houses in this period could be blamed on lax governmental regulations and lack of enforcement, the greed of the landlords and lack of adequate architects who could design houses of higher standards. We note that the buildings in this block were constructed without a detailed plan at the discretion of the landlords and the builders while ensuring that they were in line with the governmental regulation.

It is no surprise that some residents of the tenement in the block succumbed from cholera during the outbreak of 1849. After the outbreak, no sufficient measures were taken to improve sanitation. Thus, the cholera outbreak of 1854 led to the death of more residents of the tenement houses in the block. At this time, the majority of the residents of the blocks were poor immigrants from Europe and the interior of the United States. The steamboats and the railways enabled people to travel long distances over land and sea to the metropolis of New York. These immigrants required cheap housing and the tenement houses provided them with an affordable accommodation.

Despite a comprehensive study by the New York Council of Hygiene and Public Health that recommended widespread improvements in the housing sector for the poor, no major improvements were made on the tenement housing on the block. The study recommended major architectural improvements on the tenement housing. This pressurized the government and in 1866, legislation was passed that adopted a c...