IQ2 



TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Fig. 2. The Va.ndeuiult Texe.me>ts. 



that is now of the past, however, and the first of his buildings is now 

 nearly ready for occupancy. 



Mr. Smith's chief aim and purpose in the construction and arrange- 

 ment of his buildings is to secure for them the greatest possible supply of 

 fresh air and sunshine, and conversely to eliminate every opportunity 

 for darkness and bad ventilation. Instead of erecting one immense 

 structure broken only by the narrow shafts and congested yards of most 

 tenement houses, he makes each building a group of four units, each 

 surrounding a spacious central court. This court is entered through a 

 direct, unobstructed passage from the street. One of these entrances is 

 seen at the right of Fig. 1. From the central court there are recessed 

 stairways in each corner extending all the way to the roof, and with 

 private entrances directly into each apartment. 



These are the open stairs which form the distinguishing character- 

 istic of all the tenement houses designed by Mr. Smith. The primary 

 purpose of these open stairs is to do away with all interior passages and 

 hallways and to provide each family with its own entrance from outside 

 the building. The open stairs are in reality open on one side only as 

 shown in Fig. 3, which gives not only a view of the interior of one stair 

 well, but also a view of the well in the opposite corner of the court as 

 seen from outside. Every particle of material in the stairway is fire- 

 proof and hardly a crack or a crevice is left in which dust or dirt may 

 collect. The railings are of iron, and midway between the floors are 

 iron seats to serve as resting places. To keep out rain and snow there 

 are hoods over these seats, projecting outward at the proper angle to 



