100 COMMISSION ON BUILDING DISTRICTS 



pedestrians are often forced into the roadways, litter is thrown about and 

 conditions are generally bad. 



I look upon any plan that will result in a greater distribution of popula- 

 tion as most desirable. To attempt any radical reconstruction of buildings 

 that now exist, would, perhaps not be feasible, but I feel strongly that meas- 

 ures should now be taken by the city to prevent further growth of the con- 

 gestion which now exists on Manhattan Island and some places in the Bronx. 



Some years ago it was found that there were more than forty blocks 

 on Manhattan Island where the density of population was greater than 1,200 

 to the acre. In places it ran as high as 1,600 to the acre. I do not mean 

 to say that all of the 40 blocks were together, but most of them were on a 

 narrow area of the island. The congestion in the Bronx is becoming quite 

 serious. 



Tenement cellars as living places 



As to the use of tenement cellars as living places, according to figures 

 which I obtained some years ago, there were 25,000 tenement cellars used 

 in Greater New York for tenant purposes. I remember where twent) 

 persons lived in one cellar. Of the 25,000 tenant cellars used for living 

 purposes, a little less than 15,000 were on Manhattan Island alone. 



If we are to take any thought for the future of this city, we must do 

 something now to bring about a more reasonable and wholesome distribution 

 of population. 



Statement by John B. Ckeigiiton, President, Fiske Terrace 

 Association, Brooklyn, April 17, 1916 

 Preservation of private house districts 



As representing the Fiske Terrace Association I can say that no asso- 

 ciation in the whole City of New York has followed with greater interest 

 the movement for the restrictions which you have before you. Our organi- 

 zation is assessed for two and a half million dollars. We pay $50,000 a 

 year to the city treasury. We have one hundred and sixty-five families in 

 that association. We are bounded on the east by Ocean Avenue, on the 

 west by the Brighton Beach Railroad, on the north by Avenue G and on the 

 south by the Long Island Railroad, a very compact and well-organized com- 

 munity. We are spending v$l,500 a year in paving streets and keeping up 

 the parks and lawns. 



Fiske Terrace is one of the beauty spots of Flatbush and we are very 

 much interested in these districting regulations and we have actively sup- 

 ported them ever since they have been discussed in our meetings. We wish 

 to commend as an association, the efforts of your Commission as second in 

 importance only to the dual subway contracts. As the dual subway con- 

 tracts represented the first scientific and broad constructive work in laying 

 out a rapid transit system, so districting is a broad and scientific effort to 

 conserve the city and to lay it out as a great and growing city should hf 

 laid out. 



We have canvassed one hundred and sixty-five families and we have 

 got ninety-five per cent, of them to sign for an unlimited restriction. Our 

 restrictions ran out in 1915 and immediately two apartment houses were 

 erected on Ocean Avenue which we regard as rather spoiling Ocean Ave- 

 nue. We feel that Ocean Avenue is destined to be an apartment house street 

 and probably never can be saved from apartment houses, but that it even- 

 tually will be like Lenox Avenue in New York, one solid mass of apartment 

 houses from Prospect Park to Sheepshead Bay. 



