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Just to be clear, I find conversion of viable multifamily buildings into mansions generally repugnant. The opposite process also happens, though... not just a
by jmkb 3y ago
Just to be clear, I find conversion of viable multifamily buildings into mansions generally repugnant.
The opposite process also happens, though... not just a 3- and 4-story residential buildings demolished for large residential towers (plenty of that in NYC) but single-family brownstones carved up into smaller dwelling units.
The map caption "Conversions Have Erased Some Gains in NYC's Housing Stock" would make a less deceptive headline. The map shows data from a defined timespan ("between 2010 and 2021") and shows that there's not a single community district that hasn't added housing units. The headline, meanwhile, refers to a vague "70-plus years" timeframe. That's long enough that you could probably find hundreds of buildings that have bounced between single- and multi-family several times.
And in fact the underlying research characterizes any building that was ever recorded as multifamily and currently isn't as a "loss." I fear it risks romanticizing the 20th century's cramped tenements.
(And again, just to be clear, I find conversion of viable multifamily buildings into mansions generally repugnant.)
- pottertheotter 3y agoYeah, there's a lot of nuance here that is being lost. The second paragraph says: "Take for example 34 E. 68th St. in Manhattan: The 1879 row house, located in the Upper East Side Historic District, once housed 17 separate apartments, according to property records. Now, it is a 9,600-square-foot single-family mansion after changing hands for $11.5 million in 2011 and a subsequent gut renovation." 1879 and an average of 565 sqft each. I don't think what those apartments were is what we want today.
- adriancr 3y ago> 1879 and an average of 565 sqft each. I don't think what those apartments were is what we want today. That's ~50 m^2, pretty decent for young people (can have separate living room/bedroom/bathroom/kitchen if split properly) So, instead of housing 17-34 young people that could contribute a lot to the area it now houses a single family.
- Ekaros 3y agoAs a single person living in 55 m^2 bedroon + decent kitchen + small bathroom(including waching machine) + large living room. I don't see much issue with that floor space. Probably could be even enough for two people. It is reasonable trade to live affordably in a city.
- HDThoreaun 3y ago565 sqft is pretty normal for manhattan. If I had to guess I'd say at least 30% of manhattan apartments are smaller than that.