Economical Store Building

[Copyright, 189a, by American Press Association.] Here is a floor plan of a store building rith living rooms above. There is nothing Ideal about this. It is planned with a view of getting the most money out of it. In order to do that, however, the storerooms must be well arranged, and the living tooms, though small, must be convenient. n order to get the most money out of it It is necessary to make as many rooms as possible. The plan of the storerooms ia elmple enough. There are three of them, placed on 44 feet of ground. Then above there are five suites of rooms - four suites of two rooms each and one suite of three rooms The back rooms are all well lighted. In the little square hall at the right and the one by the sink at the left there is a large skylight, which gives not only the light, but ventilation. There is a high window opening from each of the outside rooms into the little bedroom, and other Windows from the small rooms to well lighted halls. To be sure, this is not ideal living. Ou th? oher h_and, it is comfortable, though far from luxurious. The up stairs part of many store buildings in towns and small cities and those of the suburbs of the larger cities are usually better planned with respect to getting a return out of them. In order to be sure of a fair income from the second and third story of a block of this kind there must be a certain amouot of regard for tiie convenience of the occupants. There must be a place where you can get water, get rid of Blops and attend to the necessary household operations. Those who live in this block take their meals in a little restaurant on the lower floor. However, it is natural to expect that at any time there will be a certaiu amount of light housekeeping - cooking on a gas stove aud that sort of living. While Buch conditions are by no means ideal or generally satisfactory, nevertheless one is improving the general condition ■where he puts something fairly good where tefore was something bad. It is a negative eort of performance, yet such things frequently lead to positive results. A step in this direction, an investment which affords a little better return than some other investment, may lead a capitalist to go a little further the next time he builds and to do yet better. Thus the world moves oa a bit. All grooves of this kind are small. The outside of this building looks a little more interesting than is common with structures of this class. Necessarily, towever, the results had to be secured by very economical means. There is a very small amount of cut stone used in this struoture. Thedoorsills and the window sills represent the sum total of cut stone work. The other ecoratire work is in brick. The arches of the windows and the cornice, the brick work above, are all oí brick laid in red mortar. The other work is dark red brick laid in white mortar. The result is fairly satiafactory. It is better and more lasting than jsalvanized iron. A cornice of brick is more permanent than one of wood, and the fronts are more interesting than those which usually belong to low cost store buildings. The architect who insists on putting more money into the exterior of a structure of this kind than the conditions warrant gimply because he wants to mak e a show is not doing his full duty. Investment in property of this kind is always limited by the returns, and thus it decidedly pays to use the money in a way to secure permanency, solidity and internal convenience. After that, if there happens to be a small margin, it is well to indulge in a little decorative work. No man who builds wants to make an absolutely ugly structure. It is plensnnt to look upon something which is really Jiice, and, again, it pays. It is generally this consideration which influences the regard ior appearances. When those who invest in property of this kind say that they have nothing to put into show, it indicates that they are not fully sincere. No one, no matter how close in money mattere, wants to put up a structure wliicli is absolutely ugly. He wishes to get his building at as low a cost as posslble, but he is nearly always dispoaed to pay for that which is decorative and