Buildings of the 50s and 60s re-tool to meet needs of 90s

Real Estate Weekly, May 17, 1995 by Marilyn Sygrove

Landlords, owners and managing agents are extremely sensitive to market demands. They know that satisfying - and even anticipating - tenant needs is the key to protecting and enhancing the value of their properties. They understand that to remain competitive, they may have to investment spend for capital improvements. Such expenditures need not break the bank, however. Talented designers/space planners can achieve maximum impact on a relatively limited budget. Here are some of the ways.

Twenty or thirty years ago, the number of full-time residential support staff was significantly greater than it is today. Doormen, for example, tended the door. They were not expected to function as ersatz security guards or mailmen as well.

Back then, package rooms were tiny closets at some distance from the front door. But since someone was usually home to receive packages, less storage area was required. In those days, after all, there were fewer working couples and more full-time housekeepers. Similarly, an apartment building's mailboxes were smaller in size because "junk mail" was less plentiful. (Shopping by catalogue had not yet really caught on.) In fact, in many buildings, mail was hand-delivered to each tenant, obviating the need for a mailroom.

Storage space was dedicated to storage, not transformed into indoor playgrounds for resident youngsters or exercise rooms for adults.

How do you update the original "small package" closet, now inadequate both in terms of function and distance from the front door? Moreover, how do you address current postal regulations which mandate mailboxes significantly larger than those of 30 years ago?

Designers/space planners are opting for special, space-efficient mailrooms to meet these requirements. Beyond this, for both security and service reasons, Fifties/Sixties residential buildings must locate package rooms in proximity both to the front door and doorman.

In some buildings, a package room/doorman station is carved out of the lounge seating area. This design solution actually provides the secondary benefit of discouraging "loitering" in the lobby, as well as preventing it from becoming a "playing field."

Today's doorman is expected to assist residents and guests at the door, announce arrivals, fetch packages, keep an eye on delivery people as well as act as security guard. Many buildings consider the option of helping the doorman cope with peak traffic times by installing revolving or electronic doors. However, regardless of what type of doors are ultimately specified, designers/space planners are typically asked to include an automatic locking system for the night shift, with a night bell in the event that the doorman is on a break or extra security is needed.

Most Fifties/Sixties buildings, however, were designed with the intercom panel sited in the entry vestibule. Given the need for tighter security, this is generally no longer a viable option. Designers/space planners can remedy this with a doorman console. This central communications point features intercoms linking elevators, service areas, the superintendent's office, alarms for garage entry doors, and, of course, the individual residential units.

Security issues aside, most post-war edifices are constructed of white or red brick and lack the post-war grandeur and character prized today. An aesthetic challenge for designers/space planners, therefore, is to create an ambiance which will please a building's residents while attracting new buyers or renters.

With the right approach, landlords, owners, sponsors and managing agents can have their buildings contemporized in value-enhancing, cost-effective ways. This kind of investment can pay big dividends in terms or market value.