Did the dumbell tenement work

Answer 1

Yes. I am sitting in one as I write and it works just fine. Although "tenement" has a negative connotation, the modern term is "apartment building". In New York City, the "new tenement law" of the early 1900s resulted in dumbbell-shaped buildings. This was done to create courtyards that permit every room of every apartment to have access to natural light and fresh air.

Although the turn-of-the-century "old tenement law" was an improvement, it was in many ways insufficient. The old law required windows in every room, but did not say they had to open to the outside world. Consequently, developers built windows between rooms and transoms to evade that requirement and maximize income-producing floor space. Skylights and air shafts, too small for a person to fit through, satisfied the requirements for light and air, but proved inadequate and eventually collected trash at the bottom, where there was no easy way to clean it out.

Under the new tenement law, transoms were outlawed and windows had to open to the outside. Most architects in New York City responded by creating dumbbell tenements, although in Jackson Heights, Queens, a different style was more popular: one in which all interior windows opened on an interior courtyard which featured a fountain and space for tenants to socialize.

The dumbbell tenement, as an architectural type, in New York City is preferred by tenants over old law tenements (with air shafts), railroad apartments and other less airy arrangements.