The above linked article tells about apartments in the New York city libraries. They were kept there for the caregivers who were paid to keep the furnace going at night so things wouldn’t freeze over.
As I was reading about them, I was thinking about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and how the family loses its source of income as a furnace keeper the night the baby is born.
Things were more difficult in those times and as electricity and gas became more common, there wasn’t a need for the caregivers anymore. These apartments sat empty until they were renovated into other spaces. Judging by the article, these apartments were pretty nice in their day. It’s such a shame that they aren’t used for housing anymore. Wouldn’t it be fun to say you live in a library?
bookworm at the gym 