This 1914, mint-green Lincoln Heights apartment building, which recently went up for sale, serves as a well preserved example of a fourplex. The fourplex, along with its sisters, the duplex and triplex, emerged as a popular form of multifamily construction in Eastside neighborhoods during the early part of the 20th century. The “plexes” allowed owners to squeeze more housing – and income – out of building lots but their size, height and style often blended in with neighboring single-family homes. A draft of a 2003 Preservation Plan Workbook produced by the city said these old fourplexes might still serve as useful models to follow in building new, low-density projects in historic districts:
“These multi-family structures were usually developed with the same setbacks, height, and often the same roof-forms as their neighbors. In some cases, individual entryways were concealed in a foyer or lobby beyond a common entrydoor, rendering these structures indistinguishable from single family residences in the same neighborhood. In historic residential neighborhoods composed primarily of two-story single family structures, this architectural style may be a useful model for low-density multi-family development.”
Photo from Crisnet/Redfin
