How much was a three bedroom apartment in Queens in 1950's?

Answer 1

I grew up in a co-op apartment in Queens (Flushing) in the 1950's. A bit of history - a co-op is a type of ownership in which a corporation is formed based on the amount of square footage in each building. Shares are sold to an owner which are equivalent to the amount of square feet in the apartment. A maintenance fee is assessed to cover both the proportionate amount of heat, water and electricity (or gas) used by the apartment, plus fees to maintain the common areas (halls, grounds, etc.). In 1956, my family paid $81.35 in maintenance fees for a two bedroom apartment. A three bedroom unit was just over $100. Similar straight rentals (in non-public housing) went for about $15 to $30 more, depending on how big the apartment was (like houses, some three bedroom apartments are smaller than others), whether it was in a high-rise apartment house or a smaller building (or duplex) and where it was located. Public housing, like Pomonok (also in Flushing), was less expensive - a friend's family paid about $70 for a (smaller) two bedroom apartment. So really the cost depends, as it does today, on location, location and location and to a lesser extent, size.