Renting Historic Apartments: Why?
When renting, you might come across historic apartments and older apartment buildings. Even if you originally expected to get an apartment in a newly constructed building instead, you may wonder about the draw of historic buildings and spaces. In fact, you may feel compelled to rent an historic apartment for these reasons.
1. Better Construction
While new apartment construction is typically made in accordance with the standards and laws of today, older buildings can sometimes be stronger, more durable, and less likely to cause structural issues for you to cope with. Plaster and other materials used in the past can sometimes outlast the drywall used today; this is worth considering if you plan to rent the apartment for many years.
2. Better Soundproofing
Many modern materials are thinner and less soundproof than the materials used to construct historic apartment buildings. An historic apartment is likely to be guarded by a solid wood door, for example, while a modern apartment's door is likely to be fiberglass or a similar material. Wood will block out sound from hallways and the outside better than fiberglass. Wood floors and other elements could be much better at keeping exterior sounds from sounding so loud.
3. Better Location
Often, historic apartments are located in the heart of the downtown area of whatever city you're considering. Historic apartments that are still standing provide value and beauty to a city's downtown landscape. If you choose an historic apartment, that means you're likely to be closer to art centers, good restaurants, businesses, and even higher-paying employers. You might not have to rely on a car to get to the places you need to go each day.
4. Different Design Elements
Perhaps there's no more attractive element of an historic apartment than the unique design elements you're likely to see and experience. Many modern buildings are built with the same elements in mind; you're unlikely to find parquet floors in newly constructed apartments, for instance. However, historic buildings will still have some of the whimsical elements that exist because of the time period when they were constructed. You may happen upon an historic apartment building that has art-deco flourishes and designs, for example. This can give your living space a different flair that makes it more beautiful and interesting to live in.
After considering historic apartments more seriously, you might examine the National Register of Historic Places to find local apartment buildings to look at. In the end, you may rent an historic space that's well made, quiet, and full of character.