New Row Apartments - 406 Fish Row
This apartment building on Fish Row is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the city, dating back to the late 1800s. Some time after WWI the gas lights were replaced with electric, and the modest elevator was installed. By the 1950s, the place had been refurbished and upgraded at least four times, with each new owner leaving their unique mark. As a result, the New Row Building is a mishmash of Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, and a few other more obscure architectural styles. It currently features thirteen apartments and a small antique shop on the ground floor.
Ground Floor.
Along the front of the building there is a large plate glass window and two windowed doors. The door on the right always remains locked and has a line of door buzzers with a speaker on the left hand side. This allows tenants to talk with the person at the door and buzz them through if they wish. Of course, most of the tenants know better than to simply buzz someone in unless they know who it is. The door to the left opens into an antique shop. To the left of the two doors is a large, plate glass window that’s currently covered with a folding steel security gate. The window features the words Den of Antiquities in black and gold lettering. Beyond is a display with all sorts of antiques. The owner Anna Klopec takes great pride in her window displays and spends several days setting them up. Many in the downtown district make it a point to walk past the store each month to see what she’s done with it.Den of Antiquities
Run by Alan Klopec a 50 year old Polish émigré with a love of America and antiquities, the sign in the lower right corner of the window declares the shop hours to be Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.. When customers enter they’re greeted by the tinkle of a bell followed quickly by the scent of old wood, leather, and rich incense. Alan was determined to not have his shop smell musty, like every other antique shop in town, and so he cleans every new item that enters the shop, oils the furniture, and hangs a censer of smoldering frankincense in the far corner. The shop is packed with countless objects and curiosities from around the world, with a heavy focus on clocks of all kinds, elaborate wind-up toys, and obscure, one-of-a-kind gadgets. There are several large grandfather clocks, Victorian sofas, Edwardian dressers, early American roll-top desks, and a seventeenth century liquor cabinet. There’s a glass counter along the back wall with an aisle behind it. The glass showcase is filled with smaller baubles, jewelry, pocket watches, war medals, pocket knives, and countless antique keys. On top is large maple wood box delicately carved with images of dancing men. In the far right corner of the shop is a broom closet where Alan stores all his various cleaning supplies. Near the far left corner is a simple public restroom with a toilet, sink, and a cabinet containing toilet rolls, paper towels, a plunger, and extra cleaning supplies. To the right of the restroom door is a short hall with a door on the right wall and a door at the end. The door to the right has a small brass plaque that reads: Office. The office is usually locked. Inside is an antique wooden desk, a leather chair, a steel filing cabinet, and a small black safe in the corner. Also here most days are Klopec's beloved and spoiled twin Pomeranians Good and Plenty. Good and Plenty are an annoying matched pair who are constantly speaking in unison or finishing each other's sentences. They are chipper to a fault, easily distracted, and a bit daft, but they love the old man fiercely, and those who think them a bit of a joke may find out just how serious they can be should Klopec be harmed.The Apartments
All of the apartments have the same basic layout, featuring hardwood floors, wood paneling, solid wooden doors, claw-footed bathtubs, double-basin sinks, and so on. There are light fixtures in all of the rooms and halls (most retro-fitted from old gaslights) and high, plaster ceilings.The Roof
The roof of the building is accessible via the main staircase on the western side of the building or from any of the fire escapes, though this latter option is strongly discouraged by the building’s management. The staircase ends in the a rectangular bulkhead (or stair house) with a single push-handled door that opens onto the roof. The roof’s surface is typical of many apartment buildings with a flat, gravel surface over thick layers of tar and metal sheeting. Across from the stair house is the elevator maintenance house which is kept locked at all times. In the northeastern corner is the massive wooden tank that provides the building with water pressure. A ladder along the side is enclosed in a metal cage and secured with a padlock. In the middle of the roof are the openings to the air wells that descend the full height of the building. Windows and cables line the wells to the bottomThe Basement
The building’s basement is off limits to all tenants. The basement consists of a number of rooms and halls, the most important of which is the Boiler Room. It contains the commercial gas furnace that produces the forced hot air that heats the building. Attached to it are four large boiler tanks that provide reasonably hot water to the building. Other rooms include Storage, Maintenance Supplies, the Main Breaker Room, the Water Room that contains the main shutoff valve for the building, and Sewage Room where all of the waste water feeds out into the city’s sewer system. A large access valve allows for inspection of the pipes, though this is secured with a padlock. Finally, there is the Maintenance Office and Workshop. The office is mostly used for storing broken furniture at the moment, and the workshop contains light maintenance tools for dealing with minor repairs. These days, the building manager is more likely to hire an expert to deal with major issues.Maps
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New Row Basement
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New Row Ground Floor
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New Row Second Floor
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New Row Third Floor
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New Row Fourth Floor
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New Row Rooftop
Type
Apartment building / Tenament
Parent Location
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