The Lusk Herald, September 30, 1948

Smith Apartment Nears Completion to Help Relieve House Shortage

The Wm. (Bill) Smith apartments at the corner of Main and Sixth street were rapidly nearing completion this week to relieve the housing shortage for nine families. 

Several apartments have been completed for several weeks and families have moved in, and the remaining ones will be finished this week.

Built as a personal family project, Mr. and Mrs. Smith have supervised the entire job of construction themselves,  Mrs. Smith said Monday, as she showed The Herald reporter through the new apartments. "We have tried to furnish it just as we would our own home."

The entire structure is 24x100 feet of stuccoed frame construction, and insulated throughout, even between the floors, to prevent transmission of sounds from upper apartments to those below. The lower floor is set only four feet in the ground, thus allowing full-size windows in all of the lower floor. 

4 APARTMENTS UPSTAIRS

There are four apartments on the upper floor, the entrances of which are to the street. The entrance rails, which are being made by the Western Repair Shop., will be novel in themselves, carrying the Smith cattle brand of the "Open A 4 Bar" and their son's brand "Quarter Circle S Quarter Circle."

No two of the apartments are alike, and on the upper floors are two four-room apartments and two three-room. All have kitchen and dinette combinations and nice living rooms, as well as bedroom and bath. Floor covering is inlaid linoleum with throw rugs. All apartments have large built-in cupboards in the kitchen which would be a joy to any housewife.

Each apartment is completely Skelgas equipped with refrigerator, range and thermostatically controlled gas heaters. Each apartment has separate utilities meters. A 600-gallon hot water tank furnishes the entire apartment building.

The Smiths themselves will have the south upstairs apartment, and are carrying out their brands theme in the linoleum of the kitchen there.

Work is now being started on the grounds. A retaining wall has been constructed on the west and south and the parking area will eventually be laid with concrete so that cars of the apartment residents may be parked off the street and highway right-of-way. Smiths hope to get some of the lawn seeding done yet this fall.

Bill smith quit the ranch because his health required it, but he is wondering now if building an apartment is not harder work. At any rate, at the end of this week he and Mrs. Smith are planning a fishing trip to relax for a week or so.