THE GREAT RENT WARS Robert M. Fogelson T H E G R E A T R E N T W A R S New York, 1917 1929 – NEW HAVEN AND LONDON Copyright © 2013 by Robert M. Fogelson. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. yalebooks.com/art Designed by Nancy Ovedovitz. Set in Swift Light type by IDS Infotech, Ltd. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Fogelson, Robert M. The great rent wars : New York, 1917–1929 / Robert M. Fogelson. pages cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978- 0- 300- 19172- 1 (alk. paper) 1. Rent control—New York (State)—New York—History—20th century. I. Title. KFX2085.R3F64 2013 346.747´104344—dc23 2012048964 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (Permanence of Paper). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Nancy Kirk, Duncan Kincaid, and Maria J. Fuente This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Prologue, 1 PART ONE|FROM RENT HIKES TO RENT STRIKES 1 The Postwar Housing Shortage, 17 2 Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 40 3 A Weighty Decision, 62 4 The Great Rent Strikes, 85 PART TWO|THE ROAD TO RENT CONTROL 5 The Mayor’s Committee on Rent Profiteering, 109 6 Enter the State Legislature, 132 7 The April Laws, 153 8 The September Laws, 176 PART THREE|CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES 9 The Battle in the State Courts, 203 10 The Fight in the Federal Courts, 229 PART FOUR|RENT CONTROL WITHOUT A RENT COMMISSION 11 A Question of Coverage, 257 12 A Reasonable Rent, 282 13 The Four Exceptions, 309 viii PART FIVE|THE POLITICS OF RENT CONTROL 14 Landlords and Tenants in New York and Albany, 333 S NT 15 The Extension of Rent Control, 360 E T 16 The Expiration of Rent Control, 387 N O C Epilogue, 415 Notes, 421 Acknowledgments, 475 Index, 477 Illustrations appear following p. 214 THE GREAT RENT WARS