Floor Plan

Outside

The lodging house is a rectangular three-story brick building, neat and respectable. A set of metal stairs connects the roof and the ground to the fire escape on the second floor. Five steps lead up to a wide porch with a scattering of white wicker chairs, and a shiny brass plaque above the door reads "Greenwich Village Home for Newsgirls."

Basement

Used for storage, and home to a couple of mangy cats that keep the rat population down.

First floor:

Lobby

When you first walk in, there is a lobby with a green carpet covered in brightly-colored flowers. Here Mrs. Heartwick sits behind her desk, awaiting new lodgers. On the other side of the room, a fire crackles in the fireplace--a chance for the homeless and needy to get warm even if they can't afford a night's rent.

Mrs. Heartwick's Room

Tucked behind her desk in the lobby is a door that leads into Mrs. Heartwick's tiny bedroom. Knock any time you need help or advice--but if it's the middle of the night, it had better be an emergency.

Parlor

With the same carpet as the lobby, an even bigger fireplace, a couch, a coffee table, and an array of overstuffed armchairs, this is where the girls do their sewing and socializing--by which I mean relax, play cards, and catch up on all the gossip. Vases of flowers brighten the table and windowsills, and a gorgeous heirloom clock sits on the mantel. The pride and joy of the house is also found in this room: a baby grand piano and a stack of sheet music, which all the girls are free to use.

Kitchen

With an oven, an ice-box, a counter, a water pump, and drawers and cupboards full of food, dishes, and other supplies, this room has all you need to prepare and serve a meal. Since the lodging house hires no servants, the girls take turns making breakfast and supper for the whole house.

Dining Room

Much smaller than the grand dining hall at the Duane Street house; ours only has room for the lodgers and about a dozen guests. But as Mrs. Heartwick says, it's more fun to keep things intimate anyway. Besides, the fireplace is the biggest in the house and makes for very cozy meals in the wintertime.

Second floor:

Bunkroom

With twelve bunk beds that hold two girls each, the Greenwich Village bunkroom is on the small side, but the lacy curtains and floral-patterned sheets provide an air of welcome. Just ignore the funny stains on some of the sheets and the one curtain that's been torn to shreds; not all the girls who stay here are the lace-and-flowers type.

Washroom

Plenty of privy stalls, washtubs, soap, and towels. The tubs double as laundry basins, and the clotheslines can be found up on the roof.

Studio

This massive room, with a row of huge windows to let in the light, always smells of paint, clay, and charcoal, and no wonder. It's full of easels, stools, and boxes of art supplies, with a long table against one wall to hold works in progress. If you like to paint, sketch, sculpt, or model, this is the place for you.

Library

For girls who love to read, this is a dream come true. Originally stocked with Mrs. Heartwick's own collection and regularly increased by donations, this long room contains shelf upon shelf of worn-out old books. As always, our landlady has been sure to provide plenty of comfy armchairs and a fireplace, along with a generous stock of candles. Girls have been known to sit in here reading until late into the night.

Third floor:

Attic

The girls say this is the most romantic attic in New York. Between its sloping ceilings and hardwood floors are boxes of old clothes, books, jewelry, and photographs, left behind by generations of the building's previous tenants. Footsteps swears and up and down that the ghost of a young girl haunts the attic...and 'Steps isn't the only one who's heard her crying at night.