Historic Reports from the Division of Tenement House Inspection Datasets - README File
Created December 2019

This readme file provides additional context about the Division of Tenement House InspectionÕs published work between 1907-1913 and understanding the data prepared for the WPRDC.


About the datasets:
The six historical datasets are transcribed from the annual reports done by the Division of Tenement House Inspection for the Bureau/Department of Public Health of the City of Pittsburgh. The six datasets included are data on:
-violations corrected in tenements houses from 1907-1913
-summary of inspections conducted from 1907-1913
-record of tenement houses in the city, including occupancy and construction type from 1912
-number of apartments in tenement houses from 1912
-height of tenement houses by story for the front and rear of the building from the 1912 report. 

These datasets were prepared by Rosalie Garfinkle as part of the Open Government Data course in the Library and Information Science Program at the University of Pittsburgh 
There are some important notes to consider when looking at the data:
-Due to the distortion of the microfilm, data for the summary of inspections conducted in 1911 could not be recorded. 
-Only ten months of data collected for 1907, from March to December. 
-In the Violations, Correction dataset, fields ÒStairs_Cleaned_And_RepairedÓ, ÒStairways_Plastered_And_WhitewashedÓ, and ÒWalls_Cleaned_And_PlasteredÓ are the same as shown in the published reports from 1907-1909, but from 1910-1913 are separated (e.g. ÒStairs_CleanedÓ and ÒStairs_ReparedÓ). In this dataset they remained combined, meaning the separated data are added together. 
-When a violation was recorded in only one year, it was left out of the dataset. 
-The following datasets reflect information collected only in 1912: a record of tenement houses in the city; the number of apartments in houses; and the height of tenement houses by story for the front and rear of the building. 
-Names of fields are taken directly from the reports and in the language of the time. Descriptions in the data dictionary are based on what could be interpreted from the historic document. 
-Where ÒÉÓ is listed in the data in the published reports, it is interpreted as zero, Ò0Ó, in the datasets here. ÒNULLÓ means the data was not reported in that year of the published report.


About the Historical Reports:
A guide to all annual reports published by the Department of Public Health from 1871-1916, can be found through the University of Pittsburgh Library System. This contains a table of contents, summary, and history of the department and its annual reports.
https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt:US-PPiU-ais197428/from_search/3debdacfbde1f422c76e36d68ea54a7f-3#ref70
 
Division of Tenement House Inspection 
This division was created in 1907 to canvas the tenement houses throughout the city of Pittsburgh. Their work is connected to that of the Division of Sanitary Inspection (which evaluates the public health concerns around the city) and the two were combined in 1914. This changed the information and statistics that were collected.

1907 Annual Report
In the first year of 1907, The Division of Tenement House Inspection focused mainly on the areas that needed the most attention in terms of repair and clean up.  The 1907 Division report noted that while conditions are generally good across the city, no ward is without at least some tenement houses that need an inspection. Inspections were conducted through the general canvasing as well as based on complaints submitted about specific houses. The most urgent task was correcting unsanitary conditions, including: 
-privy vaults found to be filthy and full to the surface
-damp, dark and filthy cellars used for living purposes
-leaky roofs which caused the walls and ceiling to become water-soaked, rendering the rooms damp and unhealthy.
 
Also in 1907, enforcing fire escape laws became a priority. This law dictated that all buildings over three stories required a fire escape. However, it should be noted that this data is only recorded from 1907-1909. Whether the Division completed this mission or gave the task to another division is unclear.  
 
Another main focus of 1907 was directed to the installation of sanitary- closets, the proper trapping and ventilating of sinks, and the removal of privy vaults. Many privy vaults were removed this year and continued to be in subsequent years, siting that it is for the protection and promotion of the public health.  

1908/1909 Annual Report
No reports were issued for 1908, however, the statistics for 1908 are given in the report for 1909. Nothing of significance was included in the written report of 1909. 

1910 Annual Report
The report from 1910 provides another lengthy description of tenement houses. This outlines the new procedures the Division has created for more convenient inspection as well as communication with tenants and owners. It cites the 1908 census of tenement houses, of which there is no published report, giving an exact number for the number of tenement houses on record: 3935.  

The creation a card for inspectors to use while inspecting expedited the process of investigations and record keeping. 
It is noted how important regular inspections are to maintaining safe and healthy living spaces. Additionally, it is stated how important it is to educate tenements and owners on how to keep houses clean and sanitary. The language Òto instruct the less intelligent of all classesÓ is used in regard to communications with tenements, but not explained. 
 
During 1910, the Division were successful in their efforts to regulate the use of cellars for living purposes, stating that it had practically ceased in tenement houses. The removal of the Òworst typesÓ of tenement houses is also addressed in this annual report. The Bureau of Public Health has some authority is removing certain houses in which condition continued to be unlivable.  
 
1911 Annual Report
The report for 1911 states the importance of regular inspection of tenement houses to ensure safe and sanitary living conditions are being maintained.  
Please note, the microfilm of this report distorts some of the information, making the text blurry and unreadable for several pages. 
 
1912 Annual Report
In the 1912 report, extensive data was obtained relating to tenement houses up to that point. A record of all houses, their occupancy, construction, height, and the number of apartments was recorded, giving a better understanding of the scope of tenements in Pittsburgh. These were canvased by ward, of which 27 existed in Pittsburgh at the time. 

This report also discusses when the Bureau enforces laws and penalties, stating that they are typically quite lenient because occupantÕs (who were generally working class) livelihood would be affected.

It is also noted that the reason some notices or violations were still pending was due to owners avoiding expense but taking advantage of the fact that the Bureau is lenient with non-compliance in less urgent/serious cases. All violations are corrected at the expense of the owner and not the tenant or taxpayer. 

This report attempts to outline to effort put in by inspectors and to what extent their work should be valued by the Bureau. It outlines the difficulty of communicating with owners and tenants about violations and the abuse that sometime comes from it (on both ends).

1913 Annual Report
Similar to the report from 1910, there is a description of the process and procedure around inspection. This report explains that some smaller violations are omitted from reports when more serious violations needed to be or were being corrected. It is also noted how important it is to educate occupants and owners on sanitary conditions. 


References
Department of Public Health Annual Reports, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1871-1916, AIS.1974.28, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System