What is Cellar/Basement?

rdm258

rdm258

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Feb 28, 2007
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What is the difference between a cellar and a basement?
Why do they seem to be mostly located in Manhattan?
 
I believe the basement is referred to the basement apt's in Brownstones which are partly below grade, the cellar is below the basement apt. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
If 50% or more of the height of the area is below grade, it's a cellar; if more than 50% of the height is above grade, it's a basement.
 
There are also sub-cellars, which are...obviously below cellars and are true vaults conditions.  Its not a place a fireman ever wants to go.
 
Those true vault cellar's, what are the purpose of them? Are they only in older buildings.
 
rdm258 said:
Those true vault cellar's, what are the purpose of them? Are they only in older buildings.
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Yes they are in the older buildings. Their purpose these days are for storage.  Some are very large but most or small.  Ceilings just about over 5 feet.  Back in the 1800 and 1900 these sub cellars where used for living spaces by the very poor immigrants, as space was very valuable and the population so dense.  The reason I say its a true vault is because there is one way in and out and there are no windows.  The way in is usually down through a little wooden step ladder and a narrow opening.  The invention of the cellar distributors was due to these compartments.  Because there was no physical was firemen could enter these spaces with no masks.  Many fireman have been killed in these fires. 
 
If I'm thinking about the same thing, they were often used for coal storage and had an access chute running down from the sidewalk for deliveries.
 
Many high-rise office buildings have several floors of space below street level.  I worked at the then First National City Bank (now Citibank) headquarters at 399 Park Avenue in the 70s and it had several floors of office space below street level.  The levels were identified A, B, C as opposed to the floors above which were numbered.  Since there were no windows, the departments down there had an erasable board and employees would update the weather conditions whenever they left the building or traveled to a department on an upper floor.
 
Thank you to all, now I have a clear understanding what a cellar is?
 
johnd248 said:
Many high-rise office buildings have several floors of space below street level.  I worked at the then First National City Bank (now Citibank) headquarters at 399 Park Avenue in the 70s and it had several floors of office space below street level.  The levels were identified A, B, C as opposed to the floors above which were numbered.  Since there were no windows, the departments down there had an erasable board and employees would update the weather conditions whenever they left the building or traveled to a department on an upper floor.
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  John D actually ment to say the last time he "Robbed the Bank" the Levels were identified as A, B, C, etc.
 
manhattan said:
If I'm thinking about the same thing, they were often used for coal storage and had an access chute running down from the sidewalk for deliveries.
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This is actually below that point.  Brownstones have this chute but the coal dust would have natural ventilation from the chute itself.  Sub-cellars are a full grade below the coal cellar. 
 
johnd248 said:
Many high-rise office buildings have several floors of space below street level.  I worked at the then First National City Bank (now Citibank) headquarters at 399 Park Avenue in the 70s and it had several floors of office space below street level.  The levels were identified A, B, C as opposed to the floors above which were numbered.  Since there were no windows, the departments down there had an erasable board and employees would update the weather conditions whenever they left the building or traveled to a department on an upper floor.
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Yes, but there is also fire protection in those spaces via sprinklers and standpipes.  The common sub-cellar found in...say....south of 24th St or more specifically south of 14th St....the part of the city were the oldest buildings still stand.
 
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