What is a "boxed apartment"?

Are these Williamsburgh listings?

alanhart, does "boxed" refer to those cage-like things projecting from Hasidic buildings? Haven't been able to find out their purpose. Mark Twain refers to them in 1869 Jerusalem, where they were of wood and similar to what you see in Moslem countries.

NWT, I'm pretty sure those are for Sukkot, essentially a harvest festival, when Jews are supposed to celebrate in an outdoor arbor-type thing covered in foliage and fruits. Outdoor spaces being hard to find in NY, they build those. I think. I don't know about the middle east ones.

But when I lived on the non-Hasidic Northside of Williamsburgh, the natives referred to apartments as having "box rooms", which I took to mean something like four rooms in a square, with doors leading into one another and no hallway anywhere. But again, I'm not sure.

AtF62, why don't you just call one of the advertisers and ask?

Let us know what they say.

A "boxed apartment" is one separated into different rooms, rather than being one giant room.

Sure, I *could* call one of the ads, but speculation is much more fun.

But I did finally call. According to one broker, it means that each room has its own entrance (i.e. NOT a railroad layout, where you have to go through one room to reach another) though I prefer the Sukkot conjecture; that's much more interesting.

I believe it has become shorthand for "good for shares", which would explain why "boxed" is usually seen in rental ads, but not sales. And yes, many of them are in Williamsburgh, where the hipsters go for shares. (they can only afford shares because most of their money goes to Diesel jeans and ironic haircuts)

(and body odor and hideous facial hair)

Good to know regarding "boxed apartment" -- exactly the opposite of what I guessed regarding hallway.

I've only heard the term used in the Wmsbg/Greenpoint area, but pre-hipster (I lived there in the 80s). Boasting about not having to walk through bedrooms to get to bedrooms would only make sense in an area that's otherwise railroady, so it must have been an important marketing term for immigrants, whether from Poland or (more recently) Ohio.

Thanks for reporting back.

It seems like odd terminology but I can see how it is good for shares; you can put a lock on your door.