The Parkside Evangeline, a single-room-occupancy women's-only residence in New York City, which opened in 1963, is still thriving.
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The 17-story brick hotel, opposite Gramercy Park in Manhattan and run by the Salvation Army, has changed little since the administration of John F. Kennedy. There is still a no-alcohol, no-men above the first floor policy, reported the New York Times Sunday.
With nearly 300 residents, the Parkside Evangeline -- like all Salvation Army residences, it is named for the founder's daughter -- is almost always at full occupancy. For decades, the Parkside has also been popular among models and actresses drawn to the low rent of about $1,000 a month -- including breakfast, dinner and maid service.
While the hotel was designed to be a short-term living residence, a third of the women living there have made it their permanent, if tiny, home. Most rooms are about 100 square feet.