The Preston House 

This house was located on School Street and Van Dam (now 31st Place) .  This would later be torn down to make way for the railroad site.  In the early days most homes had no bath tubs and a few houses still had toilets in the yard. There was no hot water, you had to boil hot water to wash up. There was no electricity, but there was a meter. It cost about twenty five cents to pay for gas for two days. Also there was a fragile gaslight. There was no refrigerator, everyone had a ice box. The iceman for a few pennies sold a block of ice two foot by two foot. (circa 1898)

This picture comes from the Municipal Archives of the City of New York.