Abbreviations used in pre-1898 permit information table
Abbreviations
Type
If a number is in () it means that the permit was for more than one structure; if there is no number in (), it means that the permit was for only one structure.
The first number for a single structure is the number of stories, e.g. 2-s; 3-s. An “s” after the number refers to “story.”
The third letter is the type of construction: “f” means “frame”: and “b” means “brick.”
The fourth letter in the sequence is the type of building: “d” = dwelling; “r” = residence; “f” =flat; “fs” = flats; “s&fs”= store(s) and flats.; “c” =cottage
Examples: 2-s-f-d means 2-story frame dwelling; 2-s-f-c means 2-story frame cottage.
"Cottage" refers to a small house. The doesn’t appear that there is any consistent difference between "dwelling" and "residence." Small unit buildings, e.g. 2 flats and 3 flats, are almost always referred to as "flats," however, in the higher ranges, there is not always a consistent use of "flats" and "apts," except that generally the larger unit buildings usually are referred to as "apts."
New #
“Not found” means that the old number or an number within two digits of the old number given in the permit is not found in the 1909 cross reference table. It could be that there was an error in transcription, or that in the case of Paulina the old number refers to south Paulina rather than north Paulina.
Date
The date that is given is the date on which the permit information was printed in the Ecomomist. The Economist is one of several magazines that printed permit information within 7 days of issuance.