Buildings, often multiple-story, containing more than one dwelling unit, most of which are designed for domestic use but sometimes including shops and other nonresidential features. Apartment houses have been in use since ancient times, notable examples having been known in ancient Rome and among ancient Native Americans. The apartment house as known today first appeared in Paris and other large European cities in the 18th century, when tall blocks of apartments for middle-class tenants became common.
Source: AAT
http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300005707
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