Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1891-07-08
BIG BUILDING CRAZE.
HUGE STRUCTURES IN NEW YORK
CITY.

Chimney Like Structures and the Dth-
Guilty of Building Them - Probable
Outcome Modern Builders Are Equal
to Any Demand.
The evolution of tall Office buildings,
as distinct class, has occurred within a
few wears. saws John B rerly Robinson
in Engineering. The Western Union
building. at the corner of Broadway and
Dev streets, with It's II stories, was built
in 1873. and shortly thereafter the Iribune
building, on Printing House square, with
10 stories.
Previous to that the typical office
building was but five or six stories high,
and the Equitable building, the COM
paratively small beginning of the present
immense mass, was one of the best speci-
mems. With the invention of the hy-
draulic elevator, as distinguished from
the ordinary machine lifts, and with the
rapidity of action which became practica-
bic with this improvement, the height OF
buildings began at once to increase.
Should the height of buildings be
pushed much beyond present limits it is
probable that other devices will have to
be added to secure rapid access to the
upper stories. Elevators might perhaps
be run in such way that each one of
group would serve several stories, making
no stop below the allotted portion.
After the way had been broken tall
buildings multiplied rapidly-the Coal
and Iron Exchange, the Boreel building,
Temple Court, the Welles building, the
Standard Oil building, the Wellington
and Morse buildings, and dozen Others
which might be enumerated.
We have spoken so far only of tall Of
fee buildings of New York. Other cit
les possess lofty buildings, some, indeed,
surprising in size anything that New
York can show, such as the Rookery and,
the Auditorium, of Chicago, and still
more recent and more lofty structures.
But owing to its contracted building
space it is probable that New York will
continue to be the city where the very
tall building on comparatively small
ground space will tend to develop and be
seen in perfection.
Inc tildltuHt VI NilC AitVtiD NY 'N%
some years unaccepted. Recently, how
ever it was taken up by the Times, which
erected building overtopping the Trib-
me and not 100 feet away from it; and
still more recently the World has cast
them both into the shade in point Of
height attained, with 10 stories, includ-
ing those in the dome.
Certainly, this group of newspaper
buildings is the most remarkable city
landscape to be seen anywhere. 1t will
not be less remarkable if the SIN carries
out a suggestion that it recently made as
to the possibility of its putlingup a build
ing of some 81 stories and nearly 400 feet
in height, upon plot of ground but 20
feet square. For such a structure ordi-
nary methods of construction would have
to be abandoned Brick and stone could
not be safely trusted to stand the enor-
nous pressure on the base, and the bulk of
these materials in the massive walls re-
ouired would seriously diminish the avail
able floor space. But such problems have
already been encountered and Success
fully solved in several instances, notably,
the Tower building, on lower Broadway,
which is 70 stories high, with but 81 feet
frontage.