The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-03-09
A CITY UNDER ONE ROOF.
The Alarming Possibilities of Sky
Scraping Architecture.

HAicll All4IlS L OSooADAAASAS VI OHNJ
Scraping Architecture.
In Chicago during the past year several
ky-scrapers were erected The Tribune
says: The Matquette, the Champlain. the
Fort Dearborn. the Reliance and the TEN
pie of Music are among the prominent
buildings of the year The public library
has been nearly completed during the year.
though it had its inception last year.
The Marquette Building. which is now
nearing complexion will be with the ex-
ception of the Monadnoek Block the larg
est and the finest and the newest of the
great structures for office purposes Il
covers -. 600 square feet and Is sixteen
stories in height
The Fort Dearborn Building. a, the
southwest corner Clark and Monroe. is
rapidly approaching completion The
frontage Is eeventy-nne feet un Clark
street and ninety feet on Monroe. and -
height twelve stories above the side
The first story will he devoted To 5
iN4A 4lf N|1tilu Htfti NtlA lt NlN ANlt
tween two banks. the Fort Dearborn
tional aud the Bank of Nova Scotia h
already secured the space. The
story Is finished in mahogany; the
in oak and all modern convenience~
been utilized
The fourteen story Reliance Ru
lncated on the southwest corner of
and Washington streets l. practicallJ
pleted Fully rwo-thirds Of the (r
Of all hoors above the first will be Of
glass. The white enambled terra
gives the structure eleanly and ATTRACTIVE
appearance. In some respects che Reliance
Is more modern than any of the large Of
iioe buildings Of the city, an effort in this
direction hayiu. actuated both the owner
and architect
These buildings, constantly increasing in
size and height, suggest still greater
achievements The Chicago Herald says
Practical architects admit that il is
possible to put complete city under one
rtof and there are signs that before the
century closes such an architectural mir
acle viii lie attempted in the Eastern
metrnpololi~ Indeed rumor Is printed
in the New York Journal that the entire
block at the corner Of West Nineteenth
street and Fifth avenue, stretchiu. east
has been bought up By secret syndicate
of benevoleutly speculative milljonaires
Il Is hintei that Charles T. lerkes Is one
If the guiding spirits in this tremendous
enterprise Mr. lerke- Is well known To
the scientific world a. the giver of the
famous leTke, telescope and II is easy ia
understand how a man 81 his practical mind
might be fascinated by the prospect which
this gigantic scheme presents. Who the
New Yorker are connected with the
Chicago business genius IN this plan which
involves millions &" start can uuly be sur
missed at present But it Is -hrewdly su>-
pected that the brilliant sou of a famous
iujge who abandoned law for business l.
one Of these choice spirits and that several
very nch women of New York are also
subscribers Ia the stock One thing Is
absolutely certain ia this connection The
real estate deal for the property has been
e'u,ummated and the former owners or
reutrn- of private houses in that block are
seeking new abode>
But what does the plan actually pro-
ps>e3 According ia the best obtainable
information from inside sources, it NAV
unless the magnificent intention collapse.
eveutuste something ike thi, Every
building ga the block viii be torn down,
and an absolute open space hig enough for
i,pthall amphuheater will be thus laid
open IN the fashionable heart of the city.
The foundations viii be- due very deer,
and the main piles will be wrought iron
Iron jnter~persed with aluminium with
glass ana with Stone for pictorial effect
viii b. used chiefly IN the construction ol
the building. This viii be huge .oyal
she'll with a spacious oouH hotel theater
and spiral driving park Of gradual ascent
inside the central dome The arrangement
wll be such that during summer the sides
ot thI> imperceptibly ascending spiral
avenue can be thrown open to natural air
while III severe winter weather they can be
closed tight, if necessary. The lower part
Of the huge oval she'll viii be arranged
chiefly for the management Of wholesale
bu~ine>>s- and on the second hour the EN-
ployc> aud workmen in the vast hive will
have their quarters.
There viii be fifty hoors with an aver
AGE height of thirty feet bat between some
If the flats there will be floor, that viii
contain halle and ballr0m> leasable in turn
by the neighbor, Of the covered city, 50
that the probable height If the building
will be over half a mile Each one of
these flats will look out on the inner court,
aud also uu the street of the outside world
aud each viii be arranged for a family Of
six or eight persons They viii be- 81 ar
ranged IN building the separate outside
sections that none ol their windows viii
look into those Of an opposite neiehbor.
The sections Of the apartment turretS ur
series Of fiat, will be fifty in number.
Hence, the calculation i easy that about
twenty Thousand people eau be accommo-
dated in this mammoth apartment palace.
The rentals of these , 500 most desir-
able flats will not average less than - 400
apiece.
This item alone gives So 000, 600, or
five per ceut interest on ,he original in
ye~tmcnt of Sl0O 0H0. GOO.
Consider now the food bills of these /
> 500 families, who will he supplied from
the great central restaurant. These food
bills viii no, be les than another 81. 900,
400 per anuum. half of which. or more,
may he reckoned Il, sheer. clear profit /
Consider next that all the stores, Turkish /
baths theaters. etc in this place will be /
owned and managed by the company and /
that in addition to the constant profit ac-
cruing from those who live in the city will /
be the stream of traffic from the outside /
For is it not clear that outsiders will come /
in floods To place where not only every /
thing is cheaper than elsewhere. according |
to quality hut where 50 much tremendous /
architectural beauty is set off by such un-
splendor of electric lights, shift
inc through all tiut,.
L