The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-23
HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS,
SUPERVISORS FIX THE LIMIT AT
1925 FEET ON CERTAIN
STREETS.
LIVELY Row BETWEEN RESTAU-
KEEPERS ABOUT A
HIGH FENCE

Buildings intended to be erected on
streets 100 feet wide shall in future be
limited to 125 feet in height. That is what
the Fire Committee of the Board of Super
visors decided on yesterday. OF course.
this decision must be accepted by major
ity of the board before it goes into effect,
but as it came up in the way of a compro-
mise the chances are that it will pass all
right and builders can go ahead with their
plans.
Last week an order was passed limiting
the height to $50 feet. Supervisor Taylor
fought it so stoutly in the committee and
in the board meetings that it was sent
back for reconsideration. He gained five
feet by his action.
Yesterday he came to the meeting backed
by Hugh Craig. By chance J. B. Crockett
happened to be present on other business
and he offered few words on Taylors
side. Mr. Crockett stated that in London
the height of buildings was limited by
the width of the street. Chicago and New
York, he said, were beginning to use
strong efforts to limit the height of the sky
scrapers.
Hugh Craig is in the lee of the big New
York Mutual Life Insurance building on
Sansome and Pine streets and he talked
feelingly of his cold, sunless, damp and
cherries Office position.
tBefore that building went up, " be said,
"we were figuring on erecting a six-story
office building on account of the sun and
light we received, but of course that is out
OF the question now" He declared that
the tendency in all cities was to limit the
height of buildings and not maize the
streets cold, dark, cherries canyons. Like
all the other tnrS rho S;Ic Of
the question he dwelt on the points that
high buildings deprecated surrounding
property, cut off the light, lowered the
temperature and increased the fire risks.
Chief Engineer Sullivan of the Fire De-
partment called attention to the fact that
greatly increased pressure on hydrants
was needed for buildings over 100 feet high.
He thought the department could handle
buildings 120 feet high all right.
Supervisor Hobbs eaid he was in favor of
limiting the heigh: to 120 feet.
Supervisor Morgenstern said he would
compromise on lbs feet, and Supervisor
Hughes stood by him on the proposition
Supervisor Taylor made another effort TO
have the height limited to 100 feet on Mar
ket street, but he was the only one of the
five gentlemen who held to that figure.
On motion the 125-foot compromise was
adopted.
Market street and Van Ness avenue are
the only streets 100 feet wide, and there
fore are the only ones entitled to buildings
125 feet high. On the other streets build
ings will have to be kept inside 100 feet in
height.
Some idea of the height of buildings can
be had from the following: The Mills and
Croker buildings, the tallest III the City,
are $50 feet high; California Hotel and
Academy of Sciences, 100 feet high; Phe-
Ian building, SO feet; st. Nicholas Hotel,
90 feet; dome of new City Hall, 275 feet;
THE CALLS new building, 80 feet.
A matter pertinent to the discussion of
high buildings came up before the COM
mittee in the form of the petition of Gut
Zeit & Malfanti to erect an iron fence
eighty feet high between their restaurant
and that of Campi, next door on O'Far-
rell street.
Attorney Eisner, on behalf of Hyman
Brothers, who lease the building to Campi
protested against granting the petition.
Attorney oughborough looked after the
interest of the proprietors of the Delmonico
restaurant. He urged that his clients had
perfect right to erect the fence if they did
wanted to cut off the smell, so he said,
from the other restaurant.
Attorney Eisner denied the right claimed
by the other side, and urged that his side
had certain rights to light and air.
The committee laid the whole matter on
the table, which is tantamount to killing
the petition. The Delmonico people are
going to get up another petition to the
board. This time they will try and make
it comply with ruling of the Supreme
Court, which says man can do pretty
much as he pleases on his own property
if he does not infringe too much on the
legal rights of others. The Delmonico
people will claim that an 80-foot iron fence
is not interfering with any of the legal
rights of the people who dine at Campi's.