The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-02-29
A City Under One Roof.
From the New York World.

FROM the New 1ofH NOflu
4 firm of New York architects have
drawn plans for the most tremendous build
ing on earth, structure 200 stories high.
4 capitalist of this city submitted the
idea of this building to the architects. At
first they regarded the notion as visionary.
Examine it carefully, said their client,
''and make your report.
The architects did So They concluded
that their part of the work was practical
and practicable; that 200 story building
could be erected provided the vast sum of
money necessary to construct it were forth
coming.
This huge pile will be called the King
building Its plan somewhat resembles
that of the Eifel tower, that wonder of
the last Paris exposition. But The King
building will be nearly three times as high
as the Eiifel tower, and its construction
presents vastly greater difficulties.
The structure will occupy one large city
block block of the dimensions of that
between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 22d and
23d streets. 1t will of course be built
of steel, just as the buildings that are now
considered tall are built of steel The
framework of these buildings is like that
of bridge The bridge is placed on end
and surrounded b. an outer wall of stone
or granite
In the 200 story building the bridge
will be longer, that 8 all
Compared to this building, the % story
pile of the American Surety Company will
be as a mushroom sprcuting at the base of
tall fagpole
The King building will have 100, 900
square feet of space on each floor; "a, 600.
600 square feet of space on the 200 floors.
1t will contain 100, 600 separate offices
and suits
1t will accommodate 400, 600 people I'M
der one roof
Necessarily the first question to be an
swered in planning for this sky piercing
structure was, "How will people reach the
upper stories :?
The answer is, ''By electric elevators.
Frank j. Sprague is pioneer in the
construction of electric railways and of
electric passenger elevators. Mr.. Sprague
is confident that the development in the
construction of electric elevators will keep
pace with any possible progress in archi-
lecture and building. Manufacturers of
passenger elevators have been consulted.
They are positive that it will be as easy to
build elevators in 200 story building as
in 20 story building.
In the King building there will be ex-
press elevators and way elevators. The
express elevators will stop, say, at the
twenty fifth, fftieth, seventy fifth, one
hundredth floors, and so on to the top
story 1t has been calculated that the ex-
press elevators viii make the journey--the
word "trip scarcely describes it-from
basement to roof in y minutes. The way
elevators will stop at each story where pas
sengers await them, making an ordinary
journey in ten minutes. There will be
at least 30 elevators.
1t is the purpose of the projectors of the
building to gather on its commodious floors
200 distinct communities of business men.
On one floor will be the jewellers, on an
other the hardware dealers, on another
the harness makers, and so on. SO the
conduct of great interests will be simplifed,
and more work can be done in that build
ing in four hours than can be accomplished
elsewhere in an ordinary workday of eight
or ten hours.
In the building will be retail clothing
stores. haberdasher shops, barber shops,
restaurants, physician Office and drug
store. In fact, it will be city under a
roof. 1t is proposed to lay out that vast
roof as garden in summer and to inclose
it in glass in winter 1t is also expected
that some invaluable meteorological knowl-
edge will be obtained by means of the OBJ
seryations taken by the United States sig
nal service at such tremendous height.
The King building will be, in fact, the
highest type of present day development
in architecture It viii be the first of the
mighty, freproof structures that within
the next 20 years will rear their heads in
New York below Twenty third street.
In the plans it has been determined that
the thickness of the lower walls of the
building will be nearly 16 feet, gradually
diminishing toward the upper stories
A UCTIoNEERINGl