Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-29
Regulations to Be Observed in Future
Work of Construction.
MANY IMPORTANT CHANGES MADE
The Work of Commission of
Architects and Builders.
SOON TO BE IN FORCE

The new building regulations of the Dis
trict have been completed. and today re-
| ceived the official approval of the Commits
sloners.
,, After they shall have been printed due
notice will be given before they are put
into operation. This will require about a
month or six weeks, so 1t is safe to say
they will be in force before the fall build
ing season opers.
1t has taken nearly two years to perfect
these regulations, and during that period
the authorities having the matter in charge
nave given the most careful attention to
what is considered by every one to be the
most important official act of the board of
Commissioners in recent years. These reg
ulations will be a prominent factor in the
development of future Washington
Necessity for Revision,
The necessity for revising the regula-
tions has been keenly felt for years From
time TO time they We're patched up. until
1t became a difficult matter to keen track
OF the different amendments 1t was on
July ., 1895, that the Commissioners. hay-
ing the matter brought to their attention
decided to act. At a meeting of the board
that day they appointed a commission of
architects and builders to take the matter
of revising the regulations under considera-
ton, and with directions to prepare and
submit a report. This commission was
composed of Architects James G. HILL An
pieton +. Clarke, jr., Robert l. Fleming,
Building Inspector Brady Builder William
C. Morrison and Electrical Expert ]. P
freeman. The electrical expert died be-
lore the work was Well under way and
commander Maynard of the United States
navy was appointed to succeed him
our foreign consuls were communicated
with through the State Department. and
the result was that the commission was
lurhished with copies of the building resu-
,latlons OF all the prominent European cit
les. Our own country contributed largely
ana when the commission held its first
meeting 1t had before it the regulations of
the principal cities of the world From
these the new regulations have been draft
ed' ana II is safe to say they are as COM
plete as. any in the world
The regulations opened with definition
Of the technical terms used, but these dc
not differ materially from those of the old
regulations. r
Bounda ries of Fire Limits,
The boundaries of the rev fire limits are
set forth as follows:
THE following bounds are hereby estab-
lished as the fire limits fer the District of
Columbia: From Florida avenue and 18th
street, east on 18th street to Georgia ave-
nre. Georgia avenue to 11tl stree. east
1lth street east to o street south, o street
south to 9th street, 9th street east to NJ
street south, NJ street south to west banl,
OF James creek, James creek to P street
south, street south to Water street
w ater street to Both street, :5th street to
U street, and Roads streets to 2Sth
street, 18th street to Q street, Q street 20
Mill read. Mill road to Rock creek, Rock
creek to point where Ontario avenue in
tersects the eastern line of the Geological
Park, thence southwardly along the eastern
llne or said park to Adams Mill road
thence along Adams Mill read to Column
bla road, thence along Columbia road to
loth street west extended. thence north
Wardly along 18th street extended to Park
street. thence eastwardly along Park street
10 l4th street west extended and Mount
pieaSant avenue. thence eastwardly along
eestWardly along Whitney avenue to 1th
street west extended, thence TO Corcoran
roaC, Corcoran road and due east tn 1ct
street west. 1st street west to line of T
street north, and due east on line of r
street to I'd street east thence south on Oh.
street to street north extended, thence
east along r street, and a line coincident
.ILumatn' ,Inrooma 10 c2rcoran road, thence along
corcoran and Mount Olivet roads to main
tracks or Baltimore and Ohio railroad
tnehce southerly along said tracks to n
street ncrth extended. thence eastwardlv
on 0 street to Trinidad avenue fhanas s
rorthery along said Trinidad aT.rI'o eiiee sc
mount Olivet road. thence easterJv aJono
mount Olfvet road to Bladensbure rn.5
.nence along Bladensburg road to the in,
tersection of 18th street east and EIorid.
avenue anu Hioriua
important Changes Made
coming now to the important changes in
'"e ne" regulations the first of any i'm
pe,'ahce discussed are those relating to
nsht and ventilation These are nraoti-
20. n' new ana nave been drawn only after
the most careful consideration. They arc
follows:
10 secure proper light and ventilation
no oWeii1ng, hotel nor apartment house
snail be erected within ten feet of the rsor
~. ~, 'ne III ioe ON winch 1t stands, except when
t .lN rear abuts on public alley at least
ter teet In width, street or othar nnhI;o
space, or when there is reserved a side LOT
extending the full depth of the building
ana at least go square feet in area
angular corner lots, abutting lots that
extend from street to street NAV he ex.
cluded from the above restrictions.
buiiolngs may cover the entire area of
a lot for such of the stories beginning win
the lower as are used for business mr.
poses only. Pun
No dwelling house less than sixteen feet
woe woe M snall beer ne erected: provided, however,
twelve feet wide and which is a part of a
duly recorded subdivision NAV have q
dwelling erected thereon the full width of
the lot "a
Blocks Of two or more dwelling houses
shall not be erected until the land unon
which they are to be erected has been sul,-
divided. 80 that each house shall have a
separate lot. unless special permit be grant
ed In each case by the Commissioners.
Eight Feet In the Clear.
livery room in every dwelling, hotel. ten
ement or lodging house hereafter built. and
In every building hereafter altered to be
used as such. shall be not less than eight
feet In height in the clear in every story.
except that in the attic It may be less than
eight feet high for one-half the area Of the
room. Every such room shall have one or
more windows on an open-air space or
venttlating skylights, with an area at least
oEe-tenth as great as that of the room ex
cept that for rooms not communicative di-
rectly with the external air ventilating
transoms or windows shall be provided Of
not less than one-tenth Of the room area
opening into another room or passage hay-
ing exterior windows or venttlating sky-
lights Of not less than the same area.
No building of which any part is used
for storage or sale OF hay, straw, hemp.
nax, shavings. burning fluid. turpentine,