The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-20

Experts to Pass on New Buildings Be-
fore They Are Licensed.

Experts to Pass on New Buildings Be-
fore They Are Licensed
The matter of the construction Of thea
ters was up again before the Council. May
or Taggart reported that he had appointed
Architects Oscar d. Bohlen, Louis H. Glib
son and Arthur Bohn to assist the Council
in revising the threaten ordinance. The ar
chitects also sent in a communication say
ing that the time was too short to make
a report. 1t was recommended that, instead
of passing a special ordinance covering the
construction of theaters, a revised building
ordinance be passed. The report held that,
at the best, the theater ordinance and the
general building ordinance would conflict
in parts and that the building ordinance
could be amended so as to cover all the
points of the special ordinance without con-
Fiction. The ordinance had been referred
at the last meeting of the Council to the
committee on printing, by this committee
to be placed in the hands of the committee
of architects and the building inspector.
The committee on printing, composed Of
Messrs. Montgomery, O'Connor and Payne,
offered the following resolution:
BE it resolved by the Common Council
of the city of Indianapolis, that the mayor
of this city be instructed to appoint COM
mission of architects to act with special
committee of three from the Common
Council, and the building inspector, to draft
a general builulng ordinance for the city
of indianapolis and to also prepare sup
elemental ordinance pertaining to the con-
StructiOn of theaterS, said supplemental or
dinance to be based on the general building
ordinance. When said ordinances are pre-
pared they are to be submitted to this
Council by the special committee or the
Council.
BE it resolved that the city controller be
instructed to issue no license for any thea
ter now in the process of construction until
that official and the mayor are satisfied,
from the evidence submitted by commit
tee of three experts to be appointed Dy the
mayor, that said theater is safe and in the
opinion of such experts reasonably exempt
from the dangers of ire.
Mr.. Payne explained the resolution He
said the theater ordinance was amended at
the last Council meeting to exempt theaters
now in the process of construction from
its provisions. That clause had been Str1ck-
en- out by an amendment The intent OF the
the ordinance reached the printing commit
tee However there was great deal OF
talk about the manner of the conStruc-
ton Of the Park Theater and on the other
hand the people had been informed that
the Objectionable timberS IN the building
were being removed or were 70 pc removed
and replaced with iron; that the owners
claimed a great deal of the timber which
caused the talk was merely ScanOldlng. In
fact there were two sides to the question,
but by all means the public should be pro-
tected and if this theater or Englshs
Opera House were SO constructed as 70 be
a menace to life, the owners should be
compelled to make alterations. The reso-
luton was adopted with two dissenting
votes those of Messrs. DeWar and Ohieyer.
Mr. DeWar objected to so much delay. lie
wanted to vote on his ordinance.