The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-28
thirteen-story Tacoma building in Chi
cago, completed by Holabird & Rach
in ADriI 1890

Ills QiSlflCl lTOlil three SUITS WITHOUT
passing through il, forced the already
natural congestion. When realty had
reached figure that would not juSti-
fly investments in ordinary Office build
ings, the sky-scraper became a neces-
city.
Other architects had been trying to
forestall this inevitable situation. Their
work had been along the line of light
ening and simplifying construction.
The first serious graphing of the Of
flee space problem, however. was when
the owner of a lot twenty-five feet
wide on La Sale street and 101 feet on
Madison street came to us in the fAll
of 1887, asking for designs for a build
ing that should be as high as We
thought it might be safe to make it.
After several studies on conventional
cided to use steel ~ columns in all
stories, carrying the outside walls
without any interior columns, the en-
tire structure to be rivetted firmly to-
gether and wind-braced with steel con-
Struction. A full set of drawings was
made for this building, ready for max
ing contracts.
Just then, however. the owner of the
lot acquired an additional fifty-two
feet on La Sale street, and the de-
sign was abandoned. With lot
eighty by 101 feet, sketches were made
for a new building that should be
thirteen stories high, with one story of
cast-iron columns on the front and
masonry enclosing the walls above.
The interior was to be supported by d
north party wall of masonry and the
remainder on cast-iron columns.
Evolving the Sky-scraper.
One day, studying over these plans,
the owner asked why it would not be
possible to put the masonry on the in
side and support the exterior on col
do on the 25-foot building. This
change would save him many square
feet of rental space. which was the
most valuable in the building, as it was
upon the street fronts.
At that time il was thought to be
necessary to have great walls, or solid
vaults in these high buildings. in order
to render them safe Pin high winds.
Drawings were made, however, in
which all metal work, including col
umns, was of steel, with no solid ma
sonry walls of any description, the
being cared for by sway
bracing. This, however, would have
cost more than the cast-iron columns
and masonry cross walls, so it was
abandoned.
New plans were drawn at once with
dation to the cornice, and a mere fac
ing of masonry, entirely Independent of
the walls, tied on by copper wire and
to the structural iron by
iron arches.
By this method of construction, the |
size of the piers and mullions was |
greatly reduced. When building per-
NIT was applied for, Building Com |
missioner Edbrooks was Undecided and /
ftr,n.> in. y, icl,
to consult the city engineer and to |
look over the plans with that official. |
In the meantime the Chicago nevspa- |
perS took up the question and aired it |
from all sides. The permit was grant |
ed, however, and work was begun on |
May 10, 1888.
Finished In One Year.
Under such circumstances as these,
the Tacoma building was carried to |
in less than one year. E,x- |
perienced men had sad that the time |
limit was too short, but It was done |
On April :, 1889, even to the alterations |
in partitions to silt tenants.
AS an accomplished fact, the steel
had received an impetus
rom San Francisco, where it was con-
sldered as possible solution of the
problem on the Pacific
slope. Again, in Chicago a manufac-
-urer of terra Gotta, in order to Gre
tie market for his experimental
product, exhibited designs in steel,
showing how his clay manufactures
night be tied in as an exterior wall
lnish. The Home Insurance building
II chicago had been an advance over
previous methods, but the scheme in
'olVed iron columns, housed in piers
Ind without doing away with the thick
vans ana heavy masonry surrounding
hese columns. Bolts, too, had been.
lsed, instead of rivets, in uniting the
ron framework.
improvement in Sky-scrapers.
In the modern skeleton construction.
III castiron has been replaced by steel.
nd the clumsy makeshifts of the first
Horts are superseded by well-designed
teel shapes unknown in 1885, In brief.
ne modern building of this pattern is
steel-frame skeleton starting with
ne foundations and built upward like
bridge. Surrounding this frame
YORK is skin of terra Gotta. brick or
tone, which is put over independently
so much so that workmen might east
pegln at the top and work down to
he street level; or. as is often done
York might be carried on at the same
me on several different stories. The
'allS nave only their own weight tn |
AIRY, and each floor is Independent of
ny other.
This construction has overturned the
Id ideas of builders, who worked from
eaVy foundations, building old-fash-
med, solid masonry piers, exterior
ais and partition walls together from !
ne bottom up. 1t has reduced the size
piers that would have been neces- .
airy for an eighteen-story building. :
'om seven feet square to two and one ,
all feet square, and the wall thick
ess In proportion. 1t has given more .
cor space. more strength and more
ght, and in doing away with interior /;
ais II has made partition alterations ;
simple matter Once. in making mar :
ton changes, it was necessary 10 sub :
ltute supports for floors above: now :
arttions and vaults of hollow thing
re put in or removed at the pleasure
the tenant.
Walls That Can Be Washed. {
One of the recent novelties in the a
lilding of the sky-scraper is the +.
azed terra Gotta. which in Chicago is i
specially desirable, as it permits of :
lie washing of exterior walls. renoy- I
e the SCOT and CRIME of soft coal and
storing building to its former color .
I'd finish. /
Chicago construction has not been,j l
1t to the test of time, but it promises =
ell. Examinations of steel columns |
ected ten years ago and housed in
ment. and of foundation beams living I
low the water line. have shown that
IT even the blue-black scale from fhe e
lllng-mill finish has turned color. e
herever it rs possible. these steels arr. p