New-York tribune., 1903-06-21
THE DAYLIGHT BUILDING.
Smallest Shyscroper in the City
Problem of Light and Ar.

|
Despite assertions to the effect that it would
never be built and that the talk Of its erection
was nothing but a bluff" the Daylight Building
| Is assured fact. All that now stands between
the plans and their realization is the labor trouble.
Plans for the much talked about little skyscraper
which ". F. Havemeyer proposes TO erect at New
St and Exchange Place have been prepared by Ar
mold W BrUnner- The cost is now being figured
on. and as soon possible bids will be asked for
| Standing a plot Of land 2S by IS feet running
eighteen stories in air and two stories below
ground. the Daylight Building. it has been
named. because Of the part Il plays IN the sky
scraper construction of that portion OF the city.
will be the smallest skyscraper for its height IL
the city 1t will area Of about LOO square
feet The Gillender Building on the northwest cor
ner of Wall and Nassau sts covers an area q.
about 1850 square feet. while the ten story build
ing on the northeast corner of Broadway and
Maiden Lane covers only 1,250 square feet.
When the Daylight Building was first talked OF
1t said that building suitable for of1ces
could be erected on Mr.. Havemeyers holdings at
New-st- and Exchange Place This was trus until
Mr.. Havemeyer enlisted the interest of Frank ".
Savfn who owned a little spot of ground adjoin-
ing his and fronting Newest This made tho
total frontage that street IS feet Even therr
the scofers declared that after space for elevators
stairs and corridors had been taken out there
would not be space enough for Office purposes The
architect has shown. however. that by a careful
arrangement of elevators and halls Offices OF good
size can be secured every floor OF the little
structure.
The building will front on New-st. and the main
entrance will be in the extreme northwest corner.
There also will be the elevators. Of which thers
will be two The stairs and corridors Will also Re
in that end of the building The east wall Of ths
building will not be pierced by windows the Day
light Building getting its daylight from the New
st. and Exchange Place sides.
Even after allowance is made for the elevators
stairways and corridors. there is space on each
floor for one office q by 81 feet For tenants who
do not care for even that much space the rooms
are to be so arranged that they can be easily d.
vlded. 1t will be exaggeration on the part Of
tenants of the little skyscraper for them to tel
friends or advertise if they choose the fact thar
they occupy "a floor half a floor in the Day
light Building. as the case may be.
The building to the first story Will be built os
granite. while the upper stories will be Of brick
and limestone after the French Renaissance styIa,
with French roof. after the style OF the Louvre.
Paris. The interior of the first story Rail is to -
of marble. and throughout the smallest skyscraper
in the city will be quite in keeping with its mo-s
Pretentious brethren Its approximate cost .
100000
Though little in size the Daylight Building viii
be bis in effect upon the conditions in its iure-
date vicinity Since the erection of the Blair
Building at Broad-st and Exchange PIace. things
have been decidedly mixed in that vicinity.
The big Commercial Gable Building standiu- n
Broad-st- just beyond Tire Blair Building towers
twenty stories in air. At the time IL vas buir
there nothing on the corner of Broad-st and
bullCICS.
dows were placed alonS the south side. affordirS
plenty of light and air the Offices on that side
The Blair Building running UP close beside ths
Commercial Cable Building for eighteen stories and
extending back half It's length. has cut of
the light from the greater part of the offices
the south side of that building So close DO the
two buildings stand that for few stories up they
sodiy together The rest of the way they
up less than foot apart. Glass prisns are
TO be tried on windows in the Commercial Cabs
Building already blocked by the Blair Building n
the hope that enough light may be collected
make the Offices that side suitable for occu-
pancy
Between it and the Blair Building and forming
l. around the proposed location of the Day.
light Building lies what is known as the AIDES
property Part of this has been secured for the Blsr
Building and part for tins Commercial Gable Build
ing The directors OF the Commercial cable Build
ing Company have decided to erect a tyyenty-th-es
story addition that part of the original Ades
property that they now own. This must spoil ths
present outlook from the rear windows OF the Blair
Building The situation is further complicated by
the fact that the erection of the new Daylsht
Buldinc; cut on the Right from the windows
in the Commercial cable Building addition ths
west and south.
The scramble for light and air. in which the
proportions throughout the cty that builders row
say Il must have ITS e.tect upon pom sSyscraper eSa-
scraper cannot be done away with. but IL is as
i,oc % S ~ '' rJ S ',Tssir9bi. r,3~ tsT,t NS rsns.
tive builders ere now endeavOring to acquire corr
tro OF ctner property on two or more sides of tho
actual skySCraper location. that they may hold r
to insure light the sky SCrGper. Some revenus
may be secured from these protective holdings by
building small buildings them. one
stories high be used for stores This is possible
in only in this city. OF course. and
interior court formation .s often resOred to as
one solution OF the problem.
In some quarters there Is talk of appealing 20 rs
Board OF Health for regulation OF the stuat tor
but no one seems 20 know JUST how it can 70
regulated
1t is the same old problem that has confronted
New-AOrK for years. said prominent architscI
the Other Gay.
That Is what started skySCraper constructors.
the demand for light and air. To get this we aren't
teCts took people into the air But other people
kept coming up alongside of them The conditions
that had before existed the SrOund floors heEai
TO appear: first ten and twelve. then sixteen ana
eighteen and twenty stories in air. l.d
solution? Wei. II YOU can ind u your fortune -
made ir looks 10 IS, tf the NCW-Nork business
man must install dayli plant ct his cNhs
Either that. or skyscrdpeTs must be built OF glass;