The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-06-09
NO TALL BUILDINGS WANTED.
Berlin Authorities Forbid Construction
of S~kyscrapers.

Berlin Authorities FORBID CONSTRUCTION
of Skyserapers.
The German government will not
consider any American idea as to the
construction of buildings in her cities
and only recently refused a petition
from the Central Association of Ger
man 1ndustrials, which asked thai the
present building laws be so far relaxed
as to allow steel framed buildings of
more than twenty-five meters G2.1S
feet) in height to be erected.
Frank H. Mason, United States consul
general at Berlin. Germany, In sending
this report to the state department
says that the ministries are opposed 20
any system of building which will lead
to an increase in the number of large
buildings ivid INTO a great number
of small apartments or tenemenls,
which are leased to families Of work
ing people, with the result that a great
humble of persons of both sexes and
all ages are huddled together under
conditions which are necessarily sub
versive of normal family life and
prejudicial to public morals.
Buildings 50 high as to be beyond
the level of the present water supply
could not be made clean and sanitary.
Any important increase in height be-
yond the present limit would put the
| upper SlOTlFS OIL lIt DulliiISS D'S'I'd
the protection Of the fire department
as at present equipped and organized.
Whatever might be the material inter-
eSts involved, says Mr.. Mason, the min
istries held themselves bound to con-
slider and protect not only the arChitec-
tural unity and beauty Of the city, but
the health and the moral and physical
safety Of the people, all Of which would.
in their opinion, be compromised by
the propos ] innovation.
wit this result" says Mr.. Mason,
"the authors of the petition are by no
means satisfied and have replied that
they had not proposed to carry build
ings in Berlin to the excessive heights
which are common in the United
Ststes, and that had the desired per
sion been granted, 1t would have
b. provided by careful and compe-
TO- engineering that all the require.
ments Of fire protection. water supply
and every sanitary necessity should b,
carefully and completely met. More,
over, In regard to resistance to cOntia
grafton, at Baltimore high steel-fram'
ed buildings. which offer least food 70
: a fire. fully indicated their superio
: safety and were left standing lik'
monuments amid the wide waste o
the ruins Of four and Ave story block
} built Of stone and brick In the ordinar,
! way.
Thus the discussion stan at pres
= ent, and 1t does no appear ilkely ina
the ministries, fortified as they are b
considerations Of municipal beauty an
r public health and safety. will reced
from their present position. II Is diff
fcult to persuade German conserva
tism, in so important q matter as tn
f architectural construction of cite;
e with arguments drawn from, expert
ence In a ountry which like our ow
8 has paid during the past twenty-fiv
q years an average annual tribute c
$125.0O0. 900 to the scourge of fire, an
z which for the losses Of the current yea
h 1904 must pay nearly of quite dou
that sum. However little of our ar
nual holocaust the SIX yscraper' ma
be responsible for, the fact that it
a distinctively American type Of cor
q struction will not recommend 1t
European municipalities"