The Washington times., 1905-04-09
The Height of Buildings.

The Commissioners have decided to
give the force of law to their decision
that buildings facing the Treasury
along Fifteenth street shall not over
top that impressive and stately struc-
ture. The effect of that decision is
twofold:
First, it secures to the city a view
of the Treasury building In proper
perspective and advantageous relation
to its surroundings. which is certain
ly most desirable.
Second, it reduces the use of all the
ground which faces the Treasury
building from the east side of Fif-
teenth street by about one-fifth, which
is just as certainly a serious and most
unfortunate disturbance of settled
values.
Every citizen Of the whole country
even the most bitter and narrow
minded opponent OF the Park Com
mission plans-hopes to see the Ma
tional Capital made beautiful Surely
every citizen of the District, The
Times, and every other newspaper
published in the District, hopes for
that result So there is general salts
faction in all right regulations which
the Commissioners propose, or which
Congress enacts into law with that
~, xy,n ic hn toir rf. lf
buildings has been already limited to
the width of the street on which each
building faces. 1t would be still bet
ter if some practical means could be
found to supervise the designs OF
buildings SO that they might all work
into some moderate plan based upon
the harmony of simple architecture.
But this must be accomplished, or
as much of it as is practical must be
accomplished, with just difference tc
the rights of those who own the prop
erty. In this instance these rights
have been grossly set aside.
Any man who bought property or
Fifteenth street during the past ter
years did SO with tie fair expectation
according to existing law-of erect
ing a building on that property III
feet in height By this action OF tn
Commissioners that expectation i
destroyed and the limit Of his build
ing is reduced to ninety feet. TIL
value of his property is, therefore
reduced by about one-fifth.
1t is by no means certain that tn
owner of this property has any re
dress. On the contrary, it appear
from rather a hurried examination G
the law. that this loss must fall upo
the owner beyond the possibility C
redress
The effect of this regulation, theI
is to destroy for the benefit Of sTh
City Beautiful one-fifth of the prop
erty rights which led to the pnrchas
or the holding of all the land facin
the Treasury in Fifteenth street. Thi
seems to be right expensive bus
ness. 1t does not seem to be, but il
a nightly unfair business. Ii it
worth while to limit the height {
those buildings-and the whole cit
will agree that it is-it is worth Will
also to reimburse the owners of ths
property for rights deliberately take
away.
The Times has no special intere'
in this particular case. Exceptir
that one of the community's olde
banks has been named in its column
as the object of this action by Il
Commissioners, it does not eve
know who owns this property.
interest lies in a principle pril
cipIe which is as close TO the Go
ernment of the United States as al
other principle cited in the Declar
tion of Independence-that no citizt
shall be deprived of his proper
without just payment therefor.
No one pretends that Congre
would hear an argument like th
with willing ears. No one preten
that this reimbursement could be &C
lected through the courts The
things may be as the future dete
mines. But it. is eontended, and wi
all the force the words can have, tn
citizens of the United States oug
not be deprived of their proper
rights by the National Governme
in the name of "The City Beautiful
or the name of anything else, witho
due compensation