Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-30
HOUSES FOR FAMILIES
Construction of Apartments
and Tenements.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
PROMINENT CITIZENS GO INTO
MATTER THOROUGHLY.
Submit Conclusions to the District
ommissioners-What They
Say.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE

cial committee of citizens charged with the
| preparation of regulations governing the
construction of houses they presented a re-
port in which they said:
| at has been asserted by the most COM
| petent and trustworthy expert investigators
and it has been demonstrated by experience
that the spaces and the parts and proper
tons of the ground on which apartment
| or tenement houses are built reserved to
! secure light, air and ventilation, are entirely
| insufficient and inadequate under the exist
| ing regulations, and do not sufficiently pro-
| vide for or take into consideration the use
| or uses that adjoining property owners or
! owpers of property in the same square may
| lawfully make of their own property and
| their right to light and air
THE proposed regulations are intended to
| provide that every apartment and tenement
| house designed for human habtation in the
District of Columbia shall have such open
and reserved spaces within the limits of the
lot or lots which it is built shall
give to it sufficient light and air, independ-
emily of any lawful use that any other
property owner may make of adjoining or
neighbOring lots and independently of any
structure that any adjoining or neighboring
owner may lawfully put on his own prop
erty. The further purpose Is to provide
thereby that in the construction of every
apartment or tenement house there must
lie the recognition of and the non-interfer-
cnce with any lawful use that may be
made of adjoining and neighboring property
and the rights of the public to light and air.
In order to accomplish these purposes
the proposed regulations provide that no
apartment or tenement house shall occupy
more than 60 per cent of the area of an
interior lot more than 90 per cent of the
area of a corner lot, leaving 81 per cent of
the area of an interior lot and 10 per cent
of the area of corner lot open and re-
..,i- li,rl,t Il L 81.
"All the other provisions of the proposed
regulations subordinate to this require
nent
In New York.
These proportions and percentages-de-
termining the areas to be reserved for
light, air and ventilation. that is, 30 per
cent of the area of interior lots and 10 per
cent of the area of corner lots-were the
percentages and PROPORTIONS specified in
and provided for by the New York building
act of 1879, and are strongly recommended
by the New York building state tenement
house commission of 1909 BY the law now
in force in New York the proportion or
percentage of permissible occupations is in
creased to 30 per cent but in the report re-
ferred to the commission expresses its re-
gret that the percentage of area allowed
thereby to be occupied was increased In
London, Manchester. Berlin and Paris the
spaces reserved by law to secure light and
pIppti eiIiO!l are greater IMAM pro-
vided for by the proposed regulations, as
Will appear from the report of the New
York state tenement commission already
mentioned.
The committee strongly and earnestly
recommend the adoption of the proposed
regulations and the restrictions and imita-
tons of the areas to be occupied by apart
nent and tenement houses because they
are convinced that they are absolutely re-
quired by the climatic conditions that exist
here If they are not adopted now We be
ieVe that this community will sooner
later be taught by increased mortality and
the spread of contagious diseases and by
the impairment of public health and safety
that the long experience of European cities
and the advice of numerous independent
and able examiners OF this problem in other
communities Canno wisely be ignored.
In conclusion, and in respect to the prev
alence and spread of consumption as the
direct result of deficient ventilation or lack
of proper air and light, we bring TO your
notice the startling statements of DIR. Ar
thur Querard of the New York city depart
ment OF health, DR.. Ransom of Manches-
and of DR.. Flech of Philadelphia in the re-
port heretofore mentioned volume l, page
465, from which the inclosed extract is
taken"
The letter was signed by Nathaniel VIII
son, John Joy Edison, Leon +. DesseZ,
Frank w. Hackett, James c. Hornblower
committee.
Proposed Amendments.
Light and Ventilation-No building de-
signed for habitat ton hereafter erected shall
occupy more than 90 per centum of a cor
ner lot, or Go per cent of any other lot, re-
gardless of the fact that such lot may
open upon public alley, provided that the
space occupied by fire escapes shall not be
deemed Il part of the lot occupied
The provisions OF this section Shall not
apply to a building hereafter erected run
ming through from one street to another
street or avenue provided that the lot
which It is situated does not exceed 100 feet
in depth.
Corner Lots-Avenue lots situated at the
intersection of two streets or avenues.
Height-The height of a building design
ed for habitation) hereafter erected shall be
as provided by present building regulations.
Yards-Behind every building designed for
habitation hereafter erected there shall be
a yard extending across the entire width of
the lot, and except upon corner lot, at
every point open from the ground to the
sky unobstructed, except that fire escapes
or unnclosed outside stairs may project
not over four feet from the rear line of
the house. The depth of said yards meas
| ured from extreme wall of the house
to the rear line of the lot. shall be set
! forth In the two following sections:
Yards for Interior Lots.
Except upon a corner lot the depth OF the
| yard behind every building designed for
| habitaton hereafter erected fifty feet in
| height shall not be less than twelve feet IN
| every part.
Said yard shall be increased in depth one
| foot for every additional ten feet of height
| of the building or fraction thereof; and
| may be decreased in depth foot for
every ten feet of height of the building
| less than fifty feet, but shall never be less
| than ten feet in depth In any part.
Yards of Corner LotS-The depth of the
| yard behind every building hereafter erect
| ed upon corner lot shall not be less than
| ten feet in every part, provided that where
| such lot is less than 100 feet in depth, the
depth OF the yard may not be less than 10
| per centum of the depth of such lot, but
| shall never be less than five feet in every
| part less than the minimum width of an
| outer court on the lot line prescribed by
section l, Outer Court"
Where a corner lot is more than fifty feet
| in width, the yard of that portion in
| cess OF fifty feet shall conform 10 the pro-
| visions of the section governing Yards
| for Interior Lots"
| Yard Space of Lots Running Through
| From Street to Street-Whenever a build
| ing designed for habitation hereafter erect
| ed is upon lot which runs through from
| one street to another street, there shall be