East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-10-15
WORLDS TALLEST BUILDING.
Singer Tower of New York Loftiest
Inhabited Building on Earth.

When the tall office building, in the
course of its rapid evolution, had at
tanned the height of 800 feet. it was
freely predicted that the limit had
been reached, and that future struc-
lures in New York city would be of
more reasonable vertical dimensions
says the New York World.
That prediction was made not much
more than a decade ago; and yet to-
day there is in course of construction
in lower New York building whoss
summit will reach heavenward for
over twice 500 feet The new build
ing, which will be in the form of a
tower and will constitute part of an
extension of the present Singer build
ing at the corner of Liberty street and
Broadway, will contain IL stories, and
the top of its cupola will be 612 feet
above street level.
Not only will the Singer tower be
the loftiest inhabited building in the
world. but it will exceed in vertical
height the famous Washington monu-
ment on the banks of the Potomac,
which, with it's total height of 555
feet, is at present the tallest masonry
structure erected by man. Although
the Singer tower will lack some 800
feet of equaling the famous Fiffel
tower, ii will be a far more difficult
and costly structure to erect, and be-
cause of its narrow base will involve
more complications and serious engi-
neering problems.
The new building will form the most
| i'm RI of tho old Gin brild =
ing at the corner CT Liberty street
and Broadway. Great credit is due
to Mr.. Ernest Flagg for his successful
treatment of this unusual architectu-
raj problem and to his engineers for
the solution of the CONSTITUTIONAL diff
| ficultles involved n tie design of so
narrow and lofty building. An ad-
dition to the old structure. with a
frontage of 76 feet on Broadway, is to
be built on the northern side of the
building and the westerly portion of
this addition will constitute the great
tower. The original building and the
addition will be Ia stories in height
and the tower will extend, 81 stories
above this.
Although in plan the tower will
measure only 65 feet square, its total
uplift is so great that its floor space
added to that of the main building
will be greater, with a single excep-
tion,. than that of any other building
in New York city, the total area
amounting to nine and a half acres
The elevator will be oblong in plan
and placed in the center of the build
| of ha
of TIE building there will be 16 ele-
vators, and, as the upper floors are
reached, they will decrease in num-
Der until there will remain four ele-
vators for the service of the topmost
| floors. 1t is estimated that when the
building Is fully occupied it will ac-
commodate about 5000 people.
The effect of this stupendous struc-
ture upon the already remarkable
sky line of New York city will be tc
dwarf the immensity of surrounding
buildings and deceive the eve as tc
their already lofty altitude. This viii
be particularly true of the stranger
who visits New York for the first time
for he will find it difficult to realize
that the towering skyscrapers which
are dominated so completely by this
tower are many of them between 800
and 400 feet in height. The question
of the future vertical increase in the
dimensions of buildings will depend
upon the financial success of the
Singer building. Should 1t prove pos.
sible to realize an adequate return up.
on the investment Of this kind, 1t 1.
not unlikely that corporations with
whom the advertisement that is giyer
by spectacular structure of this kind
counts for something will, in future
years, attempt to rival or surpass IT.
1t Is the confident expectation Of
the engineers that in spite of the grea
height there will be no preceptiblt
sway In the Singer building, even ir
the heaviest storm.