Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-05
PROVIDES NEW
BUILDING LAW
ORDINANCE MAKES RADICAL
CHANGES
Council Adopts Measure Which Mem
bers Assert Is an Ideal Plan,
Provides Additional Fire
Precautions

The new building ordinance, rec.
commended by the special building
commission appointed by the city coun.
Gil and indorsed by Building Superin.
tendent Backus, was yesterday passed
by the council.
The old ordinance, so full of holes
that scarcely a section of it would
hold water, is repealed by the new or
dinance and it is the hope and prayer
of the council that no amendments will
be necessary.
At an expense of $4,000 the old build
ing ordinance was drawn up by COM
mttee of high priced experts. Less
than week after it had gone into eff
feet the council was kept busy amend
ing it so that some special privilege
might be granted. After the first
amendment there was scarcely a ses-
sion of the council at which an amend
ment to the ordinance was not passed
until it was patched and plastered
to such an extent that little of the
original was left.
Provides Better Fire Escapes
The new ordinance prohibits the use
of reinforced terra Gotta for the exte-
riors of buildings of class A and pro-
vides that a crosswall must be built
for every 10000 square feet of floor
space All hotels of more than four
stories must be of class A construction
and all hospitals, sanitoriums and
asylums of more than four stories must
be of the same class. Hospitals and
asylums must have the fire escape
ladders reaching to the ground.
A number of changes are made in
fire proof The height of this class
has been reduced from 11O to 100 feet
and not more than eight stories. The
fireproofing of steel with concrete is
permitted. All elevators must be en-
closed in tight shafts and a crosswall
built for every 10000 square feet of floor
space. More stairways, broader and
better protected, are made necessary
in this class.
All hotels of more than three stories
and hospitals of more than two sto-
ries must be of this class of building
The only change in class G buildings
has been to reduce the height from 80
to S5 feet with not more than six sto-
ries.
The building commission found the
ordinance too hard on the laboring
mans little one-story frame dwelling
and reduced the proper dimensions of
some of the lumber so that it may be
built cheaper. Instead of 2X4 girders,
2X3 are permitted and several other
changes are made.
Frame buildings have been reduced
from five to four stories and from So to
so feet in height.
Building Superintendent Backus be-
lieVes this to be a model ordinance and
declares that the fire underwriters have
the privilege of forcing owners of build
ings to comply with the ordinance by
raising the insurance rates to such an
amount that it will be cheaper to make
the provisions provided in the ordinance
than pay the premiums. All buildings
for which permits are hereafter issued
will be erected according to the ordi-
nance or permits will not be granted.
The changes in the ordinance will
not increase the cost of class A build
ings at all and classes B and c will be
increased but 10 per cent, according to
Mr.. Backus.
The building commission that drew
up this ordinance was composed of
Octavius Morgan and Thornton Fitz-
hugh, architects; F. H. Porter, fire un-
derwriter, Fire Chief Lips and Build
ing Superintendent Backus.