Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-12-07
Wonder Works OF
the Metropolis
Continued from Fist Page


the encircling blue than the roof Of the
Singer building. And It is said that one
Of the widest known proprietors of the
American newspaper world, just as soon
as these two buildings have been com
p'eted far enough 10 make a change in
their plans out Of the question, will com.
mence building a home for his various
metropolitan publications that will give
him free worldwide advertising as
owner Of the worlds tallest Office
building
It was only eighteen years ago last
June that there was erected in New
York the building that made the sky
scraper a certainty. It was the first
building TO have a skeleton frame; in
this case it was not steel, as nowadays
but cast iron. How puny It looks to-
day surrounded by its mighty children,
crowding one another on both sides Of
lower Broadway But it will not be
looked upon much longer by its proud
and lofty offspring. Il is to 60 the way
Of all things earthly, and on its site is
to rise a building that viii be a modern
tower in truth as we'll as in name. For
this original skyscraper, a mere ten stor-
les in height, has borne the name of
Tower building all these years. When
gaping hundreds came to lower Broad
way to see it constructed and completed
it was a tower of commerce, indeed.
Hundreds of slyscrapers have been
erected in Manhattan since that day; in
Ythe two and a half years beginning with
January, Ioo3 one hundred and eleven
buildings, each over ten stories in height,
were put up. Anything over ten stories
is known as a slyscraper to the builder
under the old method of construction a
building ten stories in height could be
erected, but no more, hence the differ
entiation at this point. By far the vast
majority of these commercial towers
have been erected in the lower business
districts. Now lower Broadway'is prac-
tically lane between two gigantic, I'M
broken walls of "scrapers." Many cross
streets to the east of Broadway are like
wise so lined; slyscrapers are being put
up in ever increasing numbers on the
cross streets west of Broadway. Rea
estate dealers and the heads of sky
scraper construction companies declar,
that the day is not far distant when al
that portion of the city which is know
as downtown" will be given over ex
clusively to slyscrapers, barring, o
course, spots here and there where ligh
rights have been bought from adjoinin,
property owners, thereby keeping small
buildings on certain plots. This metho,
of securing light to a skyscraper is S,
expensive that it is not frequentl
adopted; the city will thus be given owe
to sllyscrapers from the Battery to Cit
Hall, distance Of miles, and il
time, even for blocks beyond, say tn
authorities on skyscrapers.
You have heard of New Yorks China
t. town, probably the wickedest section il
5 the metropolis. Plans are now on foo
, to raze the entire network of human
traps and turn their sites into a park
. Is not that a wonder in ITSELF. and espe
r cially when one considers how crampe
the city is for space for buildings?
When the writer came to New YorI
four years ago, he saw block after bloc
in his walks on Washington Heights tina
had no buildings other than squatters
huts on them. Now they are being rap
idly covered with substantial brick an
stone buildings six and more stories il
height Some blocks are already bull
up Over in that portion of the Borougl
of the Bronx where the elevated exten
) sion of the subway runs, similar de
a velopment is taking place. What wer
farms and old country homesteads yes
terday are now solid blocks of building.
. And On all sides the frenzy of rearin
brick and stone walls goes on unabateC
All this is the wonder of the fiat.
is the result Of earnest endeavor to flr
nish accommodations for the quarter {
million and more persons who hurr