The Washington herald., 1908-08-16
NAY LIMIT SKY SCRAPERS
Several Cities Consider Plans to
Stop High Building.
Methods Suggested by which Sky
Line on Given STREET May
Be Made Even.

New York. Philadelphia. Washington.
and Chicago have been seriously discuss
ing the regulation Of heights Of buildings
and taeir areas IN proportion 20 the areas
OF their lots Mr.. .. n Boyd. OF the
Philadelphia chapter of the American In
stica-e Of Architects. has recently offered
q contribution % tie discussion. wuIcn
Introduces some new ideas.
Municipal Engineering Magazine com
paras and contrasts two OF -le methods
u treating -t-e problem showing that
the New York proposition IS 20 Itmi- the
height Of a building erected on "a lot line
90 -ar feet. and greater heights are per
ult-e5 provided the cl-uic- line does not
llrerSzct 81 lfae drawn az an angle OF
sixty degrees with the l0-lz -raI perpeu-
1ieG.zr 20 the curb -.1-. and passing
through "a point on the plane Of the lot
line 100 feet above tile curb
II the C0rll-e line IS u.-e than rEiry
feet back or the street line of the lot,
g. IS restriction does not apply This reg
ular71 would practically make e0rzlce
line or the lot line ar a uniform height
of l-a feet above the clr5. higher build
.1eS having extensions above thts line
offset -lig-y --aJ sr mere back OF cae
-o; line. N.ra possibly a second Offset
FROM taas -l.rty-tcot line III d height a
little more than I55 teac above the side.
walk
To the 1asse- ca fle street below. there
tlr-. there would le "a street facade. w!tr
a uniform co-rice Lue- a-5 cle observer
Ga the opposite sidewalk could see the
lQ from behind this loru--5 line. This
uniformity or height Of buildings or Ire
line between lot and street seems to
be what such cities as Paris and Berlin
are striving t0-. and Paris even prescrlbes
% "a certain extent The Architectural fes-
tu-as If the facade otle- than the height.
Mr.. Boyd has suggested the application
% business street ~ a res -a--r- In
tended Tor 1o-l--4-ls. whereby --e retkat
Of a llIl-lz S limited BY a line drawn
pe-Q molecular 20 the curb Ilre from
poiut thereon through a corresponding
point GA the plane OF the lot line and
above -Ea cub a distance equal % one
and u---Qu1rrs- -iUes the width OF the
street and is. say. seve-ty-five feet on q
siE-y-f0o- street T the owner wishes 20
erect o. caller building than this would
permit be- must set this building back
So that all of its front VIII Ge below the
diagonal line above described at the
point where this lire i1-erSacrs the plane
OF the front This regulation. Mr.. Boyd
says. was proposed for a great diagonal
boulevard. on w-lrE the buildings would
De largely public. or monumental i- char
acter. and usually wholly detached. and
II would evidently 5r Cf sreat value n
-rtr1Lucll= variety IN building lines as
wall as elevations and would give greater
/ opportunity for individuality in the treat
meEt Of tle buildings in mass and IN
| facades.
In applying The same regulation TO busi-
ness blocks In comparatively narrow
streets. a Ereat der arturo VIII be made
| from the Uniformity IN uae and height
/ which Is So highly praised by some. as Il
I has been developed in Paris II carried
I 20 this limit there would be no uniformity
I in alignment Of buildings. for. not only
would the skyline be broken. as il is al
present. but the ground line would be
[ broken also Ar Boyd himself calls at
tention % The rccasses and angles which
would be formed AT the sidewalk level.
which would require better street light
/ ing 60 prevent lettering at night. an i'm
l rrovemeat - wlich American cities are
sadly in need He suggests grass plats
and fountains. or t1at the shops on the
| ground floor be brought out 20 the side
[ walk line
Prom the points Of view of sanitation
! and safety. the regulation Of the proper
4 ton Of area Of building 20 lot is quite as
/ important as that Of the relation of.height
/ 10 area Of lot and width OF street. The
/ proposed New York ordinance provides
1 tor an Increase in the area OF courts OF
| areaways in proportion TO increase in
( height. the percentage OF area 20 be left
/ for light and ai- fo- buildings less thar
I 80 feet high 20 be determined by dfvi5-
( ing twice tire square Cf the elevation
1 above the cugb by 1000 with a minimum
/ Of 10 per cent There viii apparently
( arise in tail buildings on restricted space
/ between other buildings a conflict be-
I tween the provision Of areaways or courts
I to furnish Eight and air 20 the building
/ below the limit Of height on. the street
1 front