The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-24
OLD-STYLB PLANS
FOR new BUILDING
Most Cities Are Laid Out for
Low Structures.
TALL ONES DO NOT FIT WELL
Goes on without Re-
gard to Changed MethOds-Ernest
FIaEg Proposes Practice which
Would BETTER Meet Present COndi-
tiOns-DayiiEh. Valuable Asset.

Ernest Flagg. a prominent architect OF
New York, recently expressed his views
upon the problem OF high buildings, which
apply 20 Washington as vel as to the
American metropolis Mr. Flagg has
studied the problem both from the stand
point OF the architect and from that Of
the economist and what he says on the
subject fits philosophical theory as well
as practical building In part he says;
zone OF the most remarkable features
Of our bodybuilding movement is its sud-
denness. It IS scarcely twenty-five years
old. vet It has assumed such proportions
that II high building were 10 stop to-
morrow 1t would still rank IS Die o. the
greatest and most remarkable building
epochs Of which there Is any record
Forty Stories In Year.
twenty-five years Is a short time in
which to develop a new sys-era Of build
ing. Single buildings have often required
as long a time 10 build. bat the people
who build twenty. thirty. or forty story
buildings in a year ought TO be able To
think quickly. and II docs not require
much thought 20 see that suca buildings
cannot be built solidly alongside OF each
ether without shutting out too much light
and air from each other and from the
street
II the people who build the buildings
were the only ones to suffer by their own
greed and lack OF forethought. Of course
there would be nothing to say; but they
are not The multiplication Of dark rooms
Affects IniuriOuSIy q large and eveT-in-
creasing part Of the population. and the
iarkening Of the streets and the shutting
out Of sunlight affects the entire popula-
ton
Strange as It might seem 10 one who
sees what We are doing % shut II out.
the love for air and sunlight is not
thing OF the past with Us. and even the
most hardened advocate OF high buildings
VIII admit that Il Is desirable 10 retain
as much Of these commodities as can be
retained without too great a sacrifice OF
money.
Daylight n Cash Asset.
ANY real estate man who has had ex-
perience in renting knows that daylight
is q very real cash asset Dark rooms
can be rented when light ones cannot be
had. but, other things being equal, more
rent can be obtained for light rooms than
for dark ones: 50 that, looked at strictly
from the commercial standpoint, some
sacrifice OF SPACE can be made for light
not only without loss. but at a profit
IT is. therefore. possible 10 make regu-
Iations 20 provide light for the buildings
and streets without loss 10 land owners
but these regulations must be made upon
a new plan. The old expedient OF limit
ing the height. which works well enough
with the old-fashiOned method OF building
low cities. viii not work for the new
fashioned method Of building high cities
a limitation OF height 10 Two OF three
hundred feet IS no limitation at all for
the purpose o. securing height Indeed
any Limitation Of height above seventy
five or eighty feet would have precisely
the contrary effect from that intended
for when the builders are restricted as q
height the tendency is TO obtain all the
floor .space. possible below the established
limit By building over a greater percent
age OF the area Of the Tor. thus reducing
the size Of tire light courts and the sup
ply Of light.
some other method OF obtaining light
must then be res0rted to-sOme new plar
adopted suitable 10 the new kind Of build
ings we are putting up The principle
which should underlie this new plan has
been formulated by the chief architecture
al bodies Of the city Il may be briefly
stated as a limitation Of area above q
certain limit Of height
Proposes New Plan.
Now let Us see how a plan would work
out II based upon this principle have
given a great deal Of thought to the max
ing OF such plan. and have evolved one
which think would apply advantageous
II for every class Of building. Ehe plar
which 7 propose. though restrictive. would
not. I believe. affect injuriousiy the value
Of any class Of property. and I think 4
would greatly increase the value OF GER
tain classes OF property. especially land
suitable for the building Of tenements and
apartment houses. I believe It could be
applied 20 these buildings without in any
way detracting from the benefits secured
By the present tenement house law.
7 hold that so far from restricting The
height Of buildings. public interest re
quires that every. encouragement should
De gwen 10 Tie Ul44tAAllE u LAlEAAl- HAUhiDrt
the percentage OF the area OF the lot COW
cred by the building Is restricted in pro
portion TO the height Of the building.
why should apartment houses be Low
II they can be high without shutting out
Hght2 The rooms in high buildings are
certainly as wholesome as rooms in low
buildings. The only danger to be feared
so far as health Is concerned. Is that toe
. - Of
land will be occupied TO a great height
and thus render portions OF the buildins
dark and unhealthy 10 lire in If all our
tenement dwellers could be housed ir
high towers. about which there is al
abundant play OF light and air, there
would soon be a notable decrease in the
rate OF mortality.
Not Height, bat Multiplicity.
The danger from high buildings is not
essentially in their height. but the occu.
pancy Of too great a percentage Of the
land by them. The plan I propose IS this
30 I would permit the erection OF
buildings OF all kinds to a height equal tC
the width of the street upon which they
face. with no other restrictions as &c
area than those which now exist
20 Beyond this general lift I would
allow the erection of what might be
called towers 10 a further height over q
certain limited area Of every plot. this
area to be determined by adding 10 the
area OF the plot further area equal tc
the area Of the street or streets in from;
OF the building. but in no case more thar
100 times the frontage Of the building. and
dividing the sum so obtained by four. By
this arrangement a much larger percent
age Of the area Of corner plots could be
occupied By the high part Of buildings
than in the case Of inside lots. The cor
aer plots would thus receive tina: benefit
which is their due by reason OF their
more open location BY this plan the en-
tire area OF such plots as that occupied
by the Times Building or the Elatiron
Building might be covered with a high
building