The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-10-16
PLAN TO DISCUSS
new BUILDING LAW
Architects, Builders and Prop
erty Owners Invited to COM
ment on Ordinance

ers, architects and others connected
with the holding of and Improvement
of real estate. and in fact all persons
who are competent 10 form an opinion
are invited by the building laws COM
mittee Of the board of supervisors to
express views concerning the proposed
building laws Of San Francisco. which
will come before the committee at 1889
o'clock October 26.
Members of this committee are
quoted as saying that they desire that
all objections to the proposed ordinance
as il has been submitted by the ad-
visory committee to the building laws
committee shall be formulated at once
and in case there is any specific OBJ
lection TO any particular section il
is requested that a new section with
the suggested amendment to the old
one shall be given to the committee
in writing. The purpose of this is 10
have a definite understanding at the
earliest possible moment
As the matter now stands the pro-
posed building law has been accepted
as the final report Of the advisory COM
mittee This committee includes the
following: William +. Wilson. mem7
Der of the board of health, chairman;
P. II. Shsughnessy, chief engineer of
the fire department; F. H Porter
writers inspection bureau; John P.
Hogan, chief building inspector of the
department of public works; J. D.
Galloway. civil engineer; Richard II.
Mathewson. manager of the Kfttle con-
structiOn company; Nathaniel Blaisdell
architect; Morris Bruce, secretary.
The members of the building laws com
mittee of the board Of supervisors are:
W W Sanderson, William Broderick
and Henry Payot.
LAW IN PAMPHLET FORM
The supervisors have put to press
pamphlet which includes a complete
copy Of the proposed building law, to-
gether with the state tenement house
law. In a note the building laws COM
mittee sets forth that the tenement
house law has been omitted from the
proposed building law, but that the
state tenement house law is printed
with the building law as a matter of
convenience to the public. Property
holders can find out all the provisions
personally by getting copies of the
pamphlet. That a great deal of study
is necessary to fully comprehend all
the provisions is made manifest by the
statement that the building law covers
l09 closely printed pages. Among the
headings that are included are the fol-
lowing, which are sufficient to show
the scope Of the work:
various classes Of buildings may be erected.
FireprOOf roofing limits.
New devices aad materials
Theafers.
Office buildings.
Warehouses
Hospitals or ssnatoriums.
Hotels
Lodging houses
Dwellings.
Flats.
Tenement house and apartment house.
Materials loads. allowed stresses and general
provision for construction.
Steel columns.
Steel plate girders.
Cast iron columns.
Foundations On piles on RATS. on brickwerk.
on stone. on plain concrete, on reinforced con
crete. etc.
The most interesting part TO the gen
eral public applies TO the definition of
the classes of buildings and the limita-
tions which are placed upon them.
Provisions in these regards are found
in part VI Of the law. All buildings
are divided as follows: Glasses A, B
and c. mill construction and frame or
wooden buildings These are defined
and limited as follows
CLASS A BUILDINGS
Section -. Class A buildings are defined as
those having hreprOofed frames Of steel and with
al structural parts Of ineombustible material.
Walls shall be Of brick stone. concrete or rein
forced concrete. Class 4 buildings with all wall
losds above the third floor carried on the steel
frame shall not be limited as TO height. Glass
= DuloluIe WIN tel-SuppOrIluE curtain or hear
height 10 Sc feet. Glass buildings may be
built anywhere in the city.
CLASS B BUILDINGS
Section -. Class B buildings are defined as
those having frame Of reinforced concrete
carrying all wall and floor loads. All structural
shall be Of brick. stone or reinforced concrete.
The maximum limit of height of class B build
ings shall be 102 feet and they may be built
anywhere in the city.
CLASS c BUILDINGS
Section -. Glass c buildings are defined as
those having exterior walls Of brick stone or
concrete and an interior frame Of combustlble
material. The walls may be bearing or curtain
walls and the interior supports may be timber
or cast iron columns. or timber studding.
Class buildings built with the interior Of
studding. Turing and sofhts Of stairs Iathed with
metal lath and plastered may be built 10 a
height not TO exceed - feet:
Class c buildings with all joists Qirders Sind
ding. Turing and sofht Of stairs, lathed with
wooden lath and plastered. not lathed and
piastered may be built TO height not TO ex-
Gee IS feet. but not more than four stories shall
be included in this height
Class buildings may be built anywhere in
the city.
MILL CONSTRUCTION
Section -. Buildings Of mill construction are
and the interior loads supported BY heavy tim
per frame The frame shall be constructed
without concealed air spaces
This method OF construction may be used for
the interior Of class buildings and he built TO
height Of % feet.
FRAME OR WOODEN BUILDINGS
Section -, Frame or wooden buildings may
be constructed to length not exceeding forty
4oi feet and may be built anywhere in the
city and county except within the fire limits.
and shall contain not more than three (3l
feet. ts NV
II the case Of a frame or wooden building on
lot within the grade soping downward from
the facade At which the measurement is taken
the height OF the building at any point OF the
grade shall not exceed fifty (5o) feet above fhe
aQlolning curb IN Of corner lots or above
the natural level Of the ground In case OF in
side lots. u ID"
Said buildings may be built entirely of cou
nosupie materials IN the structural parts ex-
cept the roofs OF the buildings within the limits
described in section Of this ordinance re-
lating 10 hreproof roof construction.
HEIGHTS OF BUILDINGS
The heights of buildings are not tn
exceed the heights given under the diff
ferent classes, except that stair and
elevator houses. water tanks. towers
and spires may exceed the limit. II is
provided that towers and spires on
class or frame buildings may extend
100 feet above the roof, but no such
tower or spire shall occupy more than
one-quarter of the street frontage of
the building. nor shall it have a base
area exceeding 1000 square feet Such
towers and spires shall be covered with
fire proof materials. but they shall not