Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-06

| SSS,3IS.0. Inc revenues during the pre-
| ceding year amounted to $1O,6A.
/ The appropriation for the office Of the
inspector Of buildings for the fiscal year
was so, go.
The building regulations. which have
| been undergoing revision for the last
mulgated- November Is, 1909.
| An act OF Congress approved June 1,
1870 changed the law regulating the
height o. buildings. The most important
sible height of combustible buildings and
an Increase in the permissible height Of
| freproof buildings. 1t also provided that
hotels and apartment and tenement
] houses three stories In height or over be
| of f1reproof construction up to and in
Guiding the main floor. Since the passage
| of this act there has been a material
change for the better in the design Of
| apartment houses, many of which are
now constructed so as to be fireproof
| throughout.
Inspection of Private Buildings.
All private building construction In the
District of Columbia is inspected under
the direction of the inspector of build
ings, The total number of inspections dur
ing the year was 63,O26. an increase over
| the previous year of 1881. This work
| is done by eight field inspectors, and
| each inspector makes an average of about
81 inspections daily, which limits the time
| of examination to about ten minutes for
| each building. This is not believed to be
j sufficient. and it is believed that more
| time could be given to buildings II better
| means OF transportation were furnished.
Elevator Inspection.
The elevators in the District of Column
| bia are inspected by two inspectors under
the direction of the inspector Of buildings.
| They report the elevators to be entirely
| free from defective mechanism tending to
cause accident. and that no serious acct
dents involving the loss Of life have oc-
CURED during the year. Under the re-
v1sed elevator regulations, the general
construction of new elevators has been
of very high order. The policy inau-
| weekly examinations for the licensing of
elevator operators has been continued
with splendid results in increased eff
cheney and safety to the public. An i'm
however. by legislation authorizing the
charging Of fees and the issuance of
license badges to operators.
inspection Of Boilers.
The number Of steam boilers inspected
by the inspector Of boilers was $50. The
compensation Of this official is received
| from fees paid by the owners of the
boilers. The total amount received from
such fees during the year was s2.45O and
the expense of inspection. $685. leaving q
net compensation to the inspector of
$1.9S4.
Construction of Municipal Buildings.
The work of constructing buildings for
the District of Columbia. including school
hHril
houses. public-convenience stations, etc.,
and the making Of repairs thereto, was
placed by an act of Congress approved
March 3, 1902 under an office thereby
created designated as municipal architect
Prior to that time it was part of the
duties of the inspector of buildings.
At the beginning of the year the munic-
ipal architect entered upon the discharge
of this duty, with twenty-eight buildings
additions, and other structures awaiting
the preparation of plans specifications
and contracts.
Actual construction has been started on
all such buildings for which appropria-
tionk> have been made, with the exception
Of third extension to the Mckinley
Manual Training School and the engine
house on Pennsylvania avenue southeast,
near Minnesota avenue. Plans for these
two buildings are now in course Of prepa-
ration.
The District appropriation act for the
fiscal year 1911 made all appropriations
for school buildings Immediately avail
able upon the passage Of the act, instead
OF awaiting the beginning Of the fiscal
year on July l. This was an important
change In previous practice and enabled
the work to be started in procuring the
sites and preparing plans with no loss of
time. This provision should be extended
to cover repairs to buildings also. espe-
cially Of school buildings. as the vacation
fD1 to- 1~kA
and extends to about the middle of Sep
TENDER.
OF the % structures for which appro-
priations have been made, the plans and
specifications for one-haH were prepared
entirely by employees in this Office. In
the other II buildings. private architects
were employed to assist the municipal
architect In the preparation of plans and
specifications. for which they received
commission Of 81 per cent. 1t is I'M
practicable with the force now provided
for by law for the Office of the municipal
architect to have all Of the work Of de-
signing the buildings done in that Office.
An innovation in the plans for school
in having these buildings designed with
fiat roofs and parapet walls so that they
may be used for open-air classes.
The total cost of buildings under con-
The following table gives a list Of mu-
nicipal buildings completed during the
year or in course of construction:
Building, name, Cost per
number, description cubic
and location. Cost. Contents. feet.
Convenience station No. Cubic It. Cents.
3. UNDERGROUND, 9th
and streets NV. SIS. 632 46,662 1919
Monroe, addition, Go.
lumbia road near Sher-
man avenue. ........ q ,042 226,240 1872
Engine house No. %, G
street near 22d street
NV. .............-... 27.sOO 1890 22.7
Convenience station No.
|. 5. brick and tile, Du-
/. pont Circle. ........... 1850 2s.3sO 1903
Potomac. semi hreproof
10Th and E sts; s:w.:: js.742 sssl7c 1913
Cleveland Park. -. $3.50 sssao4 17.4e
Benning b. c.. so,724 1451es 21.1
D. c...............e 1920 aoo1os 1875
12th. and d SITS. ne... 1000 171,05O 1871
Western High. addition.
streets NV. -. 10000 s7ssoo 1872
Bunker Hill road. 2s.es1 1ss.2es 1871
Engine house No. 2.
semifreproof. 10Th at.
near G st: 30,240 221.86O 11.6
Plans for the following buildings. for
which appropriations have been made. are
now being prepared under the supervision
of the municipal architect:
Eight-room school building, Farragut
street between 18th and 14th streets
northwest. plans completed.
Tina 11yo. f,s1fldincr nd