Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01
Commissioners Want Ruling as
to Height of Building.
SKY LINE is IN PERIL
Favor a Limit of Eighty-Five Feet
Around Lafayette Square.
REGULATION ALLOWS $50 FEET
Office Building to Be Erected at Cor.
ner of Pennsylvania Avenue
and jackson Place

How high may an office building go If
the site selected for it is near one of
the government reservations. public
buildings or in any way involved in the
scheme of architecture and sky line regu-
lation already provided for by govern
ment architects, artists, etc. is ques-
ton now bothering the Commissioners,
and to decide il the fine arts commits
sion has been asked to help.
A building to be erected diagonally OPP
posite the State. War and Navy Depart
ments. on the site formerly occupied by
the Bureau of American Republics is
under discussion by the Commissioners,
who believe they have the right to limit
buildings in that neishbor.lood to 81 feet
in order to preserve an even sky line.
although Pennsylvania avenue is declared
a business street for building purposes.
The Commissioners have therefore asked
the advice of TIP fine art commission IN a
letter as follows:
Designated a Business Street.
"The Commissioners have been asked
to what height an Office building may be
erected on the southeast corner of square
+ 161. confronting the State. War and Navy
Department building. This office build
ing would front on what has been desig-
mated Pennsylvania avenue and 1872
street, or Jackson place. The Commits
| sioners have designated Pennsylvania
avenue from 18th street east to Rock
creek business street. and on business
streets of the width of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. fireproof building may be erected
to a height OF 40 feet, under the act of
Congress approved June l, 1910. regulat-
ing the height of buildings in the District
of Columbia.
Section ) of this act provides:
Ion blocks Immediately adjacent to
public buildings or to the side of any pub
lie building for which plans have been
time of the application for the permit to
construct said building, the maximum
height shall be regulated by a schedule
adopted by the Commissioners of the Dis
trict Of Columbia
The Commissioners believe that under
this section they would be authorized to
regulate the height of buildings in this
square, which confronts the State, War
and Navy Department building. 1t is
their idea that the extreme limit of
height for future buildings to be erected
on this square and on square ID, which
fronts on Pennsylvania avenue between
18th street and Madison place, confront
ing the Treasury Department building,
should be fixed at eighty-tive feet, which
is the limit of height allowed by law on
residence streets.
For Uniform Sky Line.
'For esthetic reasons it would seem
important to have uniform sky line
on these frontages, and as buildings in
these squares fronting on Jackson place
and Madison place are limited by law to
height of eighty feet. it would appear
reasonable. in order to have a uniform
sky line, to limit buildings fronting on
the Pennsylvania avenue sides of these
squares to about the same height. Build
ings already erected on the Pennsylvania
avenue front Of square 221 by the Riggs
National Bank and by the American Sc
curity Company have a height of sixty
eight and seventy-three feet, respec
lively