New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-21
LIKE FOUR STRUCTURES.
Yet the Equitable Will Be One
Great Building.
TO HAVE FIFTY ELEVATORS
Solid Fire Walls Will Separate
One Section of the Premises
from the Other.

That lower New York is not considered
overbuilt by investors is evidenced by the
half dozen structures now in course of
erection In that section. principal and
most important among them being the
new Equitable Building.
When the new Municipal Building, the
new Equitable Building and other large
structures now In course of construction
are completed thousands Of Offices Will
open to the leasing public. The Equitable
Building alone will have a yearly rent
roll of approximately 5000 900, the income
from more than $500 Offices. In fact, there
will be thirty-sx acres Of rentable floor
space.
The new Equitable Building. on Broad
way. Nassau, Pine and Cedar streets. is
an example of building for the future.
Behind a large board fence the sand hogs
are busy sinking the caissons for the
largest building in the world. Besides
being the largest structure. ii will have
cost, when complete. close to S0OOO'Voo
establishing a record which is likely TO
stand for many years.
1.-THE construction of the new Equitable
Building was not the result of the de-
struction Of the old building, nor were
the plans of the present building first
drawn for the improvement of the entire
block with one entire building. In fact
the plans were drawn for a new structure
TO be constructed on the site OF the Ola
building as far back as 1905. said +. w.
Burnham, of d. II. Burnham * CO.. OF
Chicago. the architects Of the present
structure. YESTERDAY In 1905 the society
had another set drawn and filed with the
bureau Of buildings, which would nave
dwarfed any other structure in the city
The plans were filed by the same firm
of architects, but at that time there was
considerable agitation against buildings
of extraordinary height and there was
talk of placing a limit on the height OF
buildings
In order TO encompass the proposed
legislation at that time these plans called
for a structure with tower which sho"Iu
rise sixty-two stories, with height OF
eO9 feet. The society. of course mad no
intention of constructing the building. nut
merely had it planned for protection
should the height of buildings be hmiteo'
After the fire. however, II was decided 10
put up a building something on the order
of those for which plans had been MADE
before the fire, but ii was necessary 10
sell the property. because under the laws
of the state Of New York an insurance
company cannot undertake any building
improvement. A proposition was put up
10 General T. Coleman du Pont stu
dent OF the worlds progress, who saw the
advantages of erecting such a structure.
With the agreement that when the build
Ing was completed .he Equitable Lie AS
surance Society would move back TO its
old quarters, General du Pont bought tie
property for Sl3,5OO,000. and personally at
tended to the laying of all the necessary
plans and details required Tor the erec-
ton of colossal structure.
The o Rourke Engineering and Construc-
ton Corporation, under orders from the
Thompson-S tarrett Company, the build
ing contractors for the new Equitable
structure. began the actual work of Dor
ing and blasting the way to rock bottom,
removing all the old granite and concrete
remains of the former foundations TO
make room for III caissons, which are TO
be sunk TO a depth Of eighty-one feet be-
low the street level.
Such mighty structure must leeds
have a solid foundation of rock, and when
II is comprehended that 1t will weigh 203,-
0OO tons. as against 10000 tons of the
Woolworth Building, $3.50 tons Of the
Metropolitan Building. lS3,5O0 tons Of The
Municipal Building and $3.50 tons of the
Singer Building it will be granted that the
caissons must be absolutely perfect TO
carry the burden.
The caissons of modern building form
an interesting subject TO comment on.
Formerly they were built of wood, and
II is only recently that engineers decided
that reinforced concrete IS preferable be-
cause when the caisson is finally filled
with concrete II becomes a monolithic
mass. which is absolutely proof against
deterioration.
The caissons of the new Equitable
Building have been sunk to bedrock. and
IL is on this bedrock that the mighty
cofferdam, whicS forms the true middle
of the foundation, is being built. This
foundation. covering more than 1900
square feet, when completed will be one
of the greatest feats in modern building
construction.
Some idea Of the amount of steel used
in record building may be had from
the fact that 5000 tons of steel will form
the frame OF the new Equitable Building,
against 1900 tons In the Woolworth
Building, which established a new record
in the number of tons used in, putting up
a building. The building will have 1872
steel supporting columns and the weight
Of the heaviest column will be thrty-two
tons.
one of the most interesting features OF
the building will be that the structure is
TO be divided into what in reality is four
separate buildings Each Of these build