New-York tribune., 1913-07-16
BUILDING CODE SHAPED
BY LESSON OF TRIANGLE
Liberal Provision Is Made for
Means of EgreSS in New
Measure.
PLAYGOERS PROTECTED
Inclosed Tower Stairway Com,
municating with Street Door
Required for Structures
Over 100 Feet High.

The new building code embOdying some
Of the lessons taught by the Triangle FIRE.
was presented at the meeting Of the Board
Of Aldermen yesterday by Abram w.
Herbst, chairman Of the Building Com
mittee. The influence Of the Triangle dis
aster is shown chiefly in the provisions
relating to specifications for means Of
egress.
If the report is adopted as presented
every building thereafter erected or al
tered must have at least one entrance 10
the street. while all doors giving admis-
sion TO or egress from buildings must be
hung so as to swing outward in opening.
In all factories, workshops. lofts. stores.
printing houses. schools. colleges, tele-
phone exchange buildings. detention
buildings and lodging houses erected after
the passage Of the code the width Of each
door opening at she street level must
equal IN the clear the aggregate width re-
quired for the stairways leading 20 il
from above. and IN all such buildings now
built or 10 be erected every door leading
from any loft or space above the street
level must swing outward into the stair
hall.
The code also provides that at all times
during business hours every door leading
10 a hallway or stairway communicating
with a street door must be kept unlocked.
In the case OF schoolhouses, all gates are
10 swing clear for the full width Of the
opening and must be kept open during
school hours.
For buildings more than one hundred
feet in height II is provided that the
means Of egress shall be a tower stair
way. inclosed from top to bottom by brick
or other masonry eight inches thick, with
no opening In any wall separating the
stairway from the building. Access TO II
shall ne provided at each story by ex-
terror balconies or vcstibules Of iron or
masonry. open on at least one side and
not less than 100 square feet in area. Ele-
vator shafts in oil buildings Of the above
description must he incosed IN partitions
OF incomhustble material
Under the code all buildings are TO be
classed either as public. residence or
business buildings. These three classes
are in turn subdivided into six classes.
The first, Class A. comprising armories.
asylums, lighthouses. colleges, court
houses. detention buildings. fire houses,
police stations. hospitals. libraries, mu-
seums. passenger stations. schools, tele-
phone exchanges. municipal buildings and
theatres. built after the passage OF the
code. must be Of freproof construction
throughout.
Buildings under Class b, comprising
amusement halls, churches. exhibition
buildings. lodge rooms and public halls
must be Of fireproof construction II more
than thirty-six and half feet In height
excepting church spires, which must be
fireproof when more than seventy-ive
feet high. The first floors OF buildings OF
this class. less than thirty-six and one
half feet. are to be Of fireproof construc-
ton. as must be all grandstands, except
that the first floor and seats may be OF
wood
Glass includes all clubhouses. studios
and bachelor apartment houses with more
than fifteen rooms. together with hotels.
dormitories and lodging houses, with pro-
visions as TO fireproof construction the
same as in Class B. Class d includes
other buildings used for living In, and
they are to be freproof when more than
six stories, or seventy-fve feet. high.
while four stories. or more than fifty
feet. call for first floors fireproof
Glasses Il and r include factories. lofts
and various types OF work or manu-
featuring buildings. Less than forty feet