Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-31
Omaha Livestock.
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Chicago is facing a EeXatious trac-
, ton problem largely brought about by
the congestion of street traffic due to
high buildings. Without high build
lngs in the center of Chicago, business
, and traffic would bea extended to all
three sides of the city.
one of the foremost of Chicago real
estate men says, "Skyscrapers are not
profitable investments in any case sx-
| cept where used for individual bust
nesses and then only when Il large per
centage of carrying expenses can be
leSitimately charged TO advertising
The sky scraper in Chicago is an econ
omic and financial blunder," Another
, broker specializing in Chicago central
property says: IF anything in Chica :
go real estate is established beyond
question is that the sl-yscraper is not a
good speculative proposition"
A new bank of twenty two stories
will house 1000 people In former
times nearly three blocks In the town
town district would nave been required
! for equal capacity. This concentration
of the business of other days into one
sixth of it's former street area is an
economic mistake.
/ Skyscrapers transform city streets
/ into gloomy passageways and windy
canyons. they dwarf the average struc-
+ ture. obscure light. put out much need
| ed sunshine. foster germ diseases and
! are eyeSoreS upon the architectural
I landscape. 1t is better for property
! for comfort and convenience. for com
merce. better from every point of view
/ that city should spread out instead
! of contracting its energies into a lin
! tied space.
Had those who laid out the down
town district in Chicago foreseen the
tall buildings of TODAY and the in
( crease of motor traffic. our streets
/ would be broad boulevards.
I During the last forty years Chicago
and Berlin have grown at an equal
pace and are comparable in size. Ber-
! lin has no buildings over seventy two
| feet yet the limitation has not stopped
it's growth. It's buildings are OF uni
! form height. similar in architectural
design. uniform in sky line and the
city is pleasing to the eye.
| No European city permits tall build
! ings and many provide that the width
of the street shall limit the height Of
] the structure. In Vienna the limit is
! sixty feet. Paris sixty-five and London
about 100 feet Los Angeles has a
height limitation of $50 feet in its
charter, Baltimore It's, Scranton and
Boston 125 feet.
! New York is now taking action in
the matter. having found that none OF
the later skyscrapers have proved to
be money makers. They are merely
monuments. advertisements or failures
Some New York employers are now
forced to change the lunch hour OF
employees in order that streets may
not be blocked beyond their capacity
Minneapolis is now wrestling with the
problem and except for one building
under construction has nothing over
$50 feet. q sane limit.
It is mistaken pride that our small
cities take In their skyscrapers. To
impose the tremendous handicap OF
congestion upon city for the sake OF
a striking view from. trains entering
the city imposes too great b cost
Muskogee, Dallas and Wheeling have
made initial mistakes but need moi
duplicate them. 1t Is time to call a
halt.