Evening star., 1928-10-29
NEW GARAGE CHAIN
"STACKS" UP CARS
Machines Arranged in Layers
Within Modern Skyscraper
Building.
By J. G. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, October 29-The Pack
ard Motor Car Co. has sold a block of
ground adjoining its New York Office
building, fronting the Columbus avenue
and Sixty-first street, to the Kent Auto
matte Parking Garage. Inc, for a sum
between 100000 and $75O,00O.
This announcement was made exclu-
slvely to the writer today On this plot
Will be erected the second of the chain
OF 26-Story garages being erected by the
Kent Co in the main business centers
OF the largest cities in the country.
First Garage Completed.
The first garage Of the concern, Just
completed, is located between Forty
third and Forty-fourth streets in the
Dlock next to the projected Chrysler
building. which will be the highest in
the world. Automobile manufacturers
said today that this concern and others
doing parallel work in other centers
nave gone lar to solve the problem of
t[aInc congestion in crowded areas, and
thereby to speed automobile sales.
The theory is simple. To parl, the
same number of cars contained in one
u tneSe 26-Story garages on a ground
moor level would require a block of
ground worth in New York not less
than $10,0O0,000 Such parking is
economically impossible, but by parking
the cars one above the other on a COM
paratlvely small square footage of
ground. parking becomes possible at
reasonable rates
IhlS has been recognized axiom for
years. The difficulty has always been
IN the prompt handling Of cars and in
gettlng car out for a customer when
he wished it. The Kent Co. has solved
TINS problem, according to engineers
ana officers of the company In its
recently completed garage, f050 cars
can be parked on plot of ground so
by 200 feet.
Ihe cars are automatically handled
by means of the Kent electric parker.
which eliminates manual handling of
cars to and from elevator platforms.
Inere are no employees allowed above
the second floor of the 26-story garage.
one man operates everything. The Kent
parker Is low electrically driven
truck, Whlch runs out in either direc-
tion from an elevator platform. This
slides beneath the motor car and en-
cages the rear axle by means of a rub
Der-cleated coupler. A five-horsepower
motor lifts the rear axle enough so the
Parker can move the car easily forward
or back. The coupler is operated by
push buttons from the elevator switch
board
Other Companies Operating.
1t IS claimed that it is possible to de-
liver car from the back line of the
tWenty-sixth floor to the street door in
less than l minute and 30 seconds. and
that the average time required tn marx
or deliver car is % seconds. No hand
but the owners touches the car. and
since no one is allowed on the upper
toors the losses by theft are reduced
to minimum.
Other companies in Chicago and else
where are operating on the same gen.
eral idea, although with different meth
ods OF handling the cars. The manu-
facturers of motor cars declare that the
congestion of traffic in business and
theater areas has done more to check
auto sales than any other factor. and
they welcome the appearance of this
type of garage.