HEIGHT DISTRICTS 37 



you will recall that in 1884 and again in 1886 there were violent vibrations 

 which caused a very panicky feeling. You may remember the explosion in 

 the Tarrant Building, perhaps twenty years ago, which created a great panic 

 in the neighborhood. It is easy to see what would happen if, in the office 

 building district down-town, a violent explosion or earthquake tremor were 

 to occur, which would result in a mad rush from office buildings to the 

 streets. The panic in the streets would be almost inconceivable, and would, 

 under existing conditions, be about as serious and fatal in its results as those 

 which occur when people try to leave a theatre in case of an alarm of fire." 



Tenement and apartment houses throughout the city are now limited to 

 a height of IjA times the street width. The proposed plan takes the 

 lJ/2-times rule of the Tenement House Law and applies it to substantially 

 all the residential portions of the city that are now intensively built up and 

 to all the commercial, industrial and waterfront sections not included in the 

 2j^ or 2 times rule and where a somewhat intensive future development is 

 anticipated. (See Figure 141.) 



Other residential sections where a fairly intensive apartment house 

 development seems not inappropriate, are placed in the 1J4 -times district. 

 This will permit a 6-story elevator apartment on the ordinary 60-foot street 

 and a 10-story apartment on a 100-foot street. By taking advantage of the 

 set-back provisions, two or more stories of additional height may be secured. 

 Under the lJ/^-times rule of the Tenement House Law 9-story apartments 

 are now built in certain sections of Manhattan on the 60-foot streets. The 

 1^4 districts will prevent the development of this type, and this will be a 

 distinct gain from the point of view of better light and air and the dis- 

 tribution of population. 



All other portions of the city, including those in which a 2, 3, 4 or 

 5 story development seems appropriate, are placed in the one-times district. 

 This will permit of a 5-story building on a 60-foot street and an 8 or 9 story 

 building on a 100-foot street. By taking advantage of the set-back pro- 

 visions, one or more stories of additional height may be secured. 



