New York Architect Commits Suicide

September 6, 1906
The architect, Joseph Barrow was to be hired by the New York Construction Group to design a building for the City of New York. Yesterday at 1:35 he leapt from his fourteenth story office on James Street.  

It is rumored that he had financial problems. He was visiting a psychologist before the accident. He was 42.

_______

Skyscraper to Rise on Madison Street
August 12, 1904

 A 5.5 million dollar grant has been approved and supplied by Ford Motor Company. The new building will be 60 stories tall and will be constructed of the best quality steel and building supplies. These supplies will be trucked all the way from Lansing, Michigan. The expected time to build the structure is three years. Architect Bob Gethrew says, “The building will look like no other ever made. It will be the largest building yet.” The project is expected to make at least 200,000 more jobs for the city of New York and take 4-6 years.

New Styles in Suburban Living

Times are changing in suburban homes, and so are the looks.

November  6, 1910
Many people now are taking more time to make the house look more artistic and elegant on the outside to match the modern furniture on the inside, while keeping a natural look to the whole property. With an increase of growth in the suburban areas on New York, many have realized the look and architecture can affect the popularity of a certain site. Thus some residential areas are putting restrictions on what types of houses can be built on the property in an effort to keep the areas orderly and pleasant. One new technique that has become recently available is cement stucco tile, which is much easier to build with hollow cement and with its fire retardant properties has become very popular. These modern conveniences are available much cheaper than ever before and better techniques for building make now a good time to build your own home.

New York Library Completed

January 23, 1909
The New York Library has been completed. Architects Carrere and Hastings were at the opening ceremony and commented on their work. “It is about time it opened. This is the greatest achievement of my life.”, says Carrere. Carrere and Hastings’ wives accompanied by the mayor were the first ones to enter the building.

Skyscrapers, too high for health?
To high a price in light and wellness being paid for their advantages.

March 3, 1903
Chicago and many other large cities have done it and now the Board of Brokers is asking why New York doesn’t do the same. That is to put a limit on how high skyscrapers can be. Their argument is due to the relaxed regulations on buildings, the health of workers is suffering and if these lax regulations continue the conditions will surely worsen then only take longer to fix, and that they giant structures can ruin the look of the entire city. Others argue that the increased height is better for people as it increases the amount of floor space available thus making room for more jobs and increased revenue, thus giving more people the money they need to build houses and help the city grow. One person said that the Brooklyn Bridge was considered ‘ugly’ when first built and it was thought that it would destroy the entire skyline, yet now it is known this is not true and thought that the same will be found with skyscrapers.