USA > New York > New York City > New York City record and building trades directory > Part 41
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§ 28. Section four hundred and ninety-two of chapter four hundred and . ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 492. Elevators, hoist-ways, guards, fire-proof shafts .- In any build- ing in which there shall be any hoist-way or freight elevator or well-hole not inclosed in walls constructed of brick or other fire-proof material and provided with fire-proof doors, the openings thereof through and upon each
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floor of said building, shall be provided with and protected by a substantial guard or gate and with such good and sufficient trap-doors with which to close the same, as may be directed and approved by the superintendent of buildings ; and the said superintendent shall have exclusive power and authority within said city to require the openings of hoist-ways or hoist- way shafts, elevators and well-holes in buildings to be inclosed or secured by trap-doors, guards or gates and railings. Such guards or gates shall be kept closed at all times, except when in actual use and the trap-doors shall be closed at the close of the business of each day by the occupant or occu- pants of the building having the use or control of the same. In all build- ings hereafter erected the roof, immediately over the hoist-way, elevator or well-hole, shall be covered with a skylight of suitable size. All elevators hereafter placed in any building, except such fire-proof buildings as have been or may be erected in accordance with section four hundred and eighty- four of this title, shall be inclosed in suitable walls of brick, or with a suita- ble frame-work of iron and burnt clay filling, or of such other fire-proof material and form of construction as may be approved by the superin- tendent of buildings. Said walls or construction shall extend through and at least three feet above the roof and all openings in the same shall be pro- vided with fire-proof doors and made solid for three feet above the floor level, and with grill openings above. Elevators may be put in the well-hole of stairs, in buildings, without such brick or fire-proof inclosures, where the stairs are inclosed in brick or stone wall, and the stairs are constructed as specified in section four hundred and eighty of this title. Elevators may also be placed in any stair-well or open court of any building erected prior to the passage of this act, under a permit therefor from the superintendent of buildings, but the frame-work and inclosure of any such elevator shall be constructed of fire-proof materials. The foregoing requirement as to brick or fire-proof shafts shall include all dumb-waiters except such as do not extend through more than three stories in dwelling-houses. The roofs over all inclosed elevators shall be made of fire-proof materials, with a skylight at least three-fourths the area of the shaft, made of glass, set in iron frames. Immediately under the machinery at the top of every elevator shaft here- after placed in any building in said city, there shall be provided and placed a substantial grating or screen of iron, of such construction as shall be ap- proved by the superintendent of buildings. The superintendent of buildings shall make regulations for the inspection of passenger elevators with a view to the safety of passengers ; and shall also prescribe suitable qualifications for persons who are placed in charge of running passenger elevators. The regulations so made shall require any repairs found necessary upon inspec- tion to be made without delay, and in case defects are found to exist which would endanger life by the continued use of such elevator, then, upon notice from the superintendent or buildings, the use of such elevator shall cease, and it shall not again be used until a certificate shall be first obtained from said superintendent that such elevator has been put in safe order and is fit
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for use. No person shall employ or permit any person to be in charge of run- ning any passenger elevator who does not possess the qualifications pre- scribed therefor. Every freight elevator or lift shall have a notice posted conspicuously thereon as follows : Persons riding on this elevator do so at their own risk. Every elevator in any building erected to be occupied, or now occupied, as a hotel, shall, within six months after the passage of this act, be inclosed in suitable walls constructed and arranged as in this section required for elevators hereafter placed in buildings, unless under the pro- visions of this section, such elevator might have been placed in said build- ing without such inclosing walls.
§ 29. Section four hundred and ninety-three of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 493. Roofs, cornices and bulk-heads .- If a mansard or any other roof having a pitch of over sixty degrees be placed on any building, except a wooden building, or a dwelling house not exceeding thirty-five feet in height, it shall be constructed of iron rafters and lathed with iron on the inside and plastered, or filled in with fire-proof material not less than three inches thick, and covered with metal, slate or tile. All exterior cornices, inclusive of those on show windows, and gutters of all buildings hereafter erected shall be of some fire-proof material. All fire-proof cornices shall be well secured to the walls with iron anchors, independent of any woodwork. In all cases the walls shall be carried up to the planking of the roof, and where the cornice projects above the roof the walls shall be carried up to the top of the cornice, and the party walls shall in all cases extend up above the planking of the cornice and be coped. All exterior wooden cornices that may now be or that may hereafter become unsafe or rotten shall be taken down, and if replaced shall be constructed of some fire-proof material. All exterior cornices of wood or gutters that may hereafter be damaged by fire to the extent of one-third shall be taken down, and if replaced shall be con- structed of some fire-proof material ; but if not damaged to the extent of one-third, the same may be repaired with the same kind of material of which they were originally constructed. Bulkheads used as inclosures for tanks and elevators, and coverings for the machinery of elevators and all other bulkheads, including the bulkheads of all dwelling houses hereafter erected or altered, may be constructed of hollow fire-proof blocks ; or of wood, covered with not less than two inches of fire-proof material, or filled in the thickness of the studding with such material, and covered on all sides with . metal, including sides and edges of doors. Covers on top of water tanks placed on roofs, may be of wood covered with tin.
§ 30. Section four hundred and ninety-four of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
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NEW YORK CITY RECORD AND BUILDING TRADES DIRECTORY.
§ 494. Roofing, scuttles and skylights .- The planking and sheathing of the roof of every building erected or built as aforesaid shall in no case be extended across the front, rear, side, end or party wall thereof. Every such building and the tops and sides of every dormer-window thereon shall be covered and roofed with slate, tin, copper or iron, or such other quality of fire-proof roofing as the superintendent of buildings, under his certificate, may authorize, and the outside of the frames of every dormer-window here- after placed upon any building as aforesaid shall be made of some fire-proof material. No wooden building in any part of the city, not more than two stories or above twenty feet in height above the curb level to the highest part thereof, which shall require roofing, shall be roofed with any other roofing or covered except as aforesaid. Nothing in this section shall be con- strued to prohibit the repairing of any shingle roof, provided the building is not altered in height. All buildings shall have scuttles or bulkheads, covered with some fire-proof materials, with ladders or stairs leading there- to. No scuttle shall be less in size than two by three feet. All skylights having a superficial area of more than nine square feet, placed in any build- ing, shall have the sashes and frames thereof constructed of iron and glass. Every i.re-proof roof hereafter placed on any building, shall have, besides the usual scuttle or bulkhead, a skylight or skylights of a superficial area equal to not less than one-fiftieth the superficial area of such fire-proof roof. All buildings shall be kept provided with proper metallic leaders for con- ducting water from the roofs in such manner as shall protect the walls and foundations of said buildings from injury. In no case shall the water from the said leaders be allowed to flow upon the sidewalk, but the same shall be conducted by pipe or pipes to the sewer. If there be no sewer in the street upon which such buildings front, then the water from said leader shall be conducted by proper pipe or pipes, below the surface of the sidewalk to the street gutter.
§ 31. Section four hundred and ninety-five of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is amended to read as follows :
§ 495. Fire limits-tenement-houses-fences-signs-out-houses .- No frame or wooden building shall hereafter be built, except as in this section authorized, in that portion of said city bounded by the North river from the Battery to a point one hundred feet north of the northerly side of One Hundred and Sixty-fifth street and running thence easterly one hundred feet north of the northerly side of One Hundred and Sixty-fifth street to Eleventh avenue, thence northerly on a line drawn one hundred feet west of and parallel to the westerly sides of Eleventh and St. Nicholas avenues to One Hundred and Eighty-first street, thence easterly on a line drawn one hundred feet north of the northerly side of One Hundred and Eighty-first street to the Harlem river; thence through the center of the Harlem river to a point which is distant one hundred feet north of the northerly line of One Hundred and Forty-ninth street and run-
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ning thence easterly and always one hundred feet north of said northerly line of One Hundred and Forty-ninth street until it meets the center line of Third avenue, thence northerly along said center line of Third avenue to a point which is distant two hundred feet north of the northerly line of West- chester avenue, thence easterly and along a line always distant two hundred feet north of said northerly line of Westchester avenue to the center line of Trinity avenue, thence in a southerly direction along said center line of Trinity avenue to the East river or Bronx kills, and thence by the East river to the place of beginning. North, west, and east of the limits before de- scribed, no frame building to be occupied as a stable shall be erected upon any pier, wharf or bulkhead on the water-front nor shall any frame build- ing, to be occupied or used as a stable, work-shop or manufactory, be built more than two stories or twenty-five feet in height, nor shall any wooden tower or spire be built or rebuilt to a greater height than sixty feet. Three- story frame dwellings with shingle roofs and twelve-inch brick foundation walls under the same may be built to a height of thirty-five feet north and east of the limits before prescribed. When two or more such houses are built continuous, the party or division walls may be of brick not less than eight inches thick above the foundation wall ; and the ends of the floor beams shall be so separated that four inches of brick will be between the beams where they rest on the said walls. No frame dwelling-house, hereafter erected shall be occupied by more than one family on each floor, nor shall any frame building already erected be altered to be occupied by more than three families. Temporary one-story frame buildings may be erected for the uses of builders, within the limits of lots whereon buildings are iu course of erection, or on adjoining vacant lots, upon permits issued by the superin- tendent of buildings. Fences of wood shall not be erected over ten feet high. Signs of wood shall not be erected over two feet high on any build- ing. Piazzas or balconies of wood which do not exceed eight feet in width, and which do not extend more than three feet above the second-story floor beams, with piers of masonry or iron columns to support the same, may be erected upon the front or side of any detached dwelling-house occupied by not more than one family, but only upon a permit from the superintendent of buildings. In connected houses such piazzas or balconies may be built, provided the same are open on the front and have brick ends not less than eight inches thick, carried up above the roof of such piazza or balcony, and coped with stone. The roof of all piazzas shall be covered with some fire- proof material. Sheds of wood not over fifteen feet high, open on at least one side, with the sides and roof thereof covered with fire-proof material, may also be built, but no fence shall be used as the back or side of any such shed. Any bay or oriel window that does not extend more than three feet above the second-story floor of any dwelling-house may be built of wood. Exterior privies, and wood or coal-houses, not exceeding one hundred and fifty square feet in superficial area and eight feet high, may be built of wood, but the roofs thereof must be covered with metal, gravel or slate.
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NEW YORK CITY RECORD AND BUILDING TRADES DIRECTORY.
§ 32. Section four hundred and ninety-six of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows :
$ 496. Raising and enlarging brick and wooden buildings .- It shall not be lawful for the owner or owners of any brick dwelling house with eight- inch walls, or of any wooden building already erected that has a peaked roof, to raise the same for the purpose of making a flat roof thereon, unless the same be raised with the same kind of material as the building, and un- less such new roof be covered with some of the articles mentioned in the four hundred and ninety-fourth section of this title, and provided that such building, when so raised, shall not exceed forty feet in height to the high- est part thereof. All such buildings must exceed twenty-five feet in height to the peak of the roof before the said alteration and raising. Ifany such build- ing shall have been built before the street upon which it is located or graded, or if the grade is altered, such building may be raised or lowered to meet the requirements of such grade. No frame building more than two stories in height, now used as a dwelling, shall hereafter be raised or altered to be used as a factory, warehouse or stable. No brick or wooden building shall be enlarged or built upon unless the exterior walls of said addition or en- largement be constructed of fire-proof materials ; provided, however, that such brick or wooden buildings may be raised, lowered or altered under the same circumstances, and in the same manner especially provided for in this section. No wooden building shall be moved from one lot to another until a sworn petition setting forth the purposes of said removal and the uses to which said building is to be applied is filed in the office of the superinten- dent of buildings, and the written consent of said superintendent is first ob- tained therefor. No wooden building shall be moved from above to below the limits prescribed herein for the erection of wooden buildings.
§ 33. Section four hundred and ninety-seven of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 497. Damaged buildings, when repaired or rebuilt .- Every wooden or frame building with a brick or other front, which may hereafter be dam- aged to an amount not greater than one-half of the value thereof exclusive of the valuation of the foundation thereof, at the time of such damage, may be re- paired or rebuilt ; but if such damage shall amount to more than one-half of such value thereof, exclusive of the value of the foundation, then such building shall not be repaired or rebuilt, but shall be taken down. The amount and extent of such damage shall be determined upon an examination of the building by one surveyor who shall be appointed by said superinten- dent of buildings, and one surveyor who shall be appointed by the owner or owners of said premises. In case these two surveyors do not agree, they shall appoint a third surveyor to take part in such examination, and a de- cision of a majority of them reduced to writing and sworn to, shall be con-
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NEW YORK CITY RECORD AND BUILDING TRADES DIRECTORY.
clusive, and such building shall in no manner be repaired or rebuilt until after such decision shall have been rendered. If the damage be by fire, or lightning, or wind storm, and such damage is insured against, then the third surveyor provided for in this section shall be appointed by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters.
§ 34. Section four hundred and ninety-eight of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 498. Fire escape, construction of, penalty for incumbering .- Every dwelling-house occupied by or built to be occupied be three or more fami- lies above the first story, and every building already erected, or that may hereafter be erected, more than three stories in height, occupied and used as a hotel or lodging-house, and every boarding-house, having more than fifteen sleeping-rooms above the basement story, and every factory, mill, manufactory or workshop, hospital, asylum or institution for the care or treatment of individuals, and every building in whole or in part occupied or used as a school or place of instruction or assembly, and every office build- ing five stories or more in height, shall be provided with such good and sufficient fire-escapes, stairways, or other means of egress in case of fire as shall be directed by the superintendent of buildings, and said superinten- dent shall have full and exclusive power and authority within said city to direct fire-escapes and other means of egress to be provided upon and within said building or any of them. The owner or owners of any building upon which a fire-escape is erected shall keep the same in good repair and properly painted. No person shall at any time, place any incumbrance of any kind whatsoever before or upon any fire-escape. It shall be the duty of every fireman and policeman who shall discover any fire-escape, balcony or ladder of any fire-escape incumbered in any way to forthwith report the same to the commanding officer of his company or precinct, and such com- manding officer shall forthwith cause the occupant of the premises or apart- ment to which said fire escape, balcony or ladder is attached or for whose use the same is provided, to be notified, either verbally or in writing, to re- move such incumbrance and keep the same clear. If said notice shall not be complied with by the removal, forthwith, of such incumbrance, and keep- ing said fire-escape, balcony or ladder free from incumbrance, then it shall be the duty of said commanding officer, to apply to the nearest police mag- istrate for a warrant for the arrest of the occupant or occupants of said premises or apartment of which the fire-escape forms a part, and the said parties shall be brought before the said magistrate, as for a misdemeanor ; and, on conviction, the occupant or occupants of said premises or apartment shall be fined not more than ten dollars for each offense, or may be impris- oned not to exceed ten days, or both, in the discretion of the court. In con- structing all balcony fire-escapes, the manufacturer thereof shall securely fasten thereto, in a conspicuous place, a cast-iron plate having suitable raised letters on the same, to read as follows: Notice ! Any person plac-
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NEW YORK CITY RECORD AND BUILDING TRADES DIRECTORY.
ing any incumbrance on this balcony is liable to a penalty of ten dollars and imprisonment for ten days. All buildings requiring fire-escapes shall have stationary iron ladders leading to the scuttle opening in the roof there- of, and all scuttles and ladders shall be kept so as to be ready for use at all times. If a bulkhead is used in place of a scuttle, it shall have stairs with sufficient guard or hand-rail leading to the roof. In case the building shall be a tenement-house, the door in the bulkhead or any scuttle, shall at no time be locked, but may be fastened on the inside by movable bolts or hooks. Every dwelling-house arranged for or occupied by two or more families above the first story, hereafter erected, shall be provided with an entrance to the basement thereof from the outside of such building.
§ 35. Section four hundred and ninety-nine of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 499. Public buildings, egress from .- In all public buildings of a public character, such as hotels, churches, theatres, restaurants, railroad depots, public halls, and other buildings used or intended to be used for purposes of public assembly, amusement or instruction, the halls, doors, stairways, seats, passageways and aisles and all lighting and heating appliances and apparatus shall be arranged as the superintendent of buildings, shall direct to facilitate egress in cases of fire or accident, and to afford the requisite and proper accommodation for the public protection in such cases. All aisles and passageways in said buildings shall be kept free from camp-stools, chairs, sofas and other obstructions, and no person shall be allowed to stand in or occupy any of said aisles or passageways, during any performance, ser- vice, exhibition, lecture, concert, ball or any public assemblage. The superin- tendent of buildings, may at any time serve a written or printed notice upon the owner, lessee or manager of any of said buildings, directing any act or thing to be done or provided in or about the said buildings and the several appliances therewith connected, such as halls, doors, stairs, windows, seats, aisles, fire walls and fire-escapes, so as to afford such security to the public in the uses to which they may be severally applied, as they may deem nec- essary. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize or re- quire any alterations to existing theatres than are specified in this section. Upon report to the mayor of said city, by the department of buildings, that any order or requirement of this title in regard to theatres or places of pub- lic amusement has been violated or not complied with, in any such building, the said mayor may, in his discretion, revoke the license of such theatre or place of public amusement cause the same to be closed. No building to be used and occupied as a public school shall hereafter be erected within two hundred feet of a block occupied in whole or in part by a criminal court and prison, or either a criminal court or prison, nor shall it be lawful to here- after erect a building to be used and occupied as a criminal court and prison, or either of them, within two hundred feet of a public school building.
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§ 36. Section five hundred of chapter four hundred and ten of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows :
§ 500. Theatres, construction, exits, etc .- Every theatre or opera-house or other building intended to be used for theatrical or operatic purposes, or for public entertainments of any kind where stage scenery and apparatus are employed, hereafter erected, shall be built to comply with the require- ments of this section. No building which, at the time of the passage of this act, is not in actual use for theatrical or operatic purposes, and no building hereafter erected not in conformity with the requirements of this section, shall be used for theatrical or operatic purposes, or for public entertain- ments of any kind where stage scenery and apparatus are employed, until the same shall have been made to conform to the requirements of this sec- tion. And no building hereinbefore described shall be opened to the pub- lic for theatrical or operatic purposes, or for public entertainments of any kind where stage scenery or apparatus are employed, until the superinten- dent of buildings shall have approved the same in writing as conforming to the requirements of this section, and the mayor of the city of New York shall refuse to issue any license for any such building, and shall close the same, and prevent its opening until a certificate in writing of such approval shall have been given by the superintendent of buildings. Every such build- ing shall have at least one front on the street, and in such front there shall be suitable means of entrance and exit for the audience. In addition to the aforesaid entrances and exits on the street, there shall be reserved for service in case of an emergency, an open court or space on the side not bordering on the street, where said building is located on a corner lot ; and on both sides of said building, where there is but one frontage on the street. The width of such open court or courts shall be not less than seven feet where the seat- ing capacity is not over one thousand people, above one thousand and not more than eighteen hundred people, eight feet in width, and above eighteen hundred people, ten feet in width. Said open court or courts shall begin on a line with or near the proscenium wall and shall extend the length of the auditorium proper, to or near the wall separating the same from the entrance lobby or vestibule. A separate and distinct corridor shall con- tinue to the street, from each open court, through such superstruc- ture as may be built on the street side of the auditorium, with continuous walls of brick or fire-proof materials on each side the entire length of said corridor or corridors, and the ceiling and floors shall be fire proof. Said corridor or corridors shall not be reduced in width to more than three feet less than the width of the open court or courts, and there shall be no projection in the same; the outer openings to be provided with doors er gates opening toward the street. During the performance the doors or gates in the corridor shall be kept open by proper fastenings ; at other times they may be closed and fastened by movable bolts or locks. The said open courts and corridors shall not be used for storage purposes, or for any'pur-
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