TOWERED CITIES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—When I read your article on "Towered Cities in the Spectator of November 14th, I hoped that some one blessed with a more powerful pen than mine would write you a letter which might be fitly compared to a pouring out of the vials of wrath and indignation on those parts of that article which are written in praise of the "City of Dreadful Height." Heaven forbid that we should ever have any buildings in our streets approaching in height that of the "Singerhorn." Even this uncouth erection, being only six hundred feet high, is apparently to be eclipsed by another half as high again ! Are there not already enough streets in most of our great towns in which buildings are so high that those occupy- ing the lower stories not only cannot see the sun, but suffer from insufficiency of ordinary daylight and fresh air P Even in New York the voice of protest is about to be raised against these skyscraper monstrosities, for only a few months ago an American gentleman, on behalf of some leading men there, called upon me, among others, to obtain information as to the height of buildings in London, and my views with regard to any possible increase of them. I quickly assured him that, in my opinion, any extension of the general height of buildings in London was most unlikely. I said it would sensibly deteriorate the health of the people, and would render our noble city more gloomy than it too frequently now is ; while
it would undoubtedly cause it to appear less attiractive in the eyes of foreigners, and so inflict a formidable financial annual loss upon a large section of the inhabitants. It is true that an enhancement of the value of land might follow, which would put money into the pockets of ground-landlords ; but I am sere the best of them would not desire to receive it at such a cost, for there are very few, if any, sites in London where a building could be carried to an extreme height without stealing light and air from its neighbours. Are not tuberculosis, rickets, and anaemia sufficiently powerful already P May all the powers that be unite to save us from adding to their forces by the introduction of the skyscraper ! Instead of this "characteristic product of the American genius" becoming " more and more praised," as the writer of your article anticipates, may it become more and more anathematised from one end of England to the other !—I am, Sir, &o.,
Previous page
