Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 99, no. 2569: Articles]: June 9, 1917

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REAL ESTATE AND (Copyright. 1917, by The Record and Quids Co.) NEW YORK, JUNE 9, 1917 THE INDUSTRIAL TERMINAL AND ITS RELATION TO THE PROPER PLANNING OF CITIES By A PEARSON HOOVER, Consulting Engineer IN THE industrial terminal it is pos¬ sible to accommodate, under the most advantageous working conditions, those manufacturers whose financial responsi¬ bility does not allow them to obtain for their employees, or themselves, the bene¬ fits to be derived from a modern individ¬ ual industrial plant. The amount of cap¬ ital required to construct a modern building, suited in every way to their re¬ quirements, is, in a inajority of cases, needed to be used as a worlcin.g fund to increase their manufactured output. The small amount of money that can be used, over and above that required to increase production, is spent in the construction of an addition here and there wherever space allows. These additions are of necessity built as cheaply as possible, always just keeping within the buildin.y code requirements. Sucli additions and methods of construction, laid out as necessity demands, can have but the fol¬ lowing results: low efficiency, unsightly appearance, lowering of adjacent prop¬ erty values and the decreasing of the general health conditions of the em¬ ployees. The industrial terminal offers to the small manufacturer a building of modern construction, modern equipment, with an efficient la.vout, wherein he may lease a certain area of floor space, increase his production, without any additional capital. The advantage of being able to lease additional space, under modern conditions, as his business increases, without any financial responsibility to obtain this area, is of the utmost im¬ portance to a small but growing indus¬ trial firm. In the majority of cases, the annual operating expenses in an indus¬ trial terminal, with the benefits to be derived from modern manufacturin.g con¬ ditions, are less than the amount carried fnr relatively the same area in an iso¬ lated plant. This is apparent from the working plan of an industrial terminal. The fun¬ damental basis is the co-operative sys¬ tem. This is because of the fact that there are more benefits to be derived bv servin.g a larger nuinber of firms with necessities, such as steain heat, electric light, and elevator service, from a single plant, than can be economically secured bv the individual concern in its own fac¬ tory. It has been an inherent desire among practically all manufacturin.g concerns to own and operate their own plants. This desire has been the outcome of their inability to obtain suitable quarters by renting or leasing ouarters that would meet their own individual requirements. An industrial terminal is so designed and constructed as to be able to meet in eeneral the requirements of almost any line of manufacturing, and in conse¬ quence the desire to own and operate an individual plant is being slowly dis¬ pelled, owing to the fact that there may now be obtained what had previously been thought impossible. Concerns are also able to obtain a building meeting practically all their own ideas as to de¬ tails, without expense or worry to them¬ selves durin.g construction and opera¬ tion. Certain large manufacturing firms, re¬ quiring special types of building, should not be included as possible tenants for the industrial terminal. Many large and progressive manufacturin.g firms keep pace with modern ideas of construction and equipment, thus enjoying all the benefits to be derived from an industrial terminal. As their business grows, the cost of the acquisition of additional land within the city limits grows prohibitive, and in consequence tends to drive them to location outside of the more con¬ gested section. The importance given to sanitary con¬ ditions in homes, office buildin.gs. fac¬ tories, etc.. is no better exemplified by the ratio that the total pages of a build¬ ing code bears to the amount of space given to the subject of sanitary rules regulations. It is not so inuch from the lack of ap¬ preciation of the importance of health regulations that certain fundamental ob¬ servances in sanitary conveniences are neglected, but more from the fact that small manufacturers have not sufficient capital to "throw awaj'." as they express it. "on foolish requirements." In the industrial terminal, health regu¬ lations and precautions are installed of necessity from the mere desire to in¬ crease the rent values. This in itself means a saving of cost to a city, where an industrial terminal is located to ac¬ commodate small manufacturers. It is believed that a careful study, coverin.g a considerable period of time, would disclose the fact that the general health of the operators in an industrial terminal is far better than those found occupying the same relative area in a small plant. Railroads usually follow the path of low grades in their location, and manu- fjicturers follow the path of shortest distance to the railways, for shipping. In consenuence. alon.g the ri.ght of way cf the railroads into a town are located a miscellaneous group of buildings, of various size, style and ornamentation. In the construction of small manufac¬ turing establishments, capital is in a ureal many cases only sufficient for the immediate buildin.g needs and in conse¬ quence features are eliminated that are not absolutely essential to the utility of the plant, the resulting structure bein.g anything but pleasing in its appearance. Further, money being available for only the immediate requirements, time is not ffiven to the study of the layout for future growth. As growth takes nlace. buildings are added here and there, wherever space allows, the resultant be¬ incr a motley group of small structures. Large manufacturers take pride in the exterior appearance of their plants, if for no other reason than that of an ad¬ vertisement of their progressive spirit. They can take pride in the exterior ap¬ pearance of the plant because the small pniount nf additional money to make the building pleasing in appearance is not so vital to them as to the smaller con- , cern. The industrial terminal is de- sianed with the same thou.ght as that of the larger manufacturer, and the small tenant can also advertise his buildin.g with pride. .Assume that an industrial terminal is desired for a city of 140,000 people, an industrial city. Eight units are pro¬ posed, the dimensions of the industrial building being 75 feet wide hv 300 feet long and four stories hi.gh. This would give an approximate net floor area of 86,000 square feet unit. One unit is to be built at a time. That is, as the space in the first huilding is rented another one is constructed. The average amount of floor space occupied by the small manufacturer is from_ 6,000 to 8,000 square feet. If then, the industrial terminal were accommo- datin.g all small manufacturers, the num¬ ber occupying each unit would be about 12 firms. If the total eight units were occupied the result would be a total of 96 small concerns. It is well to consider exactly what relation the accommodation of a num¬ ber of small concerns under one roof bears to the same number, of firms occu- pyin.g separate establishments. Property alon.g a railroad is of greater value to a manufacturin.g concern than land not so conveniently located be¬ cause of better shipping facilities. In the valuation of land, it is some¬ times said to have a plottage value. Plottage value is an expression of the cost required to bring a large area under one ownership, if the property had pre¬ viously been held in several pieces. Land having plottage value is desirable by lar.ge manufacturers who are looking for space to develop in the future. In consequence, the accommodation of smaller manufacturers in an indus¬ trial terminal increases the value of the land they had previously occupied, by giving it plotta.ge value, if the pieces of land were so grouped as to make it pos¬ sible to collect them into a larger area under one ownership. This increase in value brings greater revenue to the city in the form of taxes. It may be said that plotta.ge value is a sort of indeterminate quantity, as the property would have to be acquired in larger areas after the smaller firms inoved into the industrial terminal. This is in a sense true, but the mere fact that such property as a whole is available for large manufacturies gives to the land in its location some additional value. The property in an industrial section could be restricted to the building of manufacturing plants of a certain size and class. Tt is iust as feasible to re¬ strict an industrial section to certain reouirements in order to raise its stand¬ ard, as it is to impose restrictions in the business and residential zones. When restricting the industrial zone to the erection of manufacturing buildings of a certain size and kind, small manufac¬ turers who inay becoine a large concern in the future, are not barred from the community, for in an industrial terminal a better laid out. better fitted and more economical place has been provided to start to develop. The transportation problem in all its varied branches is one that requires the most careful studv and an analvsis of the various conditions affecting its op¬ eration. In no lens degree is the sub¬ iect of freieht distribution stations of importance in the lavout of the citv plan. Their numher. location, accessibility, as well as their general layout, affect the industrial district, which in turn affects the whole community. The relation that an industrial terminal bears to_ freight distributing stations is a rather interest- inP' one. ' Freight distribution stations should be so located that they will serve the great¬ est area with the smallest number pf