3.2002.1529: Government, City: United States. Massachusetts. Boston: Heights of Buildings, Boston: Height Districts - Boston: Boston has been divided into two districts - District A and District B

Identification and Creation

Object Number

3.2002.1529

People

Sampson & Murdock Co.

Title

Government, City: United States. Massachusetts. Boston: Heights of Buildings, Boston: Height Districts - Boston: Boston has been divided into two districts - District A and District B

Other Titles

Series/Book Title: Social Museum Collection

Classification

Archival Material

Work Type

map

Date

c. 1903

Places

Creation Place: North America, United States, Massachusetts, Boston

Culture

American

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/154003

Physical Descriptions

Technique

Photomechanical print

Dimensions

image: 23.4 x 17.9 cm (9 3/16 x 7 1/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• label: In District A, the business section of the city, buildings may not exceed 125 feet in height. In District B, the residential area of the city, buildings may not exceed 80 feet in height except on thoroughfares over 64 feet in width. On such streets, buildings may be erected to a height equal to 1 1/4 times the width of the street, but no building in District B may be erected to a greater height than 80 feet unless its width on each and every abutting public street is at least one-half of its height. No building, however, in either District A or District B may be of great height than 2 1/2 times the width of the widest abutting street. This districting has been done under authority of a special act of the legislature through the agency of a commission appointed for the purpose. The regulations have been upheld by the highest court, both of the State and of the United States. (Welch v. Swasey, 214 U.S. 91, 29 Sup. Ct. 567, decided May 17, 1909). (Source: Report of the Heights of Buildings Commission.... New York, 1913, p. 32)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Social Museum Collection

Accession Year

2011

Object Number

3.2002.1529

Division

Modern and Contemporary Art

Contact

am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Subjects and Contexts

• The Social Museum Collection

Verification Level