$55,000 Error
Found After
Building's Up
Business Structure
Located on Frontage
Slated for Widening
The Lundy administra-
|tion had a $55,000 mistake
I on its hands at the city hall
II today.
It has permitted con-
||struction by J. M. Catron of
S19,300~~4pfij»«it value)
[business building jam up
I against Third street at Madi-
Ison avenue, which is on the
[major street plan for widen-
ling. Catron said a short time
[ago the building cost $55,000
I to build.
The last building constructed in
I that area on Third street, during
Ithe Flynn administration^ was set
I back to conform to the ordinance.
I Its owners, Jack Schlanger and
I Abe Fedmen, offered to sign a sci-
fi back waiver if the city would let
I them build to the street. This would
I have meant that when the street
I was widened they would suffer the
s.
The city has no such waiver
I from Catron. Since it permitted him
■ to build over the setback line, it
I will have to buy what he has built,
I when the street is widened.
Ed Saunders, city building in-
Ispector, aamitted the mistake. He
I nlames Guy Rice, a field inspector,
■ who, he said, "was a new man,
I probably not familiar with the law."
"It was just routine to me,"
■ Rice said. "I saw the permit had
■ been issued and checked the build-
ling. Everything looked all right as
I far as I was concerned."
Mayor Lundy personally now
directs the city engineer's office,
which includes the building, electrical and plumbing inspection di-
, visions.
At, t-h* mayor's order the city
sommission removed these divisions
from the street department, under
Commissioner George Stoner, last
Jvme, and created a "department of
public affairs" nominally under the
engineering department.
At the same time the commission jerked the garbage department
out of Stoner's department and
placed it under supervision of the
city engineer.
The move was taken, said
Lundy at that time, "for increased efficiency and economy."
Catron said that before he
bought the property he went to
the city building- permit office
with a sketch of his proposed
building and asked if it would be
possible to construct the building.
"They told me it would be all
right. That was during the Price
administration.
*I went ahead and bought the
site. Several months later I went
to get my building permits The
present administration was in office and the permits were issued.
Nothing was said about a setback,"
he added.
The building was built in two
sections and a permit taken for
each, at $9,500 and $9,800.
He said Martin Moffett of the
Builders Supply Co. was with him
when the permits were taken out.
Builders Supply furnished the
building materials.
"I knew nothing of the setback until this week when Moffett
told me he had heard about the
matter at the city hall.
"The city has never said anything
to me about it," he added.
"It is too late now to
anything. The building is coi
pleted," Catron said.
He said one 7,000 square foot
building has Deen leased to the
Geophysical Engineering Co. on a
long term lease. The other half of
the structure has yet to be leased.
"If we had to cut the building
off for the setback it would involve a lot of things," Catron said.
Title 32, section 24, of the' city
, zoning ordinance containing the
major street plan and traffic capacity maps states that on a sti
marked for 100-foot width (si
as Third street is intended to
at this location) a building mi
be at least 50 feet from the cent
line of the street.
Catron himself said he had hi
another plaint against the city.
He said he built another large
building at second street and Norfolk avenue since the war, and that
the city required him to put up 13-
inch walls where all other buildings
In the area had eight-inch.
"That cost me," he said.
Catron has been one of the city's
leading builders of warehouse and
industrial rental property since the
war. He has completed modern fireproof orlck and steel structures with
a total of 1&.000 square feet of "
since the war.
—Tribune Staff Photos
NEW CATRON BUILDING-—The building above is nearing completion at Third street and
Madison av. It was constructed at a cost of $55,000 by J. M. Catron, who has been a leading
builder of warehouses and industrial buildings since the war. The city forgot to require a seiback to -
allow for street widening, so will have to pay for damages to the building when the time comes.
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ACTUAL WIDTH <oOV
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PROPOSED WIDTH lOOFT
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LOCATION OF DISPUTED BUILDINGS—The large 14,000 square foot brick and steel build-
ing built by J. M. Catron, without a setback at Third street and Madison avenue is No. I, above.
The cafe building built by Jack Schlanger and Abe Fedman, on which the Flynn administration re-
quired a setback is No. 2. Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are older buildingsjn the same area. fl^^^HI
