Hugh Ferriss's Renderings and the 1916 NYC Zoning Resolution

Hugh Ferriss was born in 1889 in St. Louis Missouri. He attended Washington University and was trained as an Architect after being inspired by a photograph given to him of the Parthenon. Mr. Ferriss went to work in Cass Gilbert's office after arriving in New York City in 1912. His employer, Gilbert designed many famous buildings including the Woolworth Building, the New York Life Building and the US Supreme Court Building. Ferriss worked as a delineator, or one who drafts and renders perspectives of buildings. In 1915 he left Gilbert's office and set up his own office as a delineator.


Hugh Ferriss at Work - Image Via Wikipedia

Ferriss' early images are more literal in appearance and some of his earliest renderings were of Gilbert's Woolworth Building. His trademark renderings are often set at night, with the subjects lit from floodlights below. In 1916 New York City passed the first Zoning Resolution, its impact changed the world and nothing has ever been the same. The 1916 Zoning Law was enacted largely in response to the construction of the Equitable Building on Broadway in downtown Manhattan. The Equitable Building was completed in 1915 and rose to a then staggering height of 538 feet (42 storys) without any setbacks. The building was so massive that it prevented almost all light from reaching the narrow streets of downtown New York and cast a 7 acre shadow.


Crude Clay For Architects - Image Via Delirious New York

The Zoning Resolution in 1916 allowed buildings to cover 100% of its lot. The law prescribed a series of formulas that mandated buildings set back until only 25% of the lot remained. This 25% of the lot was then allowed to rise unobstructed to any height desirable. The City did not want to limit the height of skyscrapers. Prior to this point in time buildings were designed to be economical and functional. They were designed to generate the desirable profitable return in a manner which the market and technology could bear. However the 1916 Zoning Law and todays Zoning Law drives developers to maximize profit by building to the very maximum allowable floor area permitted within the specified Zoning envelope. While the clause allowing a building to rise unobstructed in height for 25% of the lot area resulted in the stately skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building, today's Zoning Laws are far more restrictive and hence result in much more bland and poorly massed buildings.


Evolution of the Setback Building - Image Via Delirious New York

Hugh Ferriss understood the incredible impact of the 1916 New York City Zoning Law and as a delineator was able to visualize the envelope in breathtaking views. His renderings depicted the zoning envelope prescribed by law and the buildings that were possible with this restriction in place. His artwork is inspirational and although they represented what seemed to be a significant restriction on what people were allowed to build in 1916, today they resemble a Zoning Law that would be liberating compared to our current Zoning Resolution. One can only dream of the jobs that could be created and stunning buildings that could be built utilizing today's technology if we had a more practical and liberal Zoning Law like the Resolution of 1916. Nonethelss, Ferriss's renderings today are both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time and are inspired works of art.


Hugh Ferriss at Work - Image Via Delirious New York