Harmon v. Burow
Harmon v. Burow
Opinion of the Court
William E. Harmon, one-of the plaintiffs below, was the owner of a certain tract of land, situated partly in the Borough of Swissvale and partly in the City of Pittsburgh, and laid the same out in building lots, in accordance with a plan, which was duly recorded. It was known as “Regent Square,” and showed numerous streets and alleys and about three hundred building lots. By deed dated October 16, 1916, Harmon conveyed one of these lots to Wilhelm Burow, the appellant, a restriction in it being: “No structure of any kind shall be erected or permitted upon said premises or any part thereof, unless the plans for the same shall have been first submitted to and approved by William E. Harmon, one of the said parties of the first part, or his legal representatives. All the restrictions and covenants in this instrument contained shall continue in force until the first day of January,' 1925, and no longer.” Burow entered into a contract for the erection of a dwelling house, the plans for which, having been submitted to E. G. Burke, the legal representative of William E. Harmon, were disapproved by him. But, notwithstand
Decree affirmed.
Reference
- Cited By
- 33 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Deeds — Building restrictions — Covenants running with the land —Dwelling house — Waiver. 1. The erection of a duplex dwelling house does not violate a building restriction which limits the grantee to the erection of a single building, namely, “a detached dwelling house.” 2. A provision and restriction that “no structure of any kind shall be erected or permitted upon said premises or any part thereof, unless the plans for the same shall have been first submitted to and approved” by the grantor, or his legal representative, is a covenant running with the land, is a lawful contract, and enures to the benefit of other lot owners in a plan of lots in accordance with which the deed was made. 3. In such a ease the fact that the grantor made no serious attempt to prevent the erection of two other buildings in the plan of lots, without his approval, does not constitute a waiver on his part, or affect the rights of other lot owners, if it appears that such acts did not materially interfere with the general purpose of the plan, or injuriously affect the value of other lots, particularly where the grantee made his contract after these acts had been performed. .