The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-28
TIL NNESO.T la N
SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 81, 1856
Concrete Buildings in St. Paul.

The difficulty of procuring at reasonable cost
materials for the walls of durable buildings,
has turned the attention of many of our citl-
xens to the new concrete, grout, cobbie-stohe'
gravel-wall mode of erecting houses.d
Judge Lambert yesterday commenced clear
ing away the frame offices on his lot at the cor
ner of Third and Cedar streets for the purpose
of placing thereon in their stead, building Of
the largest class composed of this MATERIAL
The structure will be twenty feet front on Third
street, and eighty-fve on Cedar; making a
magnificent store room, with plate glass front
on the first floor five offices, ii by Is, on the
second and the third story to be in one large
room which, perhaps, will be occupied by the
Minnesotian Office; our increasing business
rather crowding us in our present quarters,
ample as they are. The entrance TO the upper
stories will be by an ornamented bracketted
portico on Cedar street. The exterior of the
building is to be finished off in handsome style
and covered with brown free-stone colored ce
ment, marked in blocks. 1t will have Tin
roof and every pains will be bestowed to make
it really fre-proof. -.-.f-t -.
Another fine building of this kind, is in con-
temptation by George W. harrington, Esq, on
the bluff near bis present residence. 1t adwcl-
ling house in the octagon style, costing about
$4,000; and will contain all the modern i'm
provements of heaters, range, gas apparatus,
&c.
Still another is under contract by Masterson
j Simons, to go up on the triangular lot near
Spells Grocery. 1t is intended for offices. The
gravel material we sec is now being hauled
for it. t...
And while on this subject, here is para
graph from the Boston Herald, of April 10th,
which may be interesting to those contempla-
ting the erection of gravel houses:
DOWNFALL OF A COMPOSITE HousE.-Last fall
Mr.. CozZens, of Brookline, commenced a
composite house of Coz ble-stone and mortar
nearly finishing it. Hepostponed further work
upon it, to allow time for the walls to harden
and was intending to go to work this morning
to finish it for occupancy. Last evening as two
gentlemen were examining the walls and ad
ring the elegance of the structure and its
cheapness and durability, the walls suddenly
crumbled, and the whole building came down
so rapidly that they escaped with some difficult.
ty from being buried in the ruins Tt appears
that the recent warm weather had driven the
frost from the walls, and that being the only
cohesive power in the composition, down they
came. In manner that has somewhat cooled
the ardor of persons afflicted with the ''cobble-
stone fever" 1s-E
= Lowell, Massachusetts,. paper mentions
also, that house of this kind tumbled down
in that city; though, per contra, another had
stood firm and good. r. tIarsf
From which we deduce the inference that the
relative cheapness and excellence of this spe-
cies OF houses depends upon the judgment and
skill of the constructors in a more exclusive
degree than when stone or brick are the ma
teriais employed. BE cautious, friends See
that you are right before you go ahead.