Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-06-13
A NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


Two years ago, the lots on the aerth ssdecf
Pennsylvania avesue at ana near me corner OF
lin street wee oecnp,ed ~ small frame baild-
ings, which vere On eye-sore tothe merchants
and residents Of hat ne ghhe.hood. This valu-
able ground, after much tedious pegotiation,
was purchased BY our energetic and much es-
teamed business men, NJ. w. Calf 4 Brother,
Joseph ShiIiington, Frederick Pllliag, aud II.
o. Hood, and about one year ago the unsiehtiy,
dilapidated frame structures were removed, 70
ornament 10 the city. Those of Messrs PilIing
and Shillington, which were finished o few
months since. have been described In the SrAR,
and Mr. Hood nov has large force preparing
The building erected by NJ. w. Gait l. Bro.
has just been completed and is certainly one OF
the most extensive and costly establishments
in the country. A description of this building
will not be uninteresting rs n cannot be sur.
passed in size, beauty, or Workmanship. II il
four st ores high, with cellar, the walls are Of
brick and the front Of IRON of modern street
architecture and balcony fronting 81 feet g on
Pennsylvania avenue, and running back Is
feet, the height being 10 feet. The store on the
first floor Is fitted mp and finished in the most
back the fun depth of the building,
with ceiling u feet high The floor
Is of white and black marble squares
and upon each side of the door are large French
plate glass windows 6 feet inch, by IL feet 3
inches, with metal sash and Italian marble
base. bearing the name OF Gait & Bro. in raised
letters. The bottoms Of the windows are of
Italian marble, bordered with Lisbon marble
The doors are of solid oak, with single plate
glass in each. The ceiling and walls are eiabo-
rately and most tastefully frescoed, and SIX
large chandeliers are suspended from the
ceiling, besides a number of small lights pro-
Jecung from the walls. The counters, side
cases, wainscoting. dc, are Of solid walnut,
heavily carved. There are eight counters on
either SIDE each one bearing large plate glass
case with metal frame. On the sides are eight
large, heavy walnut frame upright cases, and
in the rear an deliberately carved walnut
case extending across the store; behind this rs
the office and vault. and Immediately above a
gallery, which eVlll be occupied by the watch
makers and engrayers, in the centre Of this is a
large regulator, with marble face. The cashier
and bookkeeper's desk is on the right of the
store, behind which is a large and magnificent
mirror about the centre of the store; on the left
rs another large regulator, in walnut case, and
with frame Of walnut and gold. The rear of
the store Is lighted from a dome in cast-iron
frame. from which is suspended a heavy
chandelier. Immediately beneath this is
another walnut counter and cases in the shape
Of the letter U.
The entrance to the upper stories is from
Pennsylvania avenue, the stairway being eight
feet wide, and wainscoted with black walnut
and North Carolina pine. The door leading TO
the stairway is Of oak with frosted glass pam
els, very heavy. The first flight of stairs as.
cend directly from the street, and lead to those
of the other stories in the centre of the build
ing. large sky.light Is Immediately above
the stairway, giving an abundance Of light in
the wide halls and passages. There are two
rooms on the second floor, the front one being
20 by ~ feet, and the back one ~ by Is feet,
with ceiling OF Is feet. Upon the third floor
there are three rooms, two front and one back,
with 14-foot ceiling. and on the fourth floor
three more rooms, with an IL foot ceiling; the
front rooms on these floors being D by Is and
"a by II feet with the back room of the same
size ss that on the second floor.
The second and third stories will be occu-
pied for Offices, wholesale dry goods rooms,
&c, and the fourth story will be used for man.
ufacturing purposes by the Messrs. Gait
Water closets are located on each floor, and
the building is completed throughout in the
most complete style.
The cost Of the ground and building complete
was S75,0cG and the following named have
been employed on the same:-Contractors and
builders, Baldwin & Bro; brick work, Jerome
Diggs; iron work, Bartlett & Rollins, of Balti.
more; plasteriDg, Stewart & Suit; painting,
McNickle Il Parker; frescoing, H. Schutter:
plumbing and gas fitting, A. K. Shepherd &c
Bro; filing, Z. French; stone work, NJ. G. En-
cry: marble work, - Perry, of New York.
The Messrs. Gait are now moving and ar
ranging their stock, and will open their new
establishment on Monday.
1t will undoubtedly prove the lion of the me-
tropolis, both in the beauty and spacIousness
OF the establishment the magnificence OF the
stock of goods, and in the superb nature OF the