Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-09-05

THE OLD BUILDING
Some "reminiscences Of the old FREE Pass
building may not be uninteresting. 1t was
erected for printing Office and dwelling in
the summer Of 1892, by H. B. Stacy, who
about that time dissolved his connection
with his senior partner and the founder Of
the FREE PREss, Luman Fo0tc. ESD, and
became sole proprietor and editor Of the
paper. lie gave his personal oversight and
assistance to the erection of the building,
and We suppose it may be the Oldest
building in the State erected for a printing
Office and used continuously for that pur-
pose for over forty years. 1t was a three
story brick building with attic and base
ment. The lower floor, front, was at first
let for a store, and was subsequently opened
by Mr.. Stacy to the public as a reading
room, supplied chiefly with papers and mag
azines received in exchange for the FREE
Pass. The printing office occupied the
second floor front,-a single room serving
for composing room, press room, job room,
a single hand press did all the press work !;
and a compositor or two, with a couple Of
apprentices, made up the mechanical force
Of the establishment. The remainder ofthe
building was occupied by Mr. Stacy as a
dwelling, perhaps not the most convenient
one conceivable. His kitchen and dining
room were in the rear basement. The rear
half Of the second floor was occupied as
the family sitting room and bedrooms. The
''parlor chamber was in the thir floor front,
with storerooms in the rear, and the attic was
the dormitory for the hands all of whom lodg
edand boarded in the building. Among these,
We may say here, were some who after sery-
ing an apprenticeship at type-setting, went
through College in our University and be-
came afterward Christian ministers and
lawyers and editors One Of them Is now
perhaps the most successful printer and
publisher in the United States, II. O.
Houghton, of the famous Riverside Press, of
Cambridge, Mass. Rev. W. W. Atwater,
now editor and publisher of the Vermont
Witness, was also 4 compositor on the FREE
Pass IN its carly days, and We a re indebt-
ed to him for an interesting desc ription Of
the old establishment The bull ding was
purchased by George W. and G. G. Bene-
dict in 1853, and was subsequently enlarged
and improved in various ways for the bust
ness, which in its steady growth gradually
absorbed all the space in the bull ding, and
compelled the present enlargement.s.
THE PRESENT BUILDING
is of four stories-a story having been add
a basement, giving five capacious
floors. 1t has also been extended seventeen
feet to the South, to the line Of the lot, on
theilane in the rear. The basement extend
ing from street to street, with vaults under
the sidewalk, and with a rear hatch way. Is
occupied by the paper store rooms, fuel
is the counting room, IN front, and the press
room, 10 by % feet, in the rear. The job
room occupies the entire second
floor, with the excer ton Of a room taken
off in front for the private room Of the
Editor,and is 60 feet long by - in the widest
part. On the third floor are a news compo-
sing room of IS by % feet and two rooms
for the assistant editors. The fourth floor
gives Us another light and comfortable com
posing room, with a lodging room for a
night editor, and rooms for storing books,
&c The windows have been enlarged, and
the rooms on every floor are lighter and
pleasanter than ever. The increase of avail
able space in the building is some thirty per
cent, and the increase in comfort and con-
yenience is equally great. With these Ell
largements We have recently added a new
Globe press, for job work exclusively, Civ
ing Us four steam presses. besides hand and
standing presses, together with many new
fonts Of plain and fancy type, for job work
Our job printers do not mean to be excelled
IN the neatness, good taste and despatch Of
their work, and We have o fears that the
and charging circle of steady
customers Of our job depas tment viii not
appreciate the large outlay We have made
Tor their accommodation