Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-03-27
A Splendid Building.

"
interest the erection of the new build
ing for the London and San Francisco
Bank, at the north west corner of
California and Leidesdorff streets. The
work is now approaching completion,
and the bank will in a day or two take
possession of it's new and splendid
quarters. The building is constructed
in the most thorough and careful
manner, and combines elegance and
strength in a remarkable degree. The
lot is fifty-five feet three inches on
California street, with depth on
Leidesdorf street of ninety-seven feet
six inches. There are three stories
only-the principal, or bank story
proper, and two stories of offices over.
The bank floor is kept nearly level
with the sidewalk. This was decided
on after much deliberatiOn on the
advantages and disadvantages of the
high and low basement styles of build
ing in connection with hard-money
banking. The hight of the principal
story is twenty-five feet, and of the
two upper stories sixteen feet, all in
the clear. The style of the building is
Venetian-Italian, and the fronts on
both streets. are faced with cast-iron,
all turned, planed, and accurately
fitted. The cast-iron facing is only
semi-structural in character, forming,
for the most part, only the external
finish of the massive brick walls
behind the same, and is disconnected
at every story, to equalize the shrink
age of the masonry. The banking
room is forty-two feet wide and
ninety-two feet deep. The principal
entrance is on the corner, and there is
side entrance on LeidesdOrff street.
The upper stories entrance is on
California street, and is wholly
detached from the bank premises by
stout partitions of brick and iron.
Spacious marble stairs lead to these
upper stories, which are rented for
insurance, mining, and law offices.
This portion of the building is
handsomely finished in white ceder
and walnut woods, and contains
superior and convenient accOmmoda
tions. The upper story floors are
supported on large plate-iron Orders,
spanning the full width of the build
ing, which are carried on cast-iron
standards or supports, built into and
set flush with the inner face of the
brick walls. These standards are in
turn anchored to tire bottom of the
foundations. The heating and VEN
tilating of the banking-room is very
successful, continuous flow of fresh
air being admitted, and an equal
amount drawn off and elected, chang
ing the entire body of air in the room,
as estimated, every two hours. The
heating is by indirect radiation
Baker, Smith g. Co.'S hot water
apparatus being used land a uniformly
low temperature is secured, not
exceeding seventy degrees. There are
six inlet ducts to the room for fresh
and warmed air (of an aggregate
capacity of four square feet and
corresponding number of outlets.
The warm air is introduced to the room
at a hight of fourteen feet above the
floor, and the Initiated air is drawn off
through openings at the base of the
wainscOating close to the floor. These
air ducts are arranged in the base
ment, and connect with the brick
ejecting shaft or chimney, which has
capacity of four and one half square
feet and hight of eighty-three feet.
The vaults of the bank number five in
all--twO vaults in the basement, for
silver coin, and bullion, the coin
vault and book vault on the. main
floor, and the record vault forming
second story over the last two. The
burglar-proof coin vault is made on
the monitor plaza series of alternate
plates of iron and hardened steel-and
the front of same in connection with
that of the bOok-vault, is finished
with an ornamental facade in cast
iron, thirty-five feet in length and
fourteen feet in hight, highly decorat-
ed. The whole work connected with
the vaults has been executed in the
most superior manner, and challenges
the admiration of experts. The whole
interior finish, furniture, and fittings of
walnut woods, all specially designed
to suit the business of the institution,
and embrace many novelties and inn
provements, both in style and in the
way of conveniences for facilitating
business. The Presidents room, and
Assistant Manager and Cashiers
rooms are on the California-stree
front, near the main entrance, and are
spacious and elegant apartments.
WenzePs patent pneumatic clock is
introduced, and exhibits the time on
three separate dials, besides operating
perpetual calendar. The walls and
ceilings are simply, yet efficiently,
painted in fresco, and the whole air of
the institution is that of solidity and
elegant simplicity. If anything was
wanting to permanentlyfix the none
tary center in California street the new
London and San Francisco Bank has
supplied it and its position-one of
the best on the Streets now and
promises long to remain the very
nucleus of business. The architect Of
this noble monument is David
FaruuharsOn, tGa d..