The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-02
SHILLITO BUILDING
A Look Through the Monster Mer-
camille Palace.

John Shillito & Co. 1t was glorious day /
for Messrs Shilito & Co. AS soon as the
doors were thrown open this morning the
clerks were all found at their respective
places; the superintendents on the differ
ent floors in the retail department were
busily engaged in keeping everything in
ship-shape order, and the cash-boys were at
their posts, looking bright and happy in
their new suits of navy-blue.
The crowd at once began rushing in to
gaze upon the countless stacks of goods,
heaped up in endless piles all over the
building. And the display was fine one.
The numerous samples of various articles
hung over the baniSterS of the different
floors under the rOtunda made an especially
striking impression.
Some of the spectators took the privilege
to look over the upper floors, While others
confined themselves to the ground floor
and took hurried glance at the upper
stories by way Of the dome.
JTShers were numerous and did every
thing in their power to show the visitors
around or give them directions which way
to take, if they desired to make the inycsti-
CATION at their leisure.
1t was not only visitors who took the op-
portunity of going through the biggest
house of the kind in the West. Shoppers
came in at an early hour, and soon the host
of clerks in the retail department were busy
in showing their stock to The purchasers.
The opening proved grand success, and
at. oaii "nr I'M lo, ho n,o ~ tho nrircinol
'ViH.t ;.,t fnn tLooo VIZ ,,ro,;onJv Nod nada
t"I t,,ot Lo,,sne +lb,oi,. ,lacn for n,ol,ing
thoir nnrcI,sas in the line nf dry Goods,
.ii1;t ',;o p"AS;i liz o,n Tha nroot stmctnre
which undoubtedly has been gazed upon by
nearly all of our citizens, is situated on an
pew iot, W. oI,, r,,,n;nr
49,. oi1 ooT tn Sa,omth The Cnorre
"'nl3 , f,,+ i; oeo foot = i,,rl,ns. Poo straet
9tiefV 913 f, lo'i' % oo o Sornnth e+r"et front
i12 i1 teot f i NJ ,r,,ld ~, nLinl rba
10 iIo' .I ,,,,7,a ,ntLinlr I,,o,,
"t"rs of n nnro O. mnnh 2or it's
'l Lroodth and NOW, for II. hn;pht
iee'n anu Te"Ii , 4i,N + lo" saal : 81
from .llo t ;IarafI Wv, +,Io nnrino no
fe foe 1Ta' TL, hnoht 'G Of thn Gitaran, stories is
s neef. fo,,a,ms. Sn1.hasan,nnt az feet. unner
u'o,t de - f,ot frst stnrv 90 fnet inrh-
o"se,.rl,', a - 1G tV fon+ tird fonrth and Gfh
ee, oTIorlu, ~ ~ ,iStI, 70 foat
e"T1 ~ lf 9ianf ,ho L,,ildirg ara com-
I li,G 1 iG',,r,u,S nr nSsivo hocs oi Stone fomr-
pooei al,os % Il Sovan foot l0ng and three
'i .eui' inif ront ,y;dn All tha inInrior nnrs
an" a in"'t i la;I j., nn,nant Ahnva tbe
a,e " io,' , ,,t"r,ni Strnct,,re is nf iron
lil1v mooi ond ,i'I irnn nirders The bniIdno is
oC'l"iiii;" ',,iu - ho fro.rrnnf hnt is mora 81
.io, ci",eu hsinon1 W. bpnsos hat Lavo been
IrtSoi oii,',, t no 90 and besidns thn leaden
;'',r nf al thn Honrs with mortnr the estab-
iilf1 'f r'o,,t viii ho nrGar thn ewes of private
I t,oDl'iue m.ninhmen W dav IL, and ni%ht
In thn western part of the basement is
u ,,;Ior rnor, conto;niny five boilers 81 v
n,, .1'e ;,,oi,as ;m dnmetar 6v fourteen feet
wv - ~
Z ;t22' e,ann, and run tho elevators Thrrq
o.o f,o nf thnsn votors-two for freight
\ and throe for messengers The elevators are
: onen ot the sides and afford the persons
UiE I,ip;na rhom thn finest possible view of the
, ,nag3itirpnt store AS they ascend or descend
IT, 'tI,o cantar of The huildinp above the
q frst Aoor is a dome, sixty feet in diameter
md ono hundred and twenty feet from the
Honr On the first floor under this dome
atonds a haouliful Jonanese ,orceloin vase
o,J etondiny niubt feet biob unon a black
",'i ,ari,Ia ,,aInota two feet eigh inches Lipb
Won i;i,', Nv the dome dcscends a grand staircase
and tbaro are also two additional staircase.
-, thn rear There are five ves,ibules OF
an+raNoos navn1 with marble filing and
= ,,rovide6 wifi inner doors
: 'rba Grst md second stories are used fo
+bo ratoI dpnarlmpnt The shelving ant
4 cnuntprs are arranged so as to include tn,
e TWENTY four big iron pillars. leaving aisle
e ton tm9fss fost vide Thc counters are low, the
+ IONS o1 hning Of flushed smooth and hare
cIprrv 4N along them, at a distance O
: 'lI' five feat are mahogany stools for the use O
D; b; nnstnnonrS n,U l Thn sane accommodations arr
o oTInrnd hack Of the counters for the use O
o eiJ the cjerlIs Ds'O> " ~
Q ''' Fonr Of Of the counters measure one hun
2 arad and fftv-fwo foot ench in nntsid
L1lu nHoth. "', Savnn otheps are one hundred an,
fo,is faot ooch and Iharn are besides thre
~ put fonr more % If shorter IeneIb besides tn
= twa norr irroa,llar ] shaned kid Glove counters un
s dor 5"U tba 'ht'3 3o,ne
E. w ~, the frst loor the goods are to be foun
4 ~, tho 'tio fo,inn,ino Irlyi nlacas
III On 1,, the m Sevenfh street side are the silk,
0 voIvats mourning and dress goods,
0 ~ tbe Pace street side are TO he foun
boSiarv underwear, gloves, dress trim
H;r,r, not;ons and mems furnishing good,
on tha southeast corner of George an
- Race streets are located the embroiderie.
10 handkerchiefs, collars, cuffs, ruchings, an
- +%n iile westward along tbe Georp