Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-01-31
The New Tobacco Exchange.

The New Tobacco Exchange.
We have never yet done justice to
thesplendid new Tobacco Exchange,
so creditable to the enterprise of our
tobacco merchants and to the taste
and skill of Mr.. Rosenplenter, its
architect.
This building is constructed of
brick, with stone facings i'm the
Lombardo-Gothic style of architect
ure. 1t is built on the brow of the
hill which descends from the public
square to the principal landing on
the Cumberland river. AS the
ground falls rapidly here, the build
ing, which in front is three stories
high with basement, is four stories
in the rear with cellar beneath.
Its principal front has in the center
massive porch of stone, supported
on brown stone columns, which
serves as a sub-structure for the
central compartment of the facade,
which, being several feet in advance
of the rest of the front, presents the
appearance of a tower handsomely
finished at the top by its high
peaked roof giving it something of
the aspect of spire.
The windows of the lower story
are capped with shallow, elliptic
arches, those of the second with
obtusely pointed Gothic arches, and
those of the upper story with acutely
pointed arches, constituting the
true lancet window of Gothic archi-
lecture. This arrangement obeys a
canon extending to all styles of
architecture, that the heaviest forms
should be below and that the struct-
ure should increase in lightness as
the roof is approached. String
courses of stone mark the dividing
lines between the stories, whose
horizontal lines are broken where
they arch over the windows, obey
ing the leading principle of Gothic
architecture, that horizontal lines
shall be interrupted and vertical
ones continuous. The lightness and
aspiring character thus attained is
completed by the high-pitched root,
which, as well as the tower and
chimneys, is surmounted by a highly
ornamental iron cresting.
The internal arrangements are
excellent, advantage being very in
geniously taken of the falling of the
ground in the rear. The exchange
hall for the transaction of business
is in an annex to the rear of the
main building and entirely below
its level. Planters approaching
this from the main entrance to the
building find themselves in a COM
fOrtably furnished gallery overlook
ing the hall, while the tobacco mer-
chants enter by a side door, which
admits them at once to the floor of
the hall, where they are accommo-
dated with seats around long table
for the display of samples. Chests
for samples are disposed all around
the hall and in the corridors leading
to it. This hall is 3Sx50 feet in area
and Is feet high. On the same floor
with it are a directors room and
two offices, janitOr's room, lavatOry,
etc.
The main floor of the principal
building contains four offices, two
with fire-prOof vaults and two with
out. Each Office has in addition
private closet, with LABORATORY, etc.
On this floor is the entrance TO the
gallery of the sales-rOom.
The second floor has the same
accommodations as the one below
it, with the addition of a room, and
on the third floor is the splendid
concert hall, 80 feet square and IS
feet high. The acoustic properties
of this fine room are well provided
for by the curvature of its coved
ceiling. #
All the offices are provided with
water supply constantly laid on.
Several of them are rented to citi-
zens for business purposes, and
few remain on hand, for which it
will be well to make early applica-
ton,