Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-12
FLETCHER BLOCK.
COMPLETED AND COST A FULL
100000.
One OF the Best Arranged and
Finest Blocks in the
City.

The Fletcher block, which is accorded
the distinction Of being one of the finest
and most elegant brick blocks in the city,
is nearly completed. Only little plumb
ing and cleaning up is necessary and the
term finished can be applied. About six
years ago the owner, Mr.. VIM. Fletcher,
came to this county from Adams county,
/ Illinois He had formerly been in the Ar
kansas valley and reached the point where
he was anxious TO get here and identify
/ his interests with this country Nearly a
/ year ago he decided to put up brick block
/ somewhere III the city that should bear his
/ own name and be a credit TO any man in
! any state and to any city. Soon after he
( secured the two lots opposite the Occiden-
tai hotel on Main, and that was decided
by him to be the proper place for the OBJ
Ject OF his hopes in the way of joining
IN the city's building Architect Terry
was employed to draw the plans
and the result is according TO the Roman
esque style Of architecture. The building
has an east front OF fifty feet and a south
front OF one hundred and forty, with base
menU ana four stories. The front is Of
W arrensburg sandstone up to the first
story with projections for two entrances
between marble serpentine columns, while
the second and third floors are supplied
with bay windows, and the fourth with
balconies.
On the south side is the main entrance,
accommodating the second, third and
fourth floors which are reached either by
elevator or circular stairway. The Stew
este rT
on the south side and west end Bandera
fagstone for the sidewalk. twelve feet
wide on Main and ten feet on First
The east end of the basement is divided
into two rooms, one thirty feet square, and
the other adjoining on the north thirty by
fifteen feet. Adjoining these on the west
Is safe deposit bank thirty by fifteen feet,
which Is nicely fitted up. 1t is supplied
with fire proof vault ten by fourteen
feet which is lined with steel and will be
made burglar proof. It IS divided up into
SIX hundred dozen boxes with varying I
sizes TO accommodate almost any sort Of a /
package of value.
The engine room adjoins this on the /
west and occupies the rest of the basement.
This space is divided into three depart .
ments. First is the boiler room which is (
supplied with two boilers, each fortv-two
inches in diameter and fourteen feet long.
These supply steam for heating and
pumping purposes. The pump room
has two Worthington pumps each having
capacity Of nine hundred gallons per
minute.
In the southeast corner Of the first floor
Is banking room thirty-two by fifty-two
feet, with parlors adjoining on the north.
The vault is ten by fourteen feet. The
room IS finished in cherry on the East
Lake" order with tiled floor The remain
der Of the first floor is west OF the main
entrance and is divided into three store
rooms with entrances on Second street,
each twenty-five by forty-eight feet.
The second and third floors are divided
up in the same manner, each having seven
teen rooms. One Of the commendable and
features is the exceptionally
good lighting facilities which are afforded
by two open courts, each six by
thirty feet. There IS not a dark room i
in the entire building and the efforts for
good ventilation have been equally sue
cessfuI.
The fourth floor is divided somewhat
containing sixteen rooms. All
wood work is finished in natural grain ex-
cept the fourth story, which is mahogony.
The entire building is heated by steam
with the one pipe system, which is so far,
said TO be perfectly noisless. There are in
the sixty rooms of the building eighty rad !
iators, which are said TO be able to furnish
the necessary heat in the coolest weather
known to Southern Kansas, with four
pound pressure.
Basement has a cistern with eleven hun ;
ired barrels capacity receiving water from
the roof. This IS used for boilers and /
drinking purposes. For the latter purpose
it is pumped TO a lead lined tank on the i
roof from which it gains its pressure to /
the MIGRANTS. The receiving tank is made I
of rock and Portland cement. with brick
liter.
The elevator is of the Hale make {
with a speed of three hundred !
.eet per minute or reaching the fourth !
1oor in ten seconds. The power is re- :
,eived by water pressure from a tank on !
he roof supplied by the pumps from drive {
wheels. In going upor down two hundred '
gallons of water is used and reaching the {
basement it goes into tank from which il {
5 removed to the tank on the roof {
Each floor is supplied with four seperate {
,losets Of the Motifs make. These are
supplied with water from one of the tanks I
N the roof The water necessary for the :
building calls for three tanks on the ROOF.
These will be covered, protecting them g
rom the extreme heat and cold. The '
building when completed Will cost 500. 600 /
md Is certainly one of the finest blocks in c