Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-24
A NOBLE BUILDING.
A Magnificent Monarch Of
Masonry.
THE BRYsoN-BoNEBRAKE BLOCK.
A Triumph of the Architects ana
Builders Skill-The Tenantry
Told.

Where the old Spring-street school
house stood in days OF yore, the noble
Bryson- Bonebrake Block now rears its
imposing front. That old school had a
history. It was built in the latter fifties,
and, until two or three years ago, chill
dren disported under the shade OF its
pepper and locust trees. The city, real
King that the property had become too
valuable for school purposes, being In
the very heart of the business center OF
Los Angeles, sold the block. and the old
brick schoolhouse disappeared, and with
it all the recollections of childish laugh
ter and glee which had 30 often echoed
from the spot. The lot, which comprises
l2O feet on Spring street and 103 feet on
Second street, was sold for 81 1000 per
front foot to the Messrs. Bryson and L.
J. Rose. The latter sold his holding to
Mr.. Bryson, who in turn sold one-thlrd
of his interest to Major George d. Bone
brake.
AN ARCHITECTURAL CHEF D'GUvRE.
The Messrs. Bryson & Bonebrske pro-
ceeded to erect on this fine central site
an ediice which is certainly not sur
passed in beauty and impressiveness by
any building west of. Chicago. There is
: novel combination of architectural
features in the Bryson-Bonebrake block
which would be called bizarre if it were
on scale of less magnitude. 1t may be
Renerically described as of the Roman
esoue order of architecture, which has
lately become very much the vogue in
New York, Chicago, Boston and other
eastern cities. The Romanesque may be
called combination of the Moresque
with circular arches, of the French Re-
Nuisance and of the Gothic style, and it
admits of very fanciful and delightful
variations, of which the accomplished
architect Of this building, Mr.. Joseph Q.
Newsom, has availed himself to high
standard of excellence.
As the block now stands it is not sur
passed in elegance and beauty by any
building in the United States. There is
no existing block in San Francisco
which compares with it in architectural
and and scenic attractions and perfection
of details.
We are inclined to the opinion that
this block has the most beautiful and
impressive entrance OF any building on
the Pacific Coast. The loggia is in the
finest type of the Romanesque, with pill
lars of Cotton white and black marble
of markedly interesting type and quality,
suggesting in it's grain rather petrified
wood than marble. but highly effective,
and the material is said to be specially
durable. A grand stairway of Italian
marble leads up to the first floor. This
stairway adds to the dignity of the
general plan of the building. The
elevator is the
MOST NOTABLE FEATURE
OF the entrance. It is an Otis elevator,
with mahogany cab and is run by hy-
draulic pressure. The cab alone cost
81 1000, and in beauty and excellence is
not surpassed in California.
The marble staircase is supplemented
by an exquisite marble wainscoting !;
and tile floor, skillfully laid, augments
the really artistic features of the best
built and most attractive business block
in California.
The great banking rooms of the State
Lean and Trust Company are led up to
by the superb entrance. 1t is certainly
without parallel on the Pacific coast.
It will probably be occupied about the
first of March. The vaults OF this cor
poration, which has many of the features
of the celebrated Safe Deposit Company,
of San Francisco, were made by MacNeal
& Urban, of Cincinnati, at an expense OF
$4,000. They are unquestionably the
BEST ON THIS COAST,
And we doubt if they are surpassed in
solidity, beauty and convenience in the
United States. They rest on solid
foundation of their own, with their mas
sive wall of steel, iron and brick totally
separate from the rest of the building.
The walls are altogether thirty-three
inches thick-two inches of steel, one
inch of iron and thirty inches of brick.
The entire building is f-e-proof, but,
should it ever be overtaken by con-
fagration, it might crumble to
ashes and the solid mass of incombusti
BILE material would protect all that re-
posed within it. 1t consists of two
apartments, one for the use of the Safe
and Trust Company and the other, which
contains one thousand three hundred
boxes of various sizes, to be rented to
depositors. A great many of these boxes
have combination locks.
The doors which lead into these vaults
are masterpieces of solid workmanship,
and are the heaviest ever turned out of
the factory where they were made. They
are in double sets, the outside pair weigh
ing two and one-half tons each, and the
inside pair one and three-quarter tons
each. This makes total of eight and
one-half tons of solid steel in each set OF
doors. Altogether, in the entire vault,
there are one hundred tons of steel. TIE
doors, we might add, are supplied with
both combination and time locks, max
ing them absolutely burglar proof. The
inside doors have double combination
locks with detachable bolts, and all of
tho latest improvements Of the lock-
smiths inventive skill to guard
against the invasion of burglars. The inn
mense outer doors before referred to have
attached to them an ingenious device for
closing them. By this admirable con-
trivance single man is enabled to open
and close the massive doors with ease.
Besides the vaults described, there are
three large fre-proof sub-vaults under
the bank to be used for the storing of
books, papers, etc. The Wiltshire Safe
and Scale Company, who represent the
MacNeal and Urban Company on the
Pacific Coast, deserves great credit for
their superb work in the putting up,
finishing and painting af the vaults.
The work. especially that of the decorat-
ing, is handsomely and appropriately
designed, and remarkably well ex-
asrtod O,Ikaida manufacturers claim