The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-04-05
j. II. RAYS BLOCK,
Detailed Description of This Fine
Structure.
Three Stories And Basement, And
Costing $40, 900.

| AS stated in these columns Satur-
day, the contract for the erection of
Mr.. j. III. Rays new business block was
| awarded to the E. G. Burdick Co., for
about $4,000. This block will occupy
the three lots on the northeast corner
of Front and Jackson streets, and the
work of tearing down the old build
ings has already begun. The specifi-
cations call for the completion of the
new building by July 18th.
The new block will be the finest of
it's kind in the city. 1t will have
frontage on Front street of sixty-six
feet, and will have depth of 100 feet.
In height it will be three stories and
a basement. 1t will be heated by
steam throughout, and lighted by gas
and electricity. There will be toilet
rooms on every floor Three stair
ways will lead to the upper floors of
the building, one from Front street,
forty-four feet from the corner, an
outside iron stairway on the Jackson
street side, and rear stairway to the
second floor.
The building will be constructed of
stone and brick, with very heavy trim
mings of carved Kasota stone and
moulded brick The Jackson street
side will be entirely of stone to the
height of seven feet, and the building
will elsewhere show surface of Man
kato brick, tuck pointed. Each corner
of the building will be supported by a
polished granite column. The heavy
cornices will be constructed of carved
stone and moulded brick. The gen.
eral effect of the building will be mas
sive, and the architecture handsome,
and different from any other building.
The architect is Mr.. Frank Thayer.
On the Jackson street side will be a
narrow area, taking but little of the
sidewalk, while across the entire rear
will extend a wide area. In the rear
of the basement will be large double
windows and two,double doors.
The rear Of the basement, forty by
forty feet, under Geo. f. Bretts store
will be used by him for receiving and
unpacking goods, and will be provided
with an elevator to the first and Sec
ond floors. The remainder of the base
ment on Mr.. Bretts' side will be appro-
priated principally to the heating ap-
paratus and fuel room. The basement
under Lamm & Merchants store
will be used for storage purposes.
There will be one toilet room in the
basement.
Mr.. Bretts' store will occupy the
south forty feet of the first floor the
entire depth. This will have full
plate glass front, and plate glass for
twenty-five feet on the Jackson street
side. The show windows will be
cased in by glass partitions, which will
cut them,off from the store and pre-
vent frost accommodating on the win
dows in winter. In the rear of the
store will be ladies 'parlor and toilet
rooms. A stairway will lead to bal
cony twenty-five feet square and oc-
cupied by the bundle counter and
cashiers and book-keeper's offices.
The store will be fifteen feet high,
and the balcony will be seven and
half feet from the floor. A stairway
will lead from the balcony to the
second floor.
Lamm & Merchant will occupy
the north twenty-five feet of the build
ing the full depth. Between the
counters will be lobby ten feet wide
and running back ninety feet to the
prescription case. This will be fioored
with tile. Back of the prescription
case will be the laboratory.
The second floor of the building will
be eleven feet high. Over Lamm &
Merchants store will be three large
rooms, forty by twenty-five feet each,
for use as suit of club rooms. to be
conducted in thoroughly respectable
manner.
Over Mr. Bretts' store viii be ten of
flee rooms in front and four drGSsmak-
ing rooms in the rear, ranging from
twenty by ten to twenty by twenty
feet. A large central hall will con-
meet these rooms, and win have
length Of ninety seven teaL ana be
ten feet wide. a side haii will be
thirty by eight feet. On this floor
will be two toilet rooms. This floor
can be reached by four stairways, the
three already mentioned, and the one
from the balcony in Mr.. Bretts' store.