Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-19
HIVES OCCUPIED BY THE BEE
From Small, Humble Frame shanty to Mag
nifcent, Slightly Palace,
EACH HOME BETTER THAN PRECEDING ONE
Description of the Beauties TO lie Seen
aud C~onvcnIenccs Enjoyed In the
Present Headquarters In the
Great bee building,

was issued from a pine frame house. The
Issue Of today goes out from q palace OF
granite, iron and marble. Then The Bee was
no more pretantious than its habitation. Now
the imposing structure that bears its name
IA typical of its pre-eminence among the
great newspapers of the west. In the sue
cessive changes by which The Bee rose from
Its obscure birthplace to its present palatial
surroundings is chronlcled the history OF its
trials and victories. The necessity for more
commodious accommodations grew with the
development Of the paper and each change
OF quarters indicated that another onward
movement had been achieved.
The first home of The Bee vouchsafed no
indication of It's subsequent progress. 1t
stood on the southeast corner OF Twelfth
and Dodge streets, q point then in the
business center of the city, but now marking
the boundary of it's illegitimate life. The
building was two stories in height, rough,
implanted and uncouth. 1t stood close to the
sidewalk and as the street was brought to
grade the basement was rendered useless.
There was nothing prepossessing in the bare
perspective of dingy clapboards and the
only object that broke the barren outlines
of its exterior was the sign, "Redield Bros,
Job Printing that hung over the Twelfth
street entrance. The building was owned
by the Redfeld Bros, who ran a printing
establishment that was fairly well equipped
according to the ideas of the period. The
first story was divided by a partition in the
center which afforded two large rooms about
eighteen feet by twenty. in these were
located the entire outfit, including a hand
cylinder press and news cases, while a small
table that stood at one side of the entrance
49,. r.. A. 80 ~
what business came to the office. The Red
field brothers lived in the upper story and
at various times lodging in these apartments
was leased to the printers who were en-
ployed below. From this unpromising
structure the unassuming sheet which was
destined to develop into the greatest news
paper in the west, went out to sink or
swim. While it was soon deserted by The
Bee in favor Of more convenient quarters
the old RedReld building continued to
occupy that corner until the spring OF 1889,
when it was torn Town to make room for
the brick building which succeeded 1t.
SECOND HOME OF THE BEE.
After The Bee had been issued
from the Redfeld office for three months Ed
ward Rosewater leased the building whicn
occupied the adjoining lot on the south, ana
here the paper fourished until the building
was burned down in June, 1872, about a year
after the first copy was issued. The pulld-
ing was scarcely more pretentlous IMAM the
former quarters. but it eXulted In a front
porch and a wooden 1t had
previously been used as a fourth rate hotel
under the name of the Cedar Rapids house,
and it now served for the first business
office and composing room OF The Bee. Inc
press work was still done by Redfeld Bros,
hut The Bee was now fairly launched on its
career as a permanent establishment with
q building devoted to its uses. AT the same
time that this building was occupied MT
Rosewater purchased the Beobachter Mis-
souri, and the Pokrok Zapadu, OF when ne
had also been the founder, and which were
all issued from the same office.
THIRD HOME OF THE BEE.
When on June II, 1872, an incendiary
fire destroyed the entire building
with all its contents the estab,
lishment was moved to a two-story and
basement brick building, located on Farnam
street between Ninth and Tenth. THIS
building had been erected by Mr.. Rose.
water in 1869 and it now afforded abundant
space for the three papers. An entirety
new plant, including news and JOB type LOT
all three papers, was purchased at On
cinnati and st. Louis, and, as the revenues
OF the office were still limited, the purchase
was largely a matter OF credit: Inls pullu-
ing answered all purposes for SIX years,
and during that time no particular improve
ments were added to the facilities OF the
establishment. But by this time the busi-
ness of the paper had increased to such an
extent that additional accommodations were
demanded, and, with the enterprise that has
characterized the management OF The Bee
since its incipiency, immediate steps were
taken to provide them. In 1879 Mr.. Rose
water leased the wooden structure on the
lot east of the Farnam street building
and eventually the lot was pur-
chased from Milton Rogers for $4,000.
This gave The Bee a frontage OF
forty-four feet on Farnam street, one-half
- ,ls,l y,o. nnnttnia1 hu tho ORIGINAL
brick building and the remainder by the
two-story frame which stood on the Rog-
ers lot. An entrance cut in the east wall
of the brick afforded communication be-
tween the two buildings, and together they
answered all purposes for another period OF
six years.
During this period the business office
was situated in the front OF the brick build
Ing. Back OF it was the press room and
between them was a small apartment, $50
lated by glass partitions, In which the
editorial work was done. Upstairs was
the news room and the office OF the city
editor, and his staff occupied the second
story of the frame addition. Even at this
time the Bee building had its disadvantages.
One of which was its crude plumbing, which
was the cause of no small amount OF incon-
venience. When the printers washed of
the forms on the second floor the drippings
seeped through the ceiling and the stream
Of inky water occasionally ran down the
back of the business manager as he sat In
his Office below trying 10 hBure out a pront
on the right side OF the ledger.
RECONSTRUCTION N REMODELlNG.
In 1885 this building was reconstructed
and merged into the four-story brick which
now occupies the property. First the
wooden building was replaced by a single
story Of brick. But this was Immediately
found to be inadequate and 1t was soon
followed by the remodeling Of the entire
structure. The wooden joists on the first
floor OF the original building were torn
out and replaced by brick arches between
iron 7 rails. The basement was made per-
fectly ~freproof and then the front was torn
out and two additional stories were con-
structed. All this was accomplished
without Interference with the pub
location OF the paper, and when
the task was completed The Bee had a
home which, at that time. was highly cred
table. The counting room was then the
most elegant in the city. The floors
were tiled with marble, the walls were
handsomely frescoed and an expensive
cherry counter separated the counting room
proper from the lobby.
As The Bee continued to flourish addl-
tional space was secured by leasing the
upper story OF the Strang building on the
west. SO that the plant practically covered
forty-four front feet in addition TO the one
lfnrv hrick on the east |