The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-23
THE EMPORIUM
OPENS ITS GATES
From This Day 1t Will
Rank as One of San Fran
cisco'S Institutions.
ONE OF THE GREAT
STORES OF THE WORLD
Initial Illumination Last Evening
Drew a Great Throng of
Invited Guests.
DAZZLING DISPLAY OF WHITE
AND LIGHT AND BEAUTY.
The Doors Will Be Opened to the Pub.
lie To-Day to Look and Listen,
but Not to Buy.

To-day San Francisco has its "Empori-
um." Chicago has its Siegel e. Cooper,
Boston has its Jordan & Marsh, Philadel-
phia has its Wanamaker, New York has
its Bloomingdales. And the greatest of
these is The Emporium.
There may be, to be sure, a shade of adj
vantage in the matter of bulk for somc
one of these others, but it is a question '
in the whole world there may be found a
finer commercial establishment than is
opened this morning to the people of San
Francisco. Outside it wears the appear
ance of greatness in its wide imposing face
of stone, its dignity of style, its big
rounded columns. its squared windows, its
ample and beautiful entrance. Inside it
wears the appearance of greatness in its
reaches of space, its light and air and
am plitude, its wide whiteness, its long
avenues, its great central dome.
From this day-the day that it opens
when visitors ask what there is to be seen
in San Francisco the self-satisfed resident
will answer, "There is the City Hall and
The Emporium and the bay and the ocean,"
Those four form q class.
The architect of the Parrot building has
done well to his purpose-the purpose of
the Emporium Company. He has let day
light into the big building and with the
rotunda, capped by that noble dome
through which the sunlight comes, serving
as a central pivot, he has made possible
most effective and convenient arrange
ment of all the abundant and infinitely
varied display that is TO be presented under
this one roof.
If repetition will serve to emphasize, it
may be said again that no other CONNER
cial house in the cities of the world pre-
sents more imposing and attractive
ensemble than this that TO-DAY becomes
one of the institutions of San Francisco.
To-day 1t will be thrown open to the
public for inspection. The ceremony will
be conducted on that same plane of big
ness, openness, dignity, that runs through
the wool of 1.-The Emporium" idea. The
gates will be opened, the whole City and
lis guests will be made welcome, to look
and listen and enjoy.
tlStationed insthe elevated band stand in
the rotunda The Emporium orchestra will
make music worth going to hear, and the
sight, be assured, is worth going to see.
| Last night the electric lights were turned
on for the first time in the big store and
the event was made the occasion of a
| special reception to newspaper men and
| the singl out and invited guests of the
Emporium Company, turning that which
is ordinarily a business affair into one of
| the most notable social events OF the year.
| A constant stream of people poured
| through the doors from 8 o'clock until the
| late hour when the doors were closed.
Everything was in place. Attendants
stood at their posts in every department
| to show, to give information, but not to
sell. The easy word to use in such a case
| is 1.-The wilderness of display; but it was
| not a wilderness. There was such method,
such Arrangement under the plan of the
architect that the term may not be used.
There was combinations market, q
| place for pins, another for pianos, and be-
! tween these extremes everything that may
was no wilderness, no bewilderment.
Stately avenues led to the east and the
west and the north and south. and, placed
| with sense OF the sym athy of trade
| that contiguity that should exist between
dust and the broom, tired feeling and q
restful chair-lay spread away along these
avenues everything that civilization has
turned into a desire, all in its order, the
one thing leading in insinuating graduation
into the next.
The occasion, however, was the electrical
display. and this met and amazed the visi-
tors at the threshold. The dome was an
illumination that suggested to every visi
tor that special figure in incandescent
lights at the Worlds Fair-the executive
building. 1t was radiant affair In light
and white The white columns and high
round dome turned the night into day
with circles of lamps, while the big arc
lights sentineled the avenues and street:
of the big building like marshaled bat
talions.
The orchestra set the time and the
guests trooped down the avenues and pro-
nounced Judgment as it is here written
In the presence of the Emporium as II