The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-14
HOME FOR THE MESSENGER

Plans Made For a Handsom9 NewBrick
= peper. Publishing and Printing Es-
tabIishment of the jackson 81 bell
Company-It will Be Erected on Sec
ond and Princess Street.-Work to
Commence ON IL I'm Tive Weeks
The proprietors of The Messenger
have closed a contract with the Messrs.
Morris Bear & Bros, for the erection OF
a cOmmodious and handsome Office
building, to be erected on their eligible
property on the northwest corner OF
SeconI and Princess streets. The
building will occupy the ground on
which now stands the frame buildings
occupied by Mr.. l. B. Rhodes. The
work of tearing down the old buildings
Will be commenced on the 18th instant,
and by the time they have been demol-
i-hed the contractor will begin the
erection of the new building. The
location is just a block from Front
street, one block from the banks, one
block from the post Office and one block
from the city hall and courthouse, so
that it will be seen that the Office will
occupy the most eligible quarter of the
City, close to the business centre, and
convenient to u patrons.T The structure
will be an ornament to the city and
will greatly improve the appearance of
Princess street, which, we predict, is
destined erelong to be one of the pref
tiest and most important thorough
fares of Dull city.
The Messenger building will be q
handsome structure of pretty architec-
tural design and will be the completest
and best equipped newspaper and pub
fishing establishment in North Carroll
ma. The plans have been drawn by
Mr.. Charles Mcmillan, the capable ar
'chitect for the magnificent Masonic
temple, soon to be under construction,
and they have been duly approved by
the proprietors of the Messenger. The
building is to be constructed Of brick,
and will front AZ feet on Princess street
and run back So feet on Second street.
The front will be constructed of Phil
adelphia pressed brick and will be
trimmed with brownstone. The entire
front of the street floor will consist of
heavy plate glass windows and doors,
and on this floor will be the business
Office Of the Messenger, which will oc-
cupy the corner apartment, with a
pretty store room adjoining it on the
west side. The Office will be entered
directly at the corner of Princess and
Second streets through a vestibule
which will have a tiled floor. The
business office will front en- Princess
street and will be Is by 20 feet in size.
Communicating with it will be the
city staff's office which Will be II feet
six inches by 10 feet in size. To the
west Of the business office and 'front.'
ing on Princess street will be a beau
tiful storeroom nineteen feet wide and
ffty-eight feet deep. It will have a
plate glass show window and will be
entered through a Ivestibule with tiled
floor.
To the rear of the business office
and reportorial room will be the press
room which will be 20 feet wide and
run 33 feet to the back Of the build
ing. The office and pressroom will be
well lighted and ventilated, the former
by the front windows and the latter by
smaller wi dows on the Princess street
side and at the rear. The pressroom
will be occupied by the newspaper and
job printing presses, and underneath
the pressroom will be a basement
where will be located an electric motor
and steam boiler which will supply the
motive power, the one to do service if
the other should fail at anytime. The
basement will also contain a lavatory
and toilet rooms.
From the business Office a staircase
will run to the second floor, and at the
rear part of the pressroom there will be
an elevator connecting the basement
and all floors above. At the Princess
and Second streets corner of the second
floor there will be an editorial office
10 by II feet in size. Back of the edi-
torial room will be a large open room
forty-two feet wide by about So
feet in length. This room will be oc-
cupied by the M~ergenthaler Linotype
machines an dthe job printing, ruling
and book binding departments. The
entire establishment will be lighted by
electricity and gas, and all floors will
be supplied with w~aterworks.
Such, in part, is a description of the
new home. The contract |
calls for the completion of the building
in ninety days, so that we expect to be |
in 'our new Office and down to business |
LIST of July next. Then we will |
hang the latch outside to all the Mes
senger's host of friends.