The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-27

basha Streets, Where Messrs.
Lennon d Gibbons VIII IN Few
Days Open Their Gents Furnish
ing Goods OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
OF the RemodeIed House.
When Edward Feldhauser first conceiv-
ed the scheme of giving the public library
a home in the old market house most
people We're of the opinion that nothing
could be done with the old building-that
it must be torn down in order to make it
anything but an eyesore. Most people
were wrong and Mr.. Feldhauser- was
right, for the market house is not only no
longer offensive 10 the eye, but is actual
~ fair to look upon, and the change has
been brought about in a very brief space
of time. The change in the appearance
of the building is another demonstration
of the fact that individual enterprise is
much more effective than governmental
effort If it had been left to the city to
rebuild the market house it might have
dragged along for years without the de-
sired result being attained. But when
private enterprise was involved, when the
city, through the library board, contract
ed to give up part of the building to COM
merce and leased the ground floor front
to Messrs Lennon & Gibbons, there was
reason to believe that the corner of Sew
enth and Wabasha streets might become
what it was intended to ba-one of the
best corners in st. Paul. At that no one
believed that in the course OF a few
months there could be such & change eff
fected as has taken place Not only has
the building been entirely
CHANGED IN APPEARANCE,
but in spite of architectural difficulties
it has been made into a really handsome
structure. Moreover, it will presently full
fill its original mission as a market eff
fectively because it will be given over to
merchandising on a scale that its builders
never dreamt Of Of course, the most
important part of the new use will be
due to the occupancy of Messrs. Lennon
& Gibbons, of the Wabasha street end of
the building. And it is largely due to the
energy and enterprise of those gentlemen
that the building is so soon changed in it's
appearance. 1t has taken u lot of work
and good deal of money to effect it, but
Lennon & Gibbons have now al their dis
posal the handsomeSt store room and the
most beautifully appointed clothing store
in this country. The public generally has
not as yet seen anything of the new es-
plate glass windows along the Seventh
and Wabasha street fronts and the in
terror Will remain closed to most people
until next Thursday afternoon, when
there will be a reception held which will
go beyond anything hitherto attempted
by a private institution in the Northwest,
And the store will be well
eea WORTH LOOKING AT.
1t is a magnificent room From the
Wabasha street door to the rear wall
there is a sweep of 1873 feet, and this
depth is amply justified in the width
of 81 feet. Two sides of the room are
given over to the windows, the lower
part of the window space being utilized
for shelving by an ingenious system of
removable fixtures giving ingress to the
window interiors. These interiors of
themselves are capable of containing a
gCod-siZed stock of merchandise, and
the stOreroom itself will accommodate
the largest stock of clothing in St. Paul
The color scheme in the fittings is of a
RICH red, polished birch being used
throughout. The tables upon which the
clothing is displayed are massively built,
standing upon carved legs. The shelly
ing is polished to the point of brilliancy,
and all the woodwork IS a fine example
of the possibilities of a home institution
all having been produced from the raw
material on the premises by the st. Paul
Furniture company. The showcases were
designed especially by the St. Paul Show
case company, and are handsome ex-
amples Of the art of the builders, being
put together without framing, and stand
ing upon golden colored pedestals of
birdseye maple4the latter being the only
exception TO the mahogany finish color
scheme. The Seventh and Wabasha
street sides of the room are given over
to the furnishing goods department,
which, MIR. Lennon says, will be the most
complete in the Northwest At the lower
end of the room, on the Seventh street
side, will be the mems and boys shoe
department, and along the north wall
space is set aside for hats and caps This
latter department is
ELABORATELY FITTED,
and unique feature is the oval mirrors
fitted into the walls so that one may
see the set of a hat from any point on
the floor.
Down the center of the room are a
number of pillars, and these have been
utilized to add to the beauty OF the room
by being cased with mirrors. In the CEN
ter of the room is the cashiers desk and
the bundle counter, and just behind it
is beautifully carved railing cutting off
the boys and children's clothing depart
ment from the main floor This latter
department will receive the most careful
attention from the members of the new
firm, AMI will include a magnificent stock
To the rear of the department the COM
fort of the mothers of youthful ST. Paul
ties is provided for in a handsome re-
firing room equipped with all toilet re-
quisites.
Perched halfway to the high ceiling is
the business office of the house, and on
the second tlooor is the tailoring depart
ment, which viii be very complete, for
the new firm will not let a garment go
out of the house that does not fit per-
fectly. Another adjunct IS the laundry
which VIII be supervised by an expert
and the customers Of the house be af-
fCrdeG the best possible service at the
lowest possible prices Both hand and
steam work will be done, and some of
the machinery put in is entirely new in
this part of the country.
The store will be Illuminated by some
dozens of kundred-hour arc lights, and
In the windows there are not less than
5000 incandescent lamps. Altogether the
new store should be Gs handsome by
night as by day, though this is specula-
tive, as it will not be lighted up until
next Thursday evening, when the thou
sands OF friends of George Lennon and
his partner and their assistants will be
received in regal style. A word about
the men whose energy has created this
new enterprise and made thing of
beauty OF the old market house may not
be amiSS.
A BORN MANAGER.