The St. Johns herald., 1899-11-25
PARIS TO BE OUTDONE.
Magnificent Building in Marble,
 Copper and Terra Gotta.
LARGEST STORE IN THE WORLD.
San Francisco Will Have 1t With Sixty Two Departments and Six Hun
 dred Employes.

The magnificent new Psrrott build ing on Market street is being completed as rapidly as 600 workmen, working continuously, can do it. It is expected that it will be opened under the man. agement of the Emporium Company, about the 1st of April. The spring season in San Francisco will be ushered in by the opening of the lsrg- est store in the world in the bandsOm- est commercial building in the world
 The Emporium building is far and away the handsomest in the city. It is almost palatial in its dimensions and furnishings. It has a 275 foot front on Market street and goes through $50 feet to Jessie street, eight stories high in the front and five stories in the rest of the building. The construction is fire-proof. of steel, terra cotts and copper. The entrance is of hammered copper, twenty six feet wide and forty two feet high. There will be fifty-six electric lights in the front of the build, ing and sixteen on the edge of the side walk.
 The main floor is of 10 osaic laid in piece by piece by skillful Italians. The entrance portion is of marble. and the floor up stairs is of white Eastern maple.
 The central rotunda is the most striking division of the building. sur rounded as it is with eight tall sup ports, standing in dignifed repose like white marble pillars. and reaching to height of 127 feet. Its basal diam eter is 100 feet. The dome which covers it is made up of 3,4O0 pieces of one-inch thick, rough-plate, crystal ized glass. A cafe. built of marble and iron, is to occupy the center of the rotunda. On the floor above the cafe will be the stand for the musicians. Fifteen hundred incandescent lights will ornament the dome. In the cen ter, ladder operating on a swivel. affords the means of reaching each in- dividual pane of glass to clean it.
 The basement will be occupied by provision shops-a fruit store. butcher shop, etc., lamp store, stove store, and large, well-equipped restaurant, 90 by 150 feet in size.
 The dry goods store, clothing de- partments, etc., are to be on the first floor, music and art departments. dressmaking, cloakmaking. furniture. bric-a-bac, Chinese, Japanese and Oriental departments will be on the second floor. In all there will be sixty-two departments. the expert heads of which have already been chosen. The Emporium will probably open with about 600 employees. The directors are now busy examining the different candidates for positions. There are twenty -four buyers in the East, buslly getting everything tn at is the best and latest of it's kind to open up with on the 1st of April. There will be fine cyclery on the top floor.
 Where it was possible to get them the materials of which the Psrrott building is constructed are of Califor- mia manufacture. The steps are of marble, the rails, trimmings and tx- lures of cast-iIon, copper and barhath, 8 new black composition. Four hun dred art lamps will ornament the store.
 In all there will be about one hun dred miles of electric wire in the building, fifteen elevators, eleven pas senger and four freight, an engine room with four engines sggregating about 1 1850 horsepower. The panes of glass in the twelve front windows on each floor are fourteen feet wide.
 Two-thirds of the 300 offices have already been rented, and all will pro- bably be occupied by the time tbe store opens. The whole building cost about $1.500, 900. and the stock will be as much again.
 Collapsable wire gates will shut up the whole store at night and leave room in the aisles and around the rotunda for 5000 to 10000 people to promenade. Concerts under the direc- tion of MT. John MarquaIdt will be given three nights in the week after the opening of the store.
 Imagine every article person could possibly want as a necessity, comfors or luxury, and you will have an iGea of what will be sold in this largest of modern department stores, carried out with many new ideas.