The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-24
:" Lucky" Trying to Form d
Stock Company.
He Is Planning for Structure to Cost
Two Million and Half-The
Iwo-Story Horror.

is not so certain after all that there
Will not be magnificent hotel rising
from the ashes of the old Baldwin.
Despite his threats to build an I'M
slightly two-story structure and maintain
IL IN the face of popular clamor, Lucky
Baldwin is beginning to look around for
some one to help him in the latest plan
which his fertile brain has been concoct-
ing. He is planning to build a hotel the
like of which was never seen west of New
York-one which will put the Palace ten
years behind it in grace and comfort and
which will be known wherever travellers
travel or people make a transient home.
The new structure is not an assured
thing as yet. but the plan is being
Matched and all the planner wants is help
from some who have money and courage
to form a stock company. If people want
fine building on the old corner let them
come forward and help out, is what Bald
win says. He does not want Eastern
capital; he wants home capital, and if 1t
is not forthcoming when his stock COM
pany is ready to be fioated, why then the
site of the old hotel can get along with
two-story substitute raised on what walls
the fire left standing.
The building Baldwin has in his mind is
a twelve-story pile of brick and stone. 1t
will be built around a central court, and
in this court will be the office. Looking
down into the office from each floor will
be galleries and promenades, and a roof
of glass will be over all. There will be no
theater; Baldwin has had enough of
theaters, but there will be everything
else. The floors will be of tile with fig
ures in mosaic; the walls will be deco
rated with the finest frescoing; the rooms,
1900 of them, will be furnished in the best
and most modern style and the beds will
oil hp of laPn1aTa6 lower
les will be of stone and the remainder
of terra Gotta. As planned the building
suggests the facade of the Mills build
ing the same arch effect being intro
duCed from the lower story up to just
below the cornice. 1t will be absolutely
fireproof well lighted, well aired. 1t will
cost 81 800 900 to build on the plans of the
millionaire, and he is already trying to
form the company to raise the money.
Such is the plan rapidly nearing definite
shape. 1t is all with an If, however, for
should the stock company scheme not
meet success the old idea of a two-story
horror may be adopted instead. The two
story building is likely to go up anyway,
but if so il may not remain longer than
but if it should happen that the big
building should not start. Baldwin says
he will be satified with what the small
will bring him
Il can put up two-story building for
a few thousand dollars" he reasons,
land / can get several thousand dollars
it would pay for itself in two months any
way, and then it would make me indie
pendent and / could look around and see
what l could do toward getting better
building. l want the people of this city
to help me, though. If they want fine
building on that lot they have got to help
me. l want to form a company and they
can come in and take stock. 1t will be a
good investment for there is not better
site for a hotel anywhere in the city and
there would be no trouble in realizing on
it. The people here want too much
though, They don't want to put their
money into anything that won't pay them
big interest. They could get SO or per
cent out of this; that's as good as Gov
eminent bonds, but | don't suppose you
can get anything out of this city. l don't
want Eastern capital. If the people of
this city want a good building there they
can have it, but they have got to help
build it
Report had it that Baldwin had already
proceeded as far as mortgag ing enough
of his property to raise million dollars