The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-19
FIVE STORIES HIGH
Immense Wholesale House to
Be Erected in the Spring.
VIII Be Located at First and
Kansas Avenues.
DEAL HAS BEEN MADE.
Joab Mulvane Has Purchased
the Property.
Parkhurst-D Davis VIII Occupy
the Building.
TO EXPEND $4,000.
Room Is Required For the Firm
to Expand.
VIM. Schick Buys Property to
Build a Factory.
Room Is Required For the Firm
to Expand.
VIM. Schick Buys Property to
Build a Factory.

Two big mercantile and industrial en-
terprises will soon transform the old
mill block" This block fronts on Kan
sas avenue and is bounded Crane street
on the north, Jackson street on the west
and First avenue on the south. Joao
AIulvane win erect a mammoth building
on the corner of First and Kansas ave-
nue. for the occupancy of the Parkhurat-
Davis Mercantile company
on the rear of the block William
Schick has bought almost an acre Of
land fronting on Jackson street, upon
which he will build a mattress factory
and store houses.
These two sales of the land involved
are closed and the Mulvane transfer
was recorded today The sales were
made through James A. Troutman, at
torney for the owners Mrs }. ;. Emery
and Mrs Emma A HOlcombe, heirs or
the late Jacob Skillman, OF Rochester
\. Y, are the late owners
Four lots on the corner of Kansas
and First avenues, constituted the plot
purchased by JOab Mulvane. The total
feet in depth; $4,000 was the consideIa-
ton for which these lots have now
changed hands
Upon this corner Mr.. Mulvane will at
once set about erecting a wholesale gro
cery house, five stories high, with base
ment, covering the entire lots He has
already leased the building to the Park
hurst Davis Mercantile company for a
term Of 20 years The building will be a
brick and stone structure of a most
modern type of construction. An archi-
tect's estimate of the cost is $4,000.
With the land value included, the cor
ner. now occupied by an unsightly bill
board, that Stares across the tracks at
the handsome Rock Island depot, will
be occupied by a $4,000 investment and
q thriving mercantile enterprise before
the next summer is ended This con-
templated structure will be one of the
first to be begun upon in early spring,
after plans are definitely drawn and
matured.
The Parkhurst-Davis Mercantile COM
pany, for which this commOdious struc-
ture is intended, is not only the largest
mercantile enterprise in Topeka, but IS
well known as one OF the leading whole
sale houses in the west. It does a busi-
ness annually of nearly S5,00Oo00, by an
accumulation Of trade rolled up in the
seventeen years of its existence This
business was started in a small build
ing. so X 100 feet, in North Topeka, in
1883. Three or four years later it was
moved in the firms present quarters in
the s'old mill block" This large brick
structure, three stories in height with
basement, 70 $50 feet, is grossly inad-
equate now to hold the growing busi-
ness.
Concerning their expansion project
Mr. Frank Parlzhurst said. 1T is true
we expect to have the new building put
up for our occupancy. Such a building
can not be gone ahead with immedi-
ately at this season of the year, and, in
deed our plans are not yet fully crys-
tallized. All I can say is we shall have
a modern wholesale grocery house;
commodi0us offices. large WarerOOmS
and salesrooms and ample storage IA
cilities. It viii be five stories high, with
basement, equipped with electric ele-
vafors and steam heat.
We have given no thought to de-
IN.
that the matter Of loading and unload
ing goods on the Kansas avenue pave
ment was an annoyance and incOn-
Venience. ssbut shall probably arrange
TO have the handling Of goods in and
out conducted on the side street, in
stead Of in front.
The need of more room for our bust
ness is pressing. It is not a case of
bursting through the roof, but it is a
fact that in the attic or space between
the girders. we have some hardy goods
packed away. This building is 75x150
feet, three stories and basement. There
are carloads of goods left on the track
until distributed that never get in the
building We don't talk of the size Of
our store, still we sell more goods in
the state of Kansas than any other
so1ne idea of the amount of business,
| may say we do four and a half mill
lion TO five million dollars g year.
With their present business the Park
plOyes on its payroll The expansion
contemplated will triple the business Of
Tope6a's biggest mercantile establish
ment.
MR. SCHICK'S BUILDING.
Immediately in the rear of the present
Parkhurst & Davis building are the
eight lots of the Spillman estate pur-
chased by VIM. Schick. They are each
Of 25 foot frontage and $50 feet in deDth
Fronting on Jackson avenue they ad-
join the property of the Topeka Coal
company, and extend in frontage within
two lots Of the corner of Crane street
and overlook the City park
Here is where Mr. SchicS will erect his
mattress factory Owing to Mr. SchfclS's
absence from the city on a trip to CHI
cago. some particulars of his intended
enterprise are not Immediately availabis.
1t is his purpose to place a manufactur-
ing plant on the site. as his present
plant is inadequate This Improvement
viii IN all proba bility be made at about
the same time that the new grocery
house goes up
Mr-SchicI's mattress manufactory and
wareroOms at present occupy three
buildings on Kansas avenue. Nos. l27-
131- The factory occupies two floors and
a basement Offices, storage and sales
room occupy the remainder The buiId-
1ngs are Is feet front and in depth vary
from SIS to loo feet. Thirty hands ara
employed and ~ the fall rush they have