The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-21
LUXURIOUS OFFICES
new Workers Are ProdigaI in Mat
ter OF FurnIahfnra

NSr OF Furnishings
Au1ury-lovins New York is pouring uut
money as never before in fitting up the
oIIIelS VI trusts banks, insurance COM
pailles' firms and individual business men
"A wave OF prodigality in this resnsct ie
sweeping over the lower part of the civ
"here the wealth Of the metronotis a.
concentrated, says the New York Presg
Al last business men appear to recall tbot
the greater part of their lives is spent
IioC aI nome, but in the office, and the
general determination seems to he 70
make the office as attractive as tha hon.
ana equip 1t with as costly and as eIe'
CANT furniture VIC
ram dress desks, chairs, cases. tables
ana partitions with linoleum, or perhans
an Ordinary rug or carpet on the floor
USED 10 be good enough for most business
men, but now, under the influence of tho
epluemlc or luxury, the fine old wood
trim, perhaps mahogany, is ripped out of
onces and is replaced by other wood
either more costly in itself or carved
more extensively. The finest tvDe ~
desks that American handiwork can rro-
ouce Is given not only to high executive
ofncers but to heads of departments and
minor officials get frst-cIasa desI5s ~
quartered oak, which only a few wears
ago were thought good enough for the
TOP men IN the concern.
me five steel and tin plate trusts which
were formed while ago, and which went
down to the Bowling Green district to
hVe' nave spent nearly $4,000 in getting
installed in their quarters John II
Hazen, whose work in these companies
IS that Of special agent, has had direction
or the spending Of this big sum He fitted
up the two floors and a half Of the Rat
terry Park building for the American Tin
FIate company, the American Steel Hoon
company, the American Sheet Steel COM
mr. he.
ana also those Of the American Can com.
pany on several floors Of the Bowling
Green building Beginning with the bare
rooms which has been leased bv thesa
companies, the trust spent $35 900 at once
IN cutting out brick partitions and nut
ting In others, in dressing and tinting tina
vans, In changing and adding to the cleo
trio light fixtures and connecting all de-
partments by telephone in constructive
new vaults and in various other aItera-
lions OF this kind before the offices yvers
ready for the furniture.
On the part Of the owners of the buiId-
ings fair sum of money also was ex-
pended. Certain alteration they consent
ed TO make at their expense. and the to-
tai of this expenditure Is placed at about
SI6OJO When all this was done. tbo
equlpping OF the offices with the furni-
ture began. And this took a clean slOO-
VoO. The entire stock In two cities OF a
prominent desk manufacturer was bought
OUT and his output for the next two
Inohths contracted for. The desks Of the
oI1cers are of the finest that money can
buy short Of inlaying them with gold and
precious stones. They are of mahog-
any, and Of the latest pattern. One item
In the equipment Of these desks will give
mint OF how money flowed, in the fact
mat slIYer-mounted desk pads were pro-
Vlded at the price Of $40 each. The nm
1O-0dt6 Of
cry desk. All the minor Appointments
OF the desk are in corresponding elegance
or one or the companies alone 10 OO0
yards OF carpet, at $225 yard. were
used so that this single item adds s22
5Oo TO the bill. The carpets are all alike
: or the directors and officers a border
ls provided; for the others, none. The
offices occupied by the clerks were lad
Win Ilnoleum, at $150 a yard. Furniture
Couldn't be obtained fast enough at fret
ana even now there are heavy orders IN
nlled. The shipping and other clerks
were provided with pine tables at the
outset which could be thrown away or
oroken up when the new ones, of quar-
tered oak, should arrive, for Mr.. Hazeu
was determined that nothing but the best
Of each article Of furniture should ia
lesed eventually.
Inc American Can company operatea
throughout the country l12 factories al
In cans. When these factories vera
bought out by the trust place was mado
n the gigantic corporation which came
o New York to live for many of the Of
lcers OF the little companies. Some ~
hese, from fondness for their old deslra
n, perhaps, fearful that the trust would,
1t give as good ones to them, brought
heir old desks with them. These antfoui-
les IN the art Of desk making present in
leed curious appearance beside the eIe-
rant, up-to-date affairs which Mr.. Hazen
provided. Relics of the pIadn and econ
,mtcal age were some Of these veteran
Iesks. with fiat panels, single table tops
md all the hall marks of the unskiled
,ast.
The thrift Of these particular Western
men resembles that Of Uncle Russell
age, who, when he moved from the old
empire building Rector street and
broadway into his present quarters ia
nassau street, took not only all his old
esks, but even the old partitions, which
artly protected him In the Broadway
uilding when Norcross launched the
onnb at MIN,