The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-24
The Workto Begin Next Week.
TO Cost Six Hundred
thousand.
"ZlMMERMANN" HOTEL
is NOW ASSURED
plans III the Hands Of Richmond
Builders-Thc Contract to be
Given Out February 9th.
Bids for New Second
Baptist Church Opened
February 12tl.

rho contract for the Mutual Assurance
society's splendid office building at the
southeast corner of Ninth and NAN
Streets was late last evening aWardeo
to Mr.. John r. Wilson, OF tiis clts.
Colonel William II. Palmer president.
said last night that the cost Of the struc-
t,,,,. would be approximately 5000. GOO Z he
4 work. Is 10 begin February lst,s and Con-
5 Ira ctor Wilson Is under agreement 70
give the completed structure over to It's
Il owners within fifteen months, o. by
Nav 1906 The building is TO be nine
stories high above Main Street. ten
stories above the aliey In the rear ana a
basement and sub-bascment below tne
Main Street. level. The frontage along
Main Street will be 1eo feet. and the
depth to the alley WIN be 152 feet. Vir-
glnia granite, terra Gotta, Indiana lime
+ stone and gray brick will he the chsef
material employed.
The new structure will tower one story
( nboyc the first skyscraper OF the city,
the American Bank building w IN
i course OF erection, and will be the high
est ediflce in the South. save such sky
rcrapers as Atlanta has to- OIL IN Q Q
cost vii, exceed by several hundred tnouS- tfnou-
sands that Of any other structure ever
4 and the jefferson Hotel.
Was Battle Royal.
The plans for the Mutual Building,
MS 1t Is certain to be called. were pre-
pared by MessrsS Clinton and Russell,
( 81 New York city. Bids for It's erection
were submitted by several Of the leading
H contractors OF Richmond and other prom :
inent builders Of New York, Philadelphia
and other large Northern cities. These
bids were opened on Friday Of last week.
and adjourned sessions OF the board OF
directors OF the Mutual were held daily
until the decision last night.
About the middle Of the past week It
was learned that al offers had hsen
thrown aside save those of Mr.. Wilson
and the Tidcwatcr Construction Company
OF New York. Then came the battle
royal between Richmond and Northern
enterprise. and the friends OF both.
Thursday tho representative OF the New
York firm received such information as
led him to leave the city, giving up all
hope Since that time the board has
,.een working diligently in getting the
y details arranged for, tho final step which
placed the stlpendous task In tho hands
Of the cnterprlslng Richmond builder.
Spiendidly Built.
Tho base Of the structure WIZ be OF
Virginia granite to the first floor. Above
this. on tho Main and Ninth Streets sides,
Indiana limestone and terra Gotta Will
be employed. and in tho rear and on the
cast side gray brick will be used. There
Z are to be four passenger. elevators, and a
fifth for freight The entire building
Is to be completely fireproof. The offices
will be large, connected or nartitioned,
MS may be desired, and viii have every
modern appointment and convenience.
The Mutual" will occupy the first
floor. The City Bank, OF which Colonel
Palmer is president, will retain Its pres
ont location, rs It owns It's own home.
But already many have spoken for Office
space. and TIL, location and appoint
ments will insure q great demand for
filor space.
The new building will occupy the sites
of the buildings recently or at present
tenaDted by tho B, It. johnson Company,
8. Galeski Optical Company. ". s. Con-
stable and Company and Henry Schnur-
man. The Johnson Company are going
10 the building formerly occupied by
Drewry, Hughes and Company, Eleventh
and Cary; the Galeskl Company has al
ready moved into the new Whitlock es-
tate building Mt Eighth and Main; Con.
stable and Company will go to the store
= now occupied by Mr.. John M, Noting
ana Mr., schnurman will find com fort,
able quarters, Tho tearing down Of tho
vacated structures viii begin inside Of
ten days, .4f
Zimmerman" Next.
The Mutual Society is ono of the oldes
business organizations In this country
and one of the strongest. For many year
It has been called affectionately tn
"Old Mutual."5
Il And now for the "zimmermann!t Th
hotel by that name is-to he erected n
the northeast corner OF Seventh an
Broad at once. The plans for the struc
ture arc already In the city and the con
tractors are at work on them. Messrs
Wright, Blair & Co., Of Washington, ar
the architects and they have designed
handsome structure, eight stories high, (
cost not less than $25O,000, The bids wi
be opened IN this city February 9th, an
the contract then awarded gs
The "zimmermann," to be conducted b
Alderman William II. zimmerman, wi
be erected of gray brick up to tho secon
story. and OF red or buff brick tho re
naming six stories. The edifice will con
tain about 1875 rooms. all large and air
and bright.
The structure will add greatly to tn
!. appearance of Broad Street, and will hay
the effect OF increasing the value Of prof.
erty on the north side Of the thorough
This will make the third big hot'
n structure built between rs Seventh an