The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-29
GREAT BUILDING
now COMPLETED | |. |. ! I. / ]
Mutual Assurance Society's New
Home a Magnificent Oh
fee Structure.
TENANTS ARE MOVING IN
Description Of the SiS Hundred
Thousand Dollar Strttctur.s
l3rected5by Home Firm i,ssS

The magnificent nine.story, fire proof
office building Of the Mutual Assurance
Society," easily the handsoi,,est and most
Imposing structure In the city IS now now
practically completed, and a portion OF o.
II has already been occupied by tenants
The splendid building was erected by Con-,
tractor John II. Wilson, Of this city, aiter
plans prepared by Clinton md Russell
architects. OF No. 80 Nassau Street New
York city. Mr.. II. y. d. Myers, Jr, Of
this city was the experimenting engineer,
and Mr. Samuel Neryeer, supervising ell,
g1neer for Contractor Wilson. The struc-
ture cost something over 5000, 900, the exact
figure not being announced.
In the construction of this building me
contractor has achieved tho unusual feat
Of completing his contract three months
ahead Of the time slinit and tenants are
already in the building The demolition OF
the old structures on the, site began March
l. 1904 and the site was cleared by pril !
18TH. Work upon the foundations was
begun Immediately and completed BY June
list, despite delay caused by q cave-in
while excavation was In progress. and
that incident tosthe discovery of n large
vein OF water beneath the structure. Work
on the steel frame OF the big building was
begun Immediately upons%completionss Of
the foundation land this was completed
September list FsThen the mas onrys sur
rounding the steel frame was constr
ed. The building WIS ready for occu-
pancy6by March list, have been erected in
less than ten months
The massive and towering structure Is
about 125 feet above Main Street level,
has a frontage on Main Street Of 104 feet,
and depth along Ninth Street front Of
14O feet, with area and ornate court en-
trance on the Ninth Street side. It has
| f,re-escapes from roof to alley in the rear,
and the building is itself as nearly fire.
proof as it Is practicable to construct
them The building is OF steel constitute
tion metropolitan system, with fire-proof.
floors and hollow tile partitions, the only
wood used In the building being for door
and window faclngs. 1t ils to be warmed
by low pressure steam heat. On every,
| floor there are two waterEmains with hose
attached and ample hose to reach any
portion of the floor.
Strictly Office Building.
The structure Is not to be used for mer-3
camille business OF any Kind being strict;
lily an office, building, the Main Street
floor being occupied by two banks and
other businesses than mercantile. There
| are in the structure 1893 office rooms, all
finely lighted, naturally and with alnpl.
| fresh air and excellent ventilation.
Some portions of the building have been
occupied since March 18TH the South At
i lantic Life Insurance Company having
i an elegant suite OF offices on the second
4 floor. MraJ. 7. Wilson, contractor for
4 the building, has a suite Of rooms for
| offices on he ninth floor. and will perma-
ncntlyE occupy them after April 18th The
New York Life Insurance has offices in
4 the building and is preparing them for
i occupancy. tss IN q
!. The Mutual Assurance Society's build
i ing Is constructed of a massive steel
i frame on granite, bases from the founda-
ton to the Main Street level The next
i eight floors are faced on the exterior with
i Indiana limestone, and the ninth floor Is
4 finished In terra Gotta, in ornamental de-
sign. The roof is covered with what Is
known n building phraseology as Thew
1 tiling.
The main corridor Is on the east side of
i the building, running from north to south,
with stairways and elevators reaching
$l.all the eight upper floors. This main cor
rider is finished with English vein and
i white Italian marble. and with ornate CELL
ling Of plaster. The basement corridor Is
lin white marble. Four passenger eleva-
A tors and one freight elevator ascend from
i the corridor. These elevators are OF She
i electrical elevator pattern put In by the
Il Otis Elevator Company, and all have the
very latest. design safety clutch device.
4 The carriages make the round trip, in
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