The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-30
Twelve Story Structure Will Be Erected
 There. 7
WORK BEGINS AT ONCE
First National Bank of Montgomery
 Awards the Contract.
Omce BuiIding Representing s7oosOOO wim Be Ready for Occupancy Next october--AnOther Hand some Hotel on Commerce
 street in sight.


 twelve-story' skyscraper will De built on the site of the present Moses Building overlooking Court Square by the First National Bank of Montgom- cry. Work on the building. which will be erected at an approximate cost of $3eo, 900, will begin at once and the new building will be ready for occu- pancy october i, 1907. The site and building will represent aA investment of $7OO.0Oo.
 Definite announcement as to the plans for the new building was made yesterday evening by President A. M, Baldwin of the First National Bank. The contracts have already been signed. The work will begin at once. The architects for this building. which will be one of the most modern and complete in the whole country. are Carpenter. Blair and Gould, of New York city. The contractors who will erect the building are Wells Brothers Company of New York. J. F. R. Car penter, representing the architects, and Walter J.. Smith. representing the big contracting firm, which will do the work. have been in the city several days awaiting the final completion and signing of the contracts.
 The details of this business were completed late yesterday afternoon and President Baldwin announced the com ing Of another great improvement to tho city.
 Model Steel Construction.
 The new twelverstory building will Be Qf the latest model of steel and nre- proof construction. Its architecture will be Of what is called the Modern Reconnaissance. Its construction will be of the latest and most approved style of of1ce building. The first three floors will be of fine stone. The remaining nine stories will be of brick and terra cotta with iron trimmings.
 When the new sky scraper is finish ed 1t will tower i've stories from its architectural vis-a-vis the New Ex- change Hotel It will tower four sto- rles above the present First National Bank building, even when the two new stories are added by its present owner w. F. Vandiver.
 The First National Bank is the pio- neer in building office sky-scrapers in Montgomery. It was the first firm or  modern. steel hre-proof office building, preceding by a couple of years the building of the New Exchange. This building, which Is at present occupied by tAe bank and is owned by W. F. Vandiver, was found to be in the lan- guage Of an officer of the bank. "a very profitable investment" The bank now follows that investment. after disposing of 1t, by building the second tallest building in the State, the tallest being the recently completed Brown Mar1 sixteen story skyscraper in Bir- Iningham.
 To Rage Moses BuildinE.
 To secure the site for the new struc- ture, the Moses building, erected sev- eraI years ago at an enormous cost will be razed to the ground. This fine building, the rentals of which for q year have in themselves been a small fortune, will furnish nothing else to the new steel structure but a site. The first work towards the construction of the new building will. of course, be tho tearing down of the Moses building.
 This building was erected only eigh- teen years ago. At that time the Moses building was thought to be years in ad- vance of the development of Montgom- cry and it was said by the wiseacres that Montgomery was not near large enough to have an office building of that size. And yet with that building still staunch, strong and in good condi- tion it is now being removed as an ob- staele in the way of greater progress.
 The Moses building, It will be recall ed, was purchased some months ago by w. F. Vandiver. After holding it a short while he exchanged it for the new office building which had been built by the First National Bank a little further down Commerce Street. The officers of the First National Bank particularly de- sired the site on which the Moses build- ing had stood. It marks the beginning of the financial district of Montgomery and is close to the retail district. It was believed to be the best site for a bank in all Montgomery Probably no dirt Tn Alabama is worth more, foot for foot, than this ground on which ths Moses building now stands and which in few weeks will give way to Mont gomery's growth.
 As soon as the wish of the officers of the First National Bank had been consummated and the building on the corner was in their possession, they be- gan to secure leases held bv ths ten ants in the building. It had been rent ed from ground floor to roof and was regarded as one of the most desirable office buildings in the city. At con siderable trouble and expense these leases were secured and every tenant movd out. The building has been va- cant and empty since October 1st
 Another May Follow.
 As a consequence of the announce ment of President Baldwin of the com pIetion and adoption of the prepared plans for the new twelve story build ing, it is expected that( plans will be announced in a few days for another tall steel building on Commerce Street 1t is expected that the Teague Gay Company which owns the southwest corner of Commerce and Bibb Streets will make public it's plans for tho new building that Is going up there. The wreck of the old Gay building is all ready practically torn awaI for the construction of the new building. but the plans were held up. IL was said, with confidence. that the adoption of the plans were suspended pending the de- nlalon Of the oflcers of the First Na-