Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-15
Contract Let for Hamburger'S Big Department Store
KNOWN

Llewellyn Iron works of this city on
Monday last, begins the construction
of what will be one of the largest
buildings devoted exclusively to re-
tail business west of Chicago. 1t is the
fruition of the promise made by the
Hamburgers to the people of Los An
geles to erect building for merchan-
disc purposes the equal, If not the su-
perior, of any in the west.
In the great Hamburger department
store there will be no less than $500 tons
of steel required for the skeleton frame.
This means 100000 pounds Of ma
terial, costing about s45O.OO0, To con-
vey an adequate idea of the magnitude
of the building, one has but to know
that this is larger tonnage of steel
than was used in the Fairmount hotel
at San Francisco and the Merchants
exchange of the same city, together
It is more than 1000 tons in excess of
the steel that was used in the Hunt
ington building in this city and about
five times as much as will be used in
the construction of the Tehama build
ing at the northwest corner of Seventh
and Broadway.
Home Material In Building
In the construction of this building
there will be used between thirty and
thirty-five thousand barrels of cement
for the $4,000 square feet Of floors and
the fireproofing of columns and beams.
Four thousand barrels of this cement
was purchased in Los Angeles for i'm
mediate delivery, so that the work of
~ ,4a tat, lie nd fhn
foundation might not be delayed. The
remainder will be imported by the COM
pany direct and only the very best
German cement will be used. Every
piece of material used in the construc-
ton Of this building will be the very
best of it's kind purchasable, as 1t is
the intention of the Hamburgers to
make their building model of it's kind,
and with this in view they have re-
Gently made a tour of the country
with their architect, A. F. Rosenheim,
for the purpose of inspecting the best
department stores of seventeen of the
most important cities. Their building
will embody the latest ideas and i'm
provements designed to facilitate and
expedite the work of handling the
business. ID SA.s
Corner Broadway and Eighth
The site, on the southwest corner of
Eighth and Broadway, has a frontage
of 300 feet on Broadway, 161 feet on
Eighth street, with wing or extension
running through 161 feet to Hill street,
with a frontage of 124 feet on that
thoroughfare, thus covering a ground
space or area of 10000 square feet. This
is 10000 square feet larger than the
Huntington building at Sixth and
Main streets, itself one of the largest
structures in the United States. The
building will rise five stories and
half above the sidewalk, to a height
of about 120 feet, with a twelve-foot
clear basement over the entire area
and a endorsement at the Eighth
street end, having clear height of
twenty-five feet, providing an area of
about 50x170 feet for the light, heat,
power and refrigerating plants, as well
as other machinery that will be required
for the cooling and cleaning and the
pneumatic tube system, which will be
be extensive. The stories will be of
the following unusual heights: Twenty
three feet for the first, eighteen feet
for the second and sixteen feet each
for the third, fourth and fifth, while
the attic will average eight and half
feet, and is designed to contain the
piping in connection with the heating,
Tentilating and plumbing systems.
Here will be located all the
workrooms used in connection with the
various departments of the store, such
as millinery, cloak and suit, tailoring,
dressmaking, window shades, carpets,
ETC., etc.
Ornamental Front
The materials to be used in the eX
terror are highly ornamented castiron
from sidewalk grades up to and includ-
ing the second story sill course, from
Hnhi iaIo m tIn 10 Of he Of
walls, full glazed or enameled cream
colored terra Gotta, the same treatment
being carried throughout the Broad
way, Eighth and Hill streets fronts,
along simple architectural lines. The
interior will be finished throughout in
selected mahogany. All stairways will
be of steel and concrete construction,
enclosed in fireproof shafts; likewise
the elevators, of which there will be
ten, as follows. six exclusively for pas
senger service, with cars of unusual
size, designed to carry from twenty
five to forty people; two exclusively for
the use of employees and two exclusive
ly for the use of freight. The freight
cars with be 6X11 feet each The type
of elevators to be installed has not yet
been determined but it is safe to
say that they will be of the latest and
most approved pattern, equipped with
all safety devices known to the lead
ing manufacturers.
Elevators and Moving Stairways
In addition to the elevators, it is the
intention to install a series of "escala-
tors,' or moving stairways, extending
from the first to the top floor, and by
means of which people can be carried
to the upper floors at the rate of 1000
per hour, far exceeding the capacity of
all the elevators. There will be a grav-
ity package conveyor connecting with
all floors and terminating in the ship
ping room in the basement of the Hill
street wing. In connection with the
shipping department there will be
city delivery. system which is believed
to be original in idea with the HAM
burgers, that of having the wagons
enter the basement by means of an in
clined plane, driving up to the dis
tributing parcel tables, loading and
driving out in the same manner. In this
way the street will be entirely free
of obstruction and both the firms
freight and its parcels will not in any
way Interfere with the public or Inn
pede the street. Two large entrances
on the Hill street wing provide for the
runway to the basement on one side,
and for the reception of freight on the