The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-05
THE BEAUTY OF THE
NEW JEFFERSON
Palatial Richmond Hotel
Which Throws Open its
Doors Tomorrow.
WORK OF GOOD MEN
NOW COMPLETED.
New Jefferson Is Fireproof, and
in Other Respects an Improve
ment on the Old-Madc to !;
Meet All Demands Of
an Up-to-Date
Hosiery.


ferson Hotel will occur on Monday.
The reoccupancy of the entire struc-
ture will be an event in the city's his
tory no less noteworthy than the open
ing of the original Jefferson on tho
same site on October 81, 1895. Indeed.
the new hostelry, enlbodying the most
modern and approved Ideas In hotel
construction. will be vastly superior to
the old Jefferson which was conceived
and executed by the late Major Lewis
Ginter
The destruction by fire of the major
portion of the original Jefferson on
the night of March 20, 1901. was fol-
lowed by n temporary suspension OF
business, though nearly half the build
ing was left almost intact. After Il
few months the walls of the burned
portion were torn down to the second
floor. a temporary roof put over this
portion, and the Franklin Street por-
ton of the structure was reopened,
and has since been continuously Occur
pied and operated. In this condition.
however. 1t had but ITO guest cham
bers compared with about $50 in the
original building.
The new building, which Is an inn
proved and enlarged reproduction OF
the old, Is more substantial. more mas
sive in construction and more capacious
than the first. Above all and best OF
all, the new hostelry Is as absolutely
freproof as such building can be
| made.
Ready for Business.
| The completed structure will throw
open it's doors to the public on Monday.
| though all the details of interior fur
rishing and construction on the lower
| floors are not yet quite completed. AS
|! the hotel stands to-day 1t has, in addi-
| ton to all the essentials and acces-
series of a modern hotel, 420 guest
| chambers all .outsde rooms and adj
l,mirably lighted and ventilated, ele-
gantly and even luxur!ously furnished
and finished, and every chamber has
access to private bath This neces-s
| sty of modern hotel construction Is an
| advantage of tho new Jefferson over
| the old. The fireproof construction is
another and greater one and one which
cannot fail to prove an attraction to
| the tourist and the occasional visitor
| to the city.
The reconstruction OF the hotel is
| the splendid result of the public-spirit-
| ed movement inaugurated in March,
1905. by the JeffeSson Realty Corpora
ton, of which Mr.. Joseph Bryan is
president. The inception of tho res
building movement is attributed to Mr..
David Lowenberg, who secured an ops
| ton on the remnant of the old hotel
and the site. With this beginning Il
| joint stock company was organized.
consisting OF Mr.. Bryan, PRESIDENT:
president; and Mr.. Lowenherg, second
vice-pres ident and general manager;
and with Messrs P. II. Mayo. James
II. Dooley, Alfred T. Harris. Jr..a
and E. Raab. In addition to the officers
named, constituting the directors.
The definite announcement of the pur-
| chase of the property and the deter
| mination to rebuild 1t on a grander
scale was made by The Times Dispatch
| on the morning of March 1b. 1905, a
| little more than two years ago. The
| opening OH Monday will mark the full
and glorious fruition of a great public
enterprise In which the entire COM
munity feels a pride.
! The Cost of 1t All.
The cost of the old portion and site
Is said to have been little more than
100000. AS the building stands to-
| day, including everything. equipment.
| accessories, furniture furnishings and
everything else. its cost is said to have;
been about S1,500,0OO. In it Is COM
bined ideally the substantial and per-
manent, the elegant and artistic, and
all these assure the patron the safety.
the comfort and the luxury he may de-
sire. The hotel will be operated as a
commercial enterprise and at such rea-
sonable rates, considering the char
| acter of the accommodations and SER.
| vice. as will insure large patronage
| from the very opening day. Indeed,
1 the hostelry already has such large
| nucleus of patronage that it's capacity
is required at this season to house it's
/, guests. AS rapidly as the structure
could be completed and furnished it
was opened a floor or two at time un-
til now when it will be opened as q
whole The Jefferson Will be operated
| ha EIurOnep.Th
plans AS heretofore. it Will be under
] the management of Mr.. p. NJ Fry, ona
OF the most successful directors OF
large hotels In the South. and one
widely known to the travelling public.
1t was Mr., Fry who first placed the old
Jefferson on paying basis in 1900 and
1901, and it may be stated authorita-
lively that the hostelry had just begun
! to pay when tho disaster of March,
1901 wrought havoc with 1t. Its at
/ tainment of that prosperity had been
| a growth OF years. Now, however, it
will be a paying enterprise from the
very day 1t opens. With the tide OF
tourist travel surging back from
Florida and the Carolinas and Georgia.
/ its limited capacity has been taxed
during the spring, The regular travel
! ing patronage is also Very heavy. Dur-
ing this month the throngs OF visitors
| to the Confederate Reunion and a llttla
later to tho Southern Baptist Conven-
! ton will overflow all the hotels In the
city, All the summer tho Jamestown
Exposition travel and the thousands
attending conventions and large gath
erings of every description Will insure
an active hotel business, and the JEFF
ferson VIII get Its full share on Its SUI
perlor merits.
The Jefferson OF to-day, like it's pres
decessor, occupies more than an acre OF
ground, covering moro than half tha
/ area of the block bounded by Main.
franklin, Adams and Jefferson streets.
1 In addition to the area of this old hassks