The Newtown bee., 1908-03-06

The public was cordially invited to
 attend the formal opening of the new
 store of F. A. Hull & Son, 1S3 Main
 street, Danbury. Wednesday, March 4,
 1908. It is one year from the date and
 time of the beginning of the big fire,
 and they have certainly got store to
 be proud of.
 Charles Hull, founder of this con-
 cern, was born in ISIS; learned the tin
 smith trade in Norwalk and arrived in
 Danbury in the spring of 1888. Two
 years later he married Hannah Am
 bier, daughter of Deacon Thomas Am
 bier, and in February, 1843, began the
 erection of his first place of business
 then known as No. 1 East street.
 This building is still standing as or
 iginally built, no change in either con
 struction or location, having been made
 since it's erection, nearly sixty-fve years ago. It is now No. 3 Liberty street, rear of Austin's furniture store, and used as barber shop. Mir Hull and his fathsr-in-law hauled the
 timbers out of the woods, hewed them on the ground and both of them worked on the construction of the building employing but little outside help. His old inventory book, started in 1844, shows that the business was successful from the start. In five years he was able to buy the Mayor Comstock place." corner Main and Liberty streets. and on this property he built two stores, occupying one himself and renting the other to W. F. Olmstead (better known and still remembered by many as "Firman Olmstead,") who occupied it many years as book store. Over his "Emporium," as it was then called, was Union Hall, the only pub lie hall in the village, occupied by the Odd Fellows and other societies. In 1865 Mir Hull put new front on his store (then Hull & Rogers') and built a three-story brick block, ad- joining it on the north, containing two stores, one of which was occupied for some years as a grocery store by James Osborne and by Parmelee $ Bradley and finally by Hull & Rogers as ,rockery store, and the other by vari- ous clothing firms, finally by Sam liar 'is, who occupied it at the time of the ''big fire" in February, 1890. when the entire block Gncluding the corner was destroyed by fire. MT Hull then sold forty feet on the corner and built fine four-story fire proof i olock' (so called at the time) on the seventy-one feet, Main | street front, which was occupied by F. | A. Hull & Co.,, until the recent fire on March 4th, 1907. Charles Hull died in S9l. After the last fire the interests # the other heirs in the property were purchased by F. A. Hull, who is now October, 19O7) completing on the old ite a strictly modern business block f solid concrete, reinforced with steel, ctually fire proof" the floors, walls, cams, pillars, roof and stairways, and ven the floors of the show windows be- ng made of concrete, and the office and ther partitions of asbestos blocks-so hat there will be no more fires, abso- ltely nothing to burn, except the mer- handise, the burning of which will not fleet the building. This will be the lost costly, as we'll as substantial and urable building in the city. The con- .ruction being what is known as "mon- Iithic" or the unit. system" It will g when completed. practically one sol rock, all parts being connected with ,ncrete. It will probably stand for ,nturies, as neither fires, floods nor lrthquakes will be able to destroy it.