The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-24
READY WITH Cash
Santa Fe Will Spend 100000
in Topeka.
Two New Office Buildings Will
Cost Quarter Million.
ONE AT THE SHOPS.
Other Will Be an Addition to
General Offices.
Work Will Begin as Soon as
Contracts Are Let.

| According to the plans now being
| made by the Santa Fe over 100000
| will be spent within the next year for
| improvements in the company's equip
ment and facilities in Topeka. Among
the new improvements will be: A
new general Office building; a new Of
flee building to be erected somewhere
! near the shops, and a new oil house to
be erected within the shops, which
will be followed by the remodelling of
the old oil house for office room, and
the building of a two-story connection
between the present store house and
the present oil house.
The company is ready to start some
of these improvements as soon as the
be started before fall, and the work
on some of the improvements may be
deferred until next spring.
New $15O,OOO Office Building.
Within a few weeks work will be
commenced on new Santa F,e ONCE
building in Topeka. This building
will be one of the most substantial
structures added to Topeka for sew
eral years past. The new building
will be 75x15O feet and will be four
stories high, with a high basement.
The building will cost when completed
$15O,000. The announcement of the
new building was made from the gen
eraI managers office this morning.
lots in the rear of the present Santa
Fe office building These lots We're
purchased three years ago from j. W.
Reed, whose former residence now
occupying the lots is being used as
Offices.
The exact time of starting work on
the new building is not known to the
local officials. The plans have been
completed by the engineering depart
ment, and the appropriation has been
made for the work by the o1nclaiS WIZ
are in authority. But the actual WoIk
has not been authorized, although II Is
fully understood by local officials that
it is to start within d few weeks ana
be well under way by faH Ine new
building however, is a certainty ana
should work be delayed SO that II
would be impossf BILE to start work TINS
fan. the actual construction work VIII
be started in the early spring.
The new building Will be constructed
with a view to the future. The santa
Fe system is growing continually ana
it is necessary to add ofhce room 1of
the general offices from time TO tlIne.
The new structure viii provide plenty
of room for the time but later on fur-
ther additions will be necessary. For
this reason the plans which have been
drawn for this building are such that
additions can be made from time 10
time The foundation of the building
will he built with a view of supporting
many additional floors. The presenI
plans are such that eight addltlonal
Years. the officials believe, that the
new building will be a regular SKY
scrapcr. with twelve floors, which viii |
he bv far the highest business build
ing in the city and which will be much
higher than the state house, exclusive
of the dome. .,,.
The need of new office building
has been recognized among the Off
cials for many years The old build
ing. which was erected over twenty
Years ago, has long been inadequate.
Four years ago an addition was ou1lt
which somewhat alleviated the
crowded conditions but for some time
even this has been insufficient to care
for the large number of employees.
The Santa Fe now has leased sew
eraI of the available office rooms in
the neighborhood of the general Of |
flee building, and these are now be- !
ing used for the overflow. The tie
and timber department occupies sew /
eraI of the rooms on the third floor |
of the Smith building at Ninth and /
Kansas avenue. The time card force |
is occupying the rooms in the build |
ing Immediately south or the old |
Copeland hotel building. The tax de- |
partment was recently removed to !
the second floor of the Sterne build |
ing at the northeast corner of Kan /
sas avenue. And a number of the diff !
ferent offices are using the rooms in
the old Reed residence for extra /