Imperial Valley press., 1909-03-27

El Centro's building operations in dicate that the year 1909 will be the most remarkable in the city's already remarkable record. Thousands of dol lars will be invested in El Centro l this year in permanent residences, while the indications are that con- siderable extension to the business buildings will be made.
 During the present week the first floor of the Bill two-s story brick block on the north side of Main street, has been completed and several rooms have been occupied. This block gives eight new store rooms to the business l district.
 The first of these adjoining the Hotel El Centro is occupied by the Carey Land Company, which has util- 1 ized the large plate glass windows | for a handsome showing of valley products and pictures. The Fink tai loring shop occupies the next room; Collins stationery store has one room the Benson restaurant occupies 1 one. and the others are all engaged by tenants who will move in as soon as possible.
 Two rooms on the first floor of the | Bill block will be occupied at once by Murrell & Lamar, who come from Long Beach, and who will use one room for a confectionery store and the other for a fruit and vegetable market
 It is probable that the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Wells Fargo Express Company will jointly use one room in this block
 Several of the twenty rooms on the upper floor are rented and will be oc- cupied at once. Several law firms will be located in this block.
 The exterior walls of the Thomas | Beach block, at the northwest corner of Sixth and Main streets, were com pleted this week Good progress has been made on the interior work, and the north room on the first floor, fronting on Sixth street, is practical ly completed. It will be occupied as the City Hall after the first of April. The room is handsomely finished and we!l-lighted from both sides. The cor ner room in this block Is to be the home of the the First National Bank, and is assuming a condition which shows that it will be the handsomest banking room in Imperial Valley. The plasterers have been finishing the walls and ornamental beam work; and the laying of tile flooring was com pleted this week. The woodwork will be finished early next week, and the building will be occupied within two weeks. The room adjoining to the west is to be the new postoflice, and will soon be in readiness for use. It is probable that a suite of rooms on the second floor will be leased to an association of young men of El Gen. tro for club rooms. The front suite on this floor has been leased by Dr. Edward Mattocks, who comes to Fl Centro from Riverside.
 H, H. Peterson has bricklayers al work on his two-story building ad- joining the Bill block on the west with a twenty-five foot frontage on Main street
 A. Fink is completing the five room cement block cottage at the north west corner of Sixth and Olive streets
 G. D. Kennedy is completing a five room cottage on the north side of Brighton avenue, between Fifth and Sixth streets, and this has been leased by Mr. Ralston, of the Fl Centro Hard ware & Implement Company, Mir 1 Kennedy will erect another cottage on the same street.
 G s. Helms has completed his cot tage on Brighton avenue and now oc- cupies it with his family,
 Samuel w, Dunaway will soon be- gin the construction of a Mission. style cottage on his lot on Olive street It will have plaster walls, and wide extension caves, with deep porchei sustained by clinker- brick pillars.
 Mr Waehtell, of the Valley Stat, Bank, has awarded to J. L. Traver the contract for the erection of six-room cottage, 44xS2 feet, on th