The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-29
Mammoth Mills Store will Begin
Business Tomorrow.
Doors VIII Swing Back for Pub.
lie at 8 A. II.
PEOPLE ARE INVITED.
Will Be Shown Over the Build.
ing From Top to Bottom.
Those WhOAttended First Open
ing at Dinner.

The formal opening of the new Mills
s250.000 store and office building. which
is generally conceded to be the finest
structure of the kind in Kansas, will
| take place tomorrow. and It is expected
| that thousands of Tepekans will take
| advantage of the first opportunity to
see the interior of this much talked Of
| business block
The Mills building is today the
busiest place in the city. and while the
good" people Of Topeka are slumbec-
Ing tonight, a large force of officials
and employees of the company will still
be ION the job" preparing for the open
ing event tomorrow.
The store will be opened for business
at o'clock in the morning, but it will
not be until at night that the formal
opening will occur.
At O'Clock a tea will be rendered
fifty-two persons who were present at
the first opening of the Mills store June
20, 1888.
The general public is invited to in
spect the building from to II O'Clock
at night, entering at Ninth street and
| taking elevator for the fifth floor On
the fifth floor the visitors will take "a
look around" and then descend leisure
ly by the handsome stairway to the
the sights on the way.
The guests will leave the building by
the Ninth street entrance, and as they
pass out the ladies will be presented
with an attractive souvenir of the store.
A Bit of History.
A retrospective glance at this time is
interesting. 1t was in 1888 that w. W.
Mills established the store out of which
the Mills Dry Goods company has
grown. 1t was called the Mills McPher-
son Co.. the partners being H. H. Mills
William Mcpherson and sons, and W.
W. Mills. The store at that time was
located in the building at 7Os Kansas
avenue, but 1t utilized only one floor
125x25 feet.
In 1888 the store was moved to 72S
Kansas avenue. occupying only the
| first floor and basement In 1890 two
other floors were secured, and this adj
ditional space sufficed until 1908 when
building was erected adjoining the
one the company then occupied, giving
total of 10000 square feet of floor
space. The present building contains
10000 square feet of floor space or more
than two acres
1t is claimed by, the Mills company
that their building is the most modern
| and best equipped fireproof dry goods
store between the Missouri river and
the Rocky Mountains. Five stories
and basement will be occupied by the
Mills company WQ1l6 the TWO upper
| floors will be occupied by doctors, dent
lists. and others who wish modern Of
| flee rooms, the outside suits having
with an exception of one or two, al
ready been leased.
The basement will be the place where
the bargains" will be found, but this
portion of the store will not be ready
| for the opening event tomorrow Or
| the first floor will be a general stock
! of notions. on the second floor are To-
Gated the offices. and here piece goods
will be found; the ready-to- wear de-
partment is on the third floor; the mil
linery. hair goods, manicuring, an6
dressmakirg departments, etc, will be
on the fourth floor; on the fifth fool
the restaurant will be located and also
the carpet department.
Some Interesting Features.
| One of the features of the building
is the unusually large number of plate
| glass windows which admit of enough
| light to give the building a CHEEKY as
pect. In fact there is in all a THIRD
of an acre of plate glass in the struc,
1 ture.
1t required wire enough to almost
! stretch from Topeka to Lawrence tt
1 install the electric lighting and tele-
phone equipment, or more than 20 miles
of it. The building is equipped with 3:
| Bell and SO Independent telephones II
| connection with the vacuum cash syS-
tenn there is more than a mile of stee
and brass tubing. These facts give al
idea of the bigness of the bushes:
| building
| Now to mention some of the interest
| ing features of the building The meg
canine floor above the ground floor a
the rear of the building is somethfn:
in which the women will take keen de
| light. Every comfort is provided 70
the woman who wants to rest for .
| few minutes. or wait for some one sh,
| is expecting to come down town t
! shop with her.
1t is provided with toilet rest anC
hospital rooms, writing desks and tele.
phones.
The Transfer Station.
| Then there's the transfer station
which is being installed on the frs
floor especially for the convenience o
lout-of-town shoppers and Topeka PEG
pie who have a number Of purchase
to make. When a buyer makes a pur
chase in several departments, all h.
has to do Is to call at this exchang
when he is ready to leave the building
and there he will find all the good