The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-14
RICHMOND IS The
CITY BEAUTIFUL
Facts and Figures Gath
cred From the Building
News Of the Country.
GOOD HISTORY
REPEATS ITSELF
Inspector Beck Is the Baron
Haussemann OF Richmond-Old
Shacks of Reconstruction Era
Making Room for TWEEN
tieth Century Beauty
and Ornament.
BY FRANK 5. MnopsoA.

building operations in all OF the
leading cities and towns of the country
are on boom. From an advanced
sheet Of Construction News "a publ
cation in Chicago which tells once a
month all about building operations
the country over, / gather some in
'eFeaiinG facts. quote from the ad-
c3ncnd sheet:
Building in the leading cities OF tho
country foT March shows a variety OF
conditions, and upon the whole u gain
OF per cent over the corresponding
month year ago In the larger citicx
there was a handsome increase. with
the exception of Chicago, where the
hsures show n serious decrease as the
result OF the exceedingly cold wea :
thcr and labor troubles. illustrating
clearly Just how deplorabiy bad these
Two elements interfere with conatruc-
ZION, there being decrease Of 30
per cent. IN comparison with the same
month year ago. During the month
Just closed permits were taken out in
seventy three cities for the construc-
tion OF 1850 buildings. representing
an investment OF .I3.2s:,Sis, al against
z'771 buildings. involving fbtal in-
vestment of s69,lS0.339 for Ifhe cor
responding month year ago, de-
creaBe OF Sill buildings and sain
of h,l0i.eso. or per ceut."
Richmond's Good showing.
Hero follows table which shows
what seventy three cities did In
March OF this year. ana compa res
those doinss with those OF March Of
last year. This report shows that
Richmond started the building OF le9
houses last month, whereas Ia the
month OF March OF last year, the
ndildinS permits wcre FOR only ninety
four buildings. And yet the estimat-
90 cost OF the ie9 buildings OF this
years March was considerably less
than the estimated cost or the ninety
four buildings authorized 10 be erect
cd III the month OF March OF lsst year.
This is easily explained. In March of
last year Inspector Beck issued per-
nits for several Industrial buildings
warehouses. etc. that cost q good deal
OF money TO build, something like
100000 In the month OF March Of
this year, the tendency seemed 10 have
been TO residential buildings. and the
home makers came in Tor i2s permits.
or course. it does not take quite as
much money TO build little home as
i, does 10 build Zig warehouse
or a big ice cream factory or Il big to-
oacco factory. and SO, Whilc the num-
Der Of buildings that claimed ltccns
ed existence this past March was much
larger than the number to be given
permits the same mon.n or the year
past, the amount of money 10 be spent
in their erection was in the agsreSatc
considerably less. And SO ii appears
that while there has besn no let down
in the building activity. little less
money was put in circulation for
building this March than for the same
month OF last year.
Things Moving On.
Since this March repor, was closed
permits have been asked and granted
for more expensive buildings, sky
houses, big stores, theatres, costly
residences, etc. that will make tile
April figures something enormous. Al
ready the value of the permits eX
ceeds the value OF those for the whole
month of April of last year, and the
month is just half gone.
The better thought about al Of this
Richmond building boom IS that in
every instanc, architectural beauty md
ornament are characteristic of The
new buildings. he they business houses
on the skyscraper order, apartment
houses on the improved strcatS. tcnc-
ment houses. hospitals. private resi-
Jcnccs or What not. The peopic who
arc building, from the humblcst home
mp TO the skyscrapcr. sem to yc show
ing civic pride, and there seems 10 be
the most beautiful Of Southern cities.
History Rcpcntin,. Itself.
As everybody knows, Richmond about
half-ccntury ago was burned down
by the fires Of war. Tho rebuilding
was hurried and III way Was on the
cheap order The hurricdy bult ana
cheap houses OF ali kinds arc now
making way for better and more sub
stantial buildings.
}t,a
cheaply built up. Napoleon Ill came
along and overthrow the i3ourpuns.
lie had been iii power but u few weeks
before h decided To make Paris the
most beautiful city of all the world.
He told the Eourbors they must pull
down their old shacks and rebuild. He
put Baron liaussemann in charge OF this
work. The baron was IL regular c4ar.
and the protests of the Bourbons had
n, effect uopn him. True they wanted
To mob him. and did Try 10. hut he had
his orders from the Emperor and he
obeyed them. lie tore down and he
rebuilt, and yilc made other folks re-
build where h, tore down. and the re-
suit was that Napolcon's dream that
Paris should be the beauty of the
earth was realized before he Vert down
under German fire. On. the Bourbons
"cusaed" Baron IIausscmann to the hit
ter end, Isn't now their descendants rise
up and call him blessed.
heard a man say the other day that
Inspector Bcck Is the Baron liausscmann
Of Richmond May tho Lord grant IT,
Go ahead. Baron Beck, with Your
good. work 1t looks vary much s if
Richm md in a small way Is making
come right good history repeat Itself
In this connection want to say
that VIII Dabney Of tn. Chamber o.:
Commerce. said Ia ME the other day: