The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-18
The Rapidly Comm e
Great City of the Upper
James River Country.
CHAMBER HASDONE
WONDERFUL WORK
Building Development in Two,
Years-New Hotel and Old
One Enlarged-Looking to
Surrounding Counties.
Splendid Cooperation
Work Tells.
BY FRANK s. wooDsoN.


Nesting among the foothills Of tho
Blue Ridge Mountains. about i've.
hours Journey from Richmond. therai
is live community OF Central vir-
sinia that the writer likes to mako
pilsrimases to. Lynchburg. the "Hill
City" and one of the most hustlinr
cities IN the State. is the good old
town am talking about. and to talk
about Just now for quite while. The
commercial organizations there ought
to adopt a slogan-they ought 10 in
vaia6ly place after the name of
LynchourS the WORDS "Somethinr Do
ING. There Is always something do
ing In tho Hill City. and during tho
period since my visit there a Year
or more ago, and my last pop call. two
ecAs ago. the enterprising Chamber
OF Commerce has Accomplished some
great work. This organization ,s da'
ms thinEs TO pass through properly
directed and Intelligent effort. Tho
Lynchburs Chamber OF Commerce IS .
becoming a bigger factory every day
IN the development OF tho Hill civ.
and 1t is accomplishing results for
the reason that it hunts around to
find out what Lynchburg needs most
81
one thing until II is landed During
all of this work. however. i syste-
matte campaign of development. both
Tor the city itself and the counties
surrounding. through educational.
methods. farm demonstration worle
and advertising for homc-seekers is
industrially carried on The Hill CIR
Chamber believes that the surest ~
to build UP city is to build up tho
PACK country. and they are hammer
Ing home that fact in the most cra-
phic sort OF way by producing the
goods.
building Development.
am printing on this page to-day
photographs OF new buildings. either
| under construction or ust oomnietcI
which range in price from $4,000 up to
SSoo.oo0 and the smaller nsures only
refer 10 the block of dwellings typi-
cal OF the ones being erected in tho
Rivermont section OF Lynchburg. There
arc photographs of three larger
| buildings. an Office building for tho
Peoples National Bank OF Lynchburg,
| when VIII ne Increased to ten stores
the new Nirginan Hotel and the new
Federal Building and post ONCE. tho
prices OF which range around $780,
GOO each. and there is another photo
graph OF an iron furnace now under
construction which represents an ont
lay in cash capital OF over $4,000
Both the iron furnace and the new no.
tel We're made possible by the Cham
| Der OF Commerce.
A Chamber Tint Builds Hotels.
There is a good story OF grit and
determination behind the building OF
the new NirEininn Hotel in lynch
! burg When the Chamber OF Com
merce. which was inaugurated by re-
organization three years ago. began
10 cast about to sec what Lynchburc
needed most. IL decided that it was
another hotel and a good one, and
the Chamber at once set TO work to-.
get 1t Big pressure was brought to
| bear upon some OF the capitalists there
| to build one. but nobody would under
take the responsibility OF going it
alone OF such building as the COM
mercial organization desired. This did
not block the Chamber In the least.
1t started 10 build a hotel and when
! the private individuals wouldn't do
It. the Chamber got its committees
together and promoted the raising
OF the money by individual subscrip-
ton Something like 100000 was put
UP by the business firms ana citizens
OF Lynchhurg. the building company
was organized. contracts let for the
building and the hotel is now about
half completed. 1t is to be a fine
building OF reinforced concrete. abb
solutely hreproof. and when completed
will be one OF the finest though not
one OF the largest. hotels in the
state. Extensive additions and bet
terments are also under way on tho
Hotel Carroll. and this hosiery will
enter it's new life abou; October 1st.
modern in every respect.
Next to Greater Richmond.
In the cost OF building construc-
| ton from July l. 1911. to July 1. 1919,
Lynchburg is only exceeded In this
state by Richmond. and possibly Nor
folk. and both OF these cities are
more than three times larger than tho
I'm City, and therefore comparison ia
not possible During this period
Lynchburg invested considerably over
81 100000 in building permits. Dur
Ing the same period there was spens
for new sewers sl5aso.5a, for new
streets Sl1aS0SSe in addition to which
contracts were let Tor $4,000 worth
of additional street improvements.
| Several streets are being smoothly
! paved for their entire lengths OF sew
eral miles. including the famous Riv-
ermont Avenue which leads 70 Ram
dolph- Macon college. which has an
! enrolment OF 600 young ladies' mil@
Hon dollar plant OF halls and dormi-
tories. and is one OF only sixteen wo-
mems colleges in the United States
classed "a" by the United states De-
partment OF Education, and the onlJ
! one in Virginia. or the South. as for
that matter.
! LvnrhSurs has Jared exceedingly
wen. According to the Official reports
from the Chamber OF Commerce the
volume OF manufacturing business has
como over sixteen millions annuaIlS