Omaha daily bee., 1912-10-21
Artistic Effect, Coupled with Plans
for Utility.
MARK EPOCH FOR ORGANIZATION
Reveal Extent Of Mercantile Growth
Of the City.
FORMAL OPENING HELD TODAY
Open House in Form of Reception
Will Bs Held I'm Evening, Be-
ginning Mt Eight O'clock,
for Three Hours.

] htSbCAy VA Oilidud- 1Oudy u
J Commercial club, which was born nine
teen years ago and started It's wor
for the upbailding Of Omaha industr
In the small quarters at the top floo
OF the Board Of Trade building, Six
teenth and Farnam streets, will estab
lish itself In the two capacious top floor
Of Woodmen Of the World building Four
teenth and Farnam streets.
Today marks an epoch in Omaha
commercial history because OF the fac
that the Commercial club, which is tn,
barometer Of business growth and &C
tivlty In this city, has expanded to twic,
Its size in the last two years, many
hundred times its original size, ant
forced itself into the largest and hand
soonest home Of the kind In the United
States. And 1t goes in there with tbs
largest membership Of any similar or,
ganization in the country and free from
debt.
This event will be celebrated Monda.
night at the new quarters by a recep-
ton which will last from 8 o'clock until
II, when members and their families will
go through the beautiful rooms and see
ize what 1t means.
1t ID hoped to have everything In its
regular order for this opening, with ad-
ditional decorations throughout, espe-
c!ally for the occasion. Practically all
the furniture. draperies and decorations
are now in place.
Lobby is Handsome.
| Guests will be taken in the elevator to
! the seventeenth floor and from the ele-
vator will go directly into the handsome
lobby of the club.
The eighteenth floor has been reserved
for the kitchen help Of the club and no
club members nor visitors to the build
ing will be taken that far.
The very first peep into the club is a
pleasing one. The lobby Is magnificently
decorated and In harmony with the rest
\ OF the rooms. II Is finished throughout
In blue and brown oriental effects and
the floor is covered, as the other ROOMS,
with a rich Bigelow-Lowell-W Wilton car
pet. AS the feet Of the visitor sink
into this hfs first thought is Of the
luxury and comfort Of the new home.
In corner Of the lobby to the right Is
an eight-foot marble stairway leading
up to the rest room on the eighteenth
the top OF which is a mantled light.
In the lobby the visitor will find the
information desk directly in front to his
right, at the side Of which are seated
the pages who will carry his messages
to anyone in the club rooms. A bulletin
board on the south wall is also for his
convenience. On it will be posted COM
mittee meeting announcements and gen.
eral bulletin information.
Down the hall to the right from the
lobby are the offices of the club, the
rooms for the commissioner and his as,
sistant, the traffic bureau and publicity
bureau. On the south side Of this hall
is the women's rest room, for the women
visitors. 1t is furnished with Elizabethan
furniture and replete with everything
suggestive of luxurious comfort. The
house committee paid more for the fur
nishings of this little room than for any
other single office room in the quarters.
OF the ES,751.H which was spent for the
furnishings and equipment of the new
quarters, quite a. little sum came out
for this room.
Furniture Striking.
The furniture and woodwork of the
entire place is Of Circassian walnut. The
offices are equipped with heavy desks,
chairs, filing cases. cabinets, coat rooms
and closets. The splendor of the busi
ness department equipment strikes the
visitor as he goes down the short hall
from the lobby into the public space in
front Of the long desk which shuts in the
and clerks to his left In
the northeast corner Of this floor is To-
Gated the commissioner room. It is
connected by q door with private room
to the south which will be used for i'm
portant committee meetings and visitors
Of the commissioner.
The doors to the offices of the traffic
bureau are directly In front Of the
visitor as he comes in from the lobby, |
and around further to his right are the
two rooms occupied by the publicity bu-
reau -.@.
To the left of the lobby is the big |
lounging room. Pillowed chairs and |
lounges are all about in this room and !
there are writing desks also for the con- |
genience Of the members. Connecting |
with this room on the south is the clubs |
library. in which public records. maga- |
zines and newspapers will be kept on |
file. The wide door between the rooms.
ike the windows all around them, will |
be draped with brown velvet trimmed in
gold. The lights are of candle design.
Coat Room Large.
On the same floor with these rooms
are the coat room with a capacity for
20 hats and coats. wash room with |
.en wash bowls, mirTored all around. and
he big billiard room. Six pool and ten
billiard tables OF walnut. inlaId with
oearl. are in these rooms together with
! complete equipment, including scores
II festoons and racks for balls and
.ues One Of the features of the billiard
-oom is the sound proof telephone booth.
In the old quarters the telephones in the
,ilhard room were made practically use
ess by the noise Of cracking balls and
,ues.
As the big asset Of the Commercial
Continued on Page Two)