Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-03
new BUILDING
WILL Be MODERN
HARPER e. MINTiRE STRUCTURE
WILL BE FINEST HARDWARE
HOUSE IN STATE.
FULL MILL" WORK.
Plant on Commercial street Is Being
Built to be Proof Against Fire.
Six Stories With the
Latest Improvements.

If the present fast work of erect
| ing the new Harper & McIntire Co.,
building continues until the structure
Is completed, all local records for
speedy construction will be broken.
! Although it has not been quite four
months since the companys former
home was totally destroyed by fire
the new building is almost half COM
| pleted.
The new six story home which 1s
now under construction will be the
! largest and most modern wholesale
hardware house in the state when
completed The building will be full
mill constructed and will be equipped
| with all of the latest modern conven-
fences. The building is to be ready
for occupancy February I, 1913. AL
! though the plans were hurriedly made
they were carefully drawn, and there
is not detail, that goes to make it
! a modern structure, omitted. The
Harper & McIntire Co., is one Of the
oldest wholesale houses in Ottumwa,
as we'll as the most progressive. The
new structure is being erected on
Commercial street where the former
home stood.
The Building in Detail.
The new building is brick and steel
with wooden floors. 1t Is being full
! mill constructed" or what is more
commonly known as the "slow burn
ing construction" In full mill con-
struction" work extraordinarily heavy
ioists are used for support between the
floors and the floors are guarded with
air shafts making 1t impossible for
a fo ION 70
floors are constructed in every story
and between each floor the joists are
protected by asbestos paper
ninety-three feet while it will be one
hundred and twenty-eight feet in
length. It will be six story struc-
ture, including the lower floor. The
building will contain $4,000 square
feet of floor space which will make
it rank as the. largest wholesale hard
ware house in the state. Much steel
Is being used tn the construction.
Will Contain Modern Equipment.
The new structure when completed
will be equipped with all of the latest
and modern conveniences. Two elec-
trical elevators to convey goods to the
different floors will be installed. The
elevators will be equipped with auto.
matte closing doors which will insure
against accidents by carelessness or
the employees in leaving the gates
open. A spiral chute for lowering
merchandise on the loading docks will
be installed. The chute will run down
the top story to the loading docks on
the bottom floor. The building will
be equipped with two source auto
matte sprinkling system which will
guard against the loss by fire. An
automatic telephone system will be
installed in the building and the CON-
pany will have its own private ex-
change.
Offices Will be Modern.
The offices as we'll as the office
equipment will be all modern. The
general offices will be located on the
ground floor. Another feature of the
new building will be the recess which
is to be constructed. This will permit
wagons and auto trucks being loaded
and unloaded inside the building.
The construction Of the new build
ing although just commenced short
time ago Is now nearly half completed.
The second story has been fully COM
pleted and the force of workmen are
now working on the third story. The
Ottumwa Mill & Construction Co., has
the contract for the new building.