The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-09
Old Hosiery Goes Down
to Make Room
for New.
1T TELLS STORY OF
RICHMOND GROWTH
Landmark of Many Years Must
Give Way to Twentieth Cen
tury Building, in Keeping
With Progress of City-In-
fluences Working To
ward Bigger City.


| prides itself upon is that the most of
the big things in the town are the re-
suits of healthy growth. and the Rich
mond man who can point to big thing
and at the same time claim that 1t
grew large from small beginning
! feels that he really has something to
be proud of. And he has. too.
Colonel John Murphy is a man VINO
: can point with pride to the way in
which he has huilded. and the pulling
, down of Murphys Hutel. at the south
east corner of Eighth and Broad
! Streets. to make room for the twelve
story new Murphys, is indeed an ocea-
sion for little pardonab BILE boasting in
the matter of Richmond development.
/ The old Murphy's was vacated yester-
| day, and tomorrow the "vandals'' will
! begin to pub down the landmark.
The work of the vandais is necessary to
make Richmond greater and rretticr
J md more lovely and more accommodate
/ ing to the thousands of people who
come hero to lind out about what great
things Richmond is doing Murphy's
has been affor'iing shelter for Just such
| people for 10 these many days and
weeks and months and years, aud now
to meet a new emergency. II must needs
enlarge. and Colonel Murphy is just the
man to meet IL Greater Richmond emer-
gency
| From Small beginning.
| Nothing can better explain the
| growth of Richmond and It's giaut
strides to greatness than the story Of
the growth OF Murphys Hotel That
story is we'll told in the illustrations
on the front page of the Industrial
| Section. but few, just L few. explain
atory notes may help out a little bit.
| Away back yonder in 1872 (maybc .
little sooner), John Murphy. a wounded
| Confederate soldier. started a little oys-
ter house and restaurant at Eighth and
Broad Streets. being willing to put III
| u whole lot Of hard work for the priv
ilege of making a living. He served
! the very best of oysters and in various
| other ways convinced the public that
| he was worthy OF patronage. There
| is no use of going into details; the sum
and substance OF the story is that the
oyster house grew into a hotel, and in
1886 Murphys Hotel sprang up at the
corner of Eighth and Broad.
The popularity OF the hosiery, grew
so that sixteen years aga Murphy Lad
to spread out. IN 1902 he Went across
| Eighth Street and bridged the same.
buying the overhead properly and
doubling the capacity of the house. In
| 1907 he had to go farther, and then he
| went down Eighth street 10 Grace and
built what is known as the Grace Street
end of Murphy's. 1t is now found that
| all OF this enlargement is not enough,
and there Is nothing else to do but to
pull down part Of the old. familiar
shop and make a twentieth century
layout. and that is the work that be-
gins at Eighth and Broad Streets TO.
morrow morning.
The Hotel That Ii to he.
The new Murphy.s Hotel will oe
twelve stories high and will cost $780,
/ 000 The furnishings .yill add Sl50,pQ0
, to the cost Everything about the new
building will be modern and complete
The lobby. which Will be ninety three
, by nfty-cght feet will be a beauty,
\ with its marble columns and all OF its
side rooms incased in marble. The
: dining-rooms and parlors will be in
: cascd in marble. The mezzanine doors
| VIII afford a magnificent promenadiis
c and Longing space, with dining rooms
, and parlors to the right and the left.
. These Will he over The lobby, and the
main dining hail. and AFFORD guests all
OF the comforts and all of the facilities
!, for observation that can be called for
= The building will have over 500 guest
+. chambers. to say nothing OF the many
o private parlors and private dining
: rooms and lounging rooms. In all re-
$ spects. the new Mur1hy's. which will
| be. according to the contract with the
) builders, ready for occupancy June /,
1918. will be a thoroughly up. to-datc, .
twentieth century hotel and travellers
home.
Just Dit Personal.
Col. John Murphy. who has built I'M
from the very ground This great estah.
lishment, IS a living example of Rich
inond grit and nerve. Starting from
the very bottom. he has built himself
right UP. and in the meantime has
!. done as much 5 any other citizen OF
this city TO build up Richmond In all
OF these years Colonel Murphy has al
ways been found in the front rank Of
Richmond boosters and workers for
the upbuiiding OF Richmond and Old
Virginia. He is a man OF few words,
and one or the kind who - IN the hab-
: It OF keeping his left hensl little in
< tho dark as 10 what his right hand is
p Going, and therefore there has been
: no footing OF his horn. out the ch5nces
!, are that when the records are fnally
> Murphy has done about as much as
: amy other one man 10 make little old
= Richmond the greater Richmond that
Z 1t Is.
~ While tho building is going on
i, Aturphy's viii keep opeu shop The
: Grace street part OF the house Will
lie doing business, and the offices.
:, which Manager Disney will preside
: over, will he at Eighth and Grace, in-