The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-02
DRAWING PLANS
FOR NEW HOTEL
Col, John Murphy Engages Ar
chitect PEBBLES, Who Is Ready
to Begin Work at Once.
WILL BE ELEVEN STORIES
Site to Be Cleared by May /,
With Whole Structure Com
plete in One Year.

Colonel John Murphy announced
yesterday the selection of John T.
INcvan rcebles. of Norfolk, architect
of the Jefferson md of tho Hotel
Richmond, as designer of the new steel
frame Grsproof structure which he Will
erect this summer on the site of the
original Murphys Hotel, at the sou IL
east corner of Eighth and Broad
Streets. Mr.. PEBBLES will begin at once
on plans ana specifications. and will
come to Richmond TO supervise con
struction. The work Of tearing away
the old portion Of the hotel will begin
May !. by which time the contract will
have been awarded and material or
dered for the new building. cons,ruc-
ton. of which will be rapidly pushed.
1t Will be completed in twelve
months, Mr. PEBBLES spent yesterday
in Richmond. and after conference
with Colonel Murphy and Manage.
James Disney. gave out the following
description OF the new building, ac-
cordng to preliminary sketches which
he has submitted and which have been
approved by Colonel Murphy:
Three Hundred Rooms.
TIE new hotel building Will contain
900 bed rooms and Approximately $50
baths. Each room will be an outsid
room. and each bath will have an out
side window. The basement is to BIZ
devoted mainly to II large billiard
room. with barber shop and bar. II
being possible 10 gain especially large
and commodious spaces for these
rooms the power plant will be To-
Gated in separate building.
There Will he three entrances to the
basement from tho outside--on tho
corner direct TO the barber shop or
Broad Street direct to the bar and or
Eighth Street direct to the Billiard
room---and also by three elevators
from the lobby.
The lobby or main floor will be 10
Gated about three feet above the Broad
Street level. and this height, together
with the slope OF Eighth street. will
serve to give ventilation to the base
ment. which VIII extend out under the
sidewalk, with prism lights in tho
pavement
Lobby md Dining Room.
Tho entire space OF the first or office
floor Will be taken M by the lobby
which will extend cntiraly across the
front OF the house md be about sew
cnty feet deep. To tho rear OF the
lobby and on the Same lsvel will be
the main dining room. ana back of
this. on the same level. the pantries
room will extend through two stories,
and around the dining room on three
sides ana partly around the big lobby
thern viii be wide balconies. In the
dining room these balconies Will be
used as dining alcoves. making con
venicnt place for guests coming across
the bridge from the Grace and Broad
Street annex. At the balcony leve
over the Office will ne n large banquc,
room. with windows fronting on Broad
street.
IN to the mezzan!ne level the build.
Ing is rectangular in shaps. GOVERN"
the entire lot Above the dining room
it takes the shape Of the letter II
having two main buildings separated
by open courts and connected by an
intermediate building. These court
will be about forty feet wide and thirty
feet deep. The bed room floors will
Ice so suhdivided that between each OF
the rooms there VIII come a section
containing the lection passageway
and bath The plans call for nino
stories Of he'd rooms, making ar
cleven-story building from the Broad
street 'front.'
standard Construction.
The structure will be of standard
steel tho two lower stories being fin
ishcd in stone. and the upper portion
In brick with terracotta trimming. The
external design has not yet been fnal-
~ determined. so that no photograph
of the building is yet available,
Mr.. PEBBLES said that Colonel Murphy
had instructed MIN TO provide that all
work is TO be OF frst-class, up-to date
character, With particular attention to
the effects TO he obtained IN the lobby
and dining room, which tha proprietor
insists must bc made 10 hold their own
not only with any hotel in Richmond.
hut with the best ideas OF hotel con-
struction In this country. TIE cost of
the new building is estimated by the
architect al 100000 this being a
rough estimate in advance of detailed
drawings and Specifications which will