The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-14
Richmond Concern That
Goes Out to Many
States of South.
WALKUP, BUILDER,
HAS HO NJ z HERE
Business That Goes Over Numer-
Gus States and Brings Lots of
Money to Richmond-Head-
quarters for Buying
and for Big Pay
Rolls.


for all kinds Of good things in the
mercantile line but it has become the
home for some of the largest among
the national contractors and builders.
few years ago a. NJ. Walkup was
attracted TO Richmond by some in
dustrial and building contracts in
which he was more or less interest
ed. The :rst bis building chat brought
him 10 EichUoud was the Catholic
Cathedral that is au ornament to the
city He came thus as an employee of
the concern that held the contract to
build the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Mr..
Walkup took a liking TO Richmond and
decided TO locate here and go into the
general contracting and building bust
ness He was man Of parts, and
had financial backing that at once
gave him q card To the folks that had
big contracts to make. Mr.. Walkup's
arst big contract on his own hook In
Richmond was the building of the
American National Bank building, and
ali of the people hereabouts know
how well he put that contract through.
| This good work gave him n reputa-
tion that was not only Richmond wide
and Statewide. but somewhat ma
tional
Making RichIuoud Famous.
Aftcr that he had no trouble in max
ing all the contracts he needed in
Richmond and Virginia and all over
the south Perhaps it was about 1900
that M Walltup first put out his shin
glo i'll Richmond. Since then his name
and his good work have made Richmond
somewhat famous in regions in which
: il was not before known along such
/ lines. He has made q specially OF sky
scraping buildings in the cities and OF
railway depots and buildings. In the lat
ter line | guess he Is the prince. Within
! the last decade he has built for vari.
GUS railway lines that touch in Vir-
gtnia and North Carolina and other
southern States not less than $50
buildings, mostly passenger stations
and freight receiving buildings. These
! buildings run in value all the way from
! S250,000 depots III the cities down to
the $4,000 rural railway stations, and
the bridges and the tresiles OF smaller
| value.
| Built His own Offices.
\. NJ. Walkup. for three and more
years past, occupied offices in the Amer
lean Bank building. and employed there
; a corps of stcnosraphers, draughtsmen
and architects. but having decided to
make Richmond his permanent home
j and his permanent office, lIo decided to
have a shop of his own. Accordingly
/ he bought some good ground on Seven
teentli street that has a big frontage
i on the Seventeenth end Of the big lot
but al the room he needs fronting on
; the &. i O. and : y l.. trackaEc for
| storage purposes and all the like of
that. Mr.. WallSup decided after max
I ing this purchase 10 make Office con-
vcnicnccs on the grounds, as well re
storage warehouses for his many kinds
of building materials. Accordingly he
erected on Seventeenth Street oftico
buildings that would bc a credit to any
city.
! There no has u splendid concrete
building that has just been completed,
in which are well-lightcd Offices built
according to his own notion as to what
| = great builders general offices should
| be. These include rooms for the archi-
tects, the cstimaters. the clerks and
the bookkcepcrS. The average reader
does not know, but the architects and
the draughtsmen do know the import
ance OF light and room in a great
building OF this kind. Mr.. Walkup
knew. and he built accordingly Tho
building l. three stories high. and In
all OF its arrangements it is com-
pleto outht for the business for which
it was designed
4 Richmond Shop.
While the business of Mr.. Walllup
actually extends over nearly a dozen
States and. lie employs men here. there
and everywhere, his home office is in
Richmond, and To this good town his
great building business brings great
deal OF money. In the home Office
many men are employed, and from the
same thu men in all OF the work over
many states are paid every week. Tho
home office alone employs perhaps fifty
men. and the big work carried on from
said home office employs vastly many
more. The weekly pay roll OF the con-
Germ often foots up more than $4,000,
and all OF this business is done from
the Richmond Office. Thus il happens
that the Walkup establishment, which
mas become essentially as Richmond
house. brings a whole lot OF money to
this good town, for be ii remembered
that the concern does all OF Its buying
right here. Perhaps there is not an
other Richmond establishment that dis