The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-18
.pREsBYTEn|ANs ERECT
>FIREPR00F BUILDING
Publication Committee. Moving Into
New Concrete Home on
Sixth Street.
BUSINESS HAS GROWN RAPIDLY
Branch Of Church's Activity Doubles
Investment in Real Estate, and Is
Enabled to Equip Itself for Larger
Work.

Whilo carpenters are still busy with
iammer and saw on the interior work,
the Presbyterian Committee of Pub
lication has begun to move intoits new
fyc-story building on Sixth Street be-
tween Main and franklin Streets. BY
tho time the big structure Is fully COM
pleted, the immense stock of books
and periodicals will BIO installed, and
: the enormous business of the concern
Will be carried on without Interrupt
ton. The contractors Will turn tho
building over to tho owners on Novem-
Der 1.
Coincident with the formal occupancy
of the building. tho committee will
add new departments to Its business,
and will increase its number of papers
from fourteen to twenty-one. with its
| new facilities, for handling it's pro-
ducts. 1t is believed that the committee
VIII, In few years, double it's output
Its yearly sales havo increased ten
fold In the past decade, and further
advances arc confidently predicted.
LARGEST PATRON OF
RICHMOND PosT-oFFICE
:. 1t is hard to realize the enormous
business that Is being done by the
r.cepy teTiah Cnurcn through It's COM
mittee on publications. Some Idea Of
It's enormity may be gained by the fact
that the committee is probably the
largest patron of the Richmond post
ofhce. Its papers alone have a month
ly circulation OF more than 10000 900
copies. while they form only a part
OF the big business.
So great has been the growth OF the
work that 1t was found necessary to
erect new building to accomrhodate
II. A site was purchased on Sixth
street near Main Street, and the present.
building started. 1t was planned for
the work. and has every convenience
for carrying it on to the best advantage
The first floor Will be the periodical
department. Here Will be received the
i papers from the press. and then mailed
. out to all corners of the globe. The
floor Is SO arranged that the whole
issue VIII be received at one part of
the big room, and will be gradually
worked around until It is dropped into
the mail sacks ready to be carried to
. the post-otiice. The whole work will
. be done on a circuit, and no labor will
i be lost.
TRAINING SCHOOL
ON FOURTH FLOOR
On the second floor will be the re-
tall and mailorder book department
II Will have the largest stock In the
State OF Virginia. The THIRD floor will
j voted entirely to books and pamphlets
issued by the committee. This stock
- viii consist of theological works.
books OF sermons. missionary textbooks
and tracts for free circulation. These
| tracts are devotional, doctrinal and
evangelical, and number more than
. 100000 volumes a year.
The fourth floor will be reserved for
the Training School for Lay Workers.
which is TO be opened by the Presby-
terrain Church On the nth and top
floor will be located the administrative
Offices. There Will also be small
chapel and a library on this floor.
The new building fronts sixty-two
feet on North Sixth Street and extends
bnck 1-6 feet to an alley. and is en-
tirely surrounded by open streets and
alleys. thus affording unusual light and
ventilation for building in the heart
OF great clay 1t is five stories above
! a deep basement, and OF reinforced
concrete construction. with hand
some sandstone and tapestry brick
front with terracotta trimmings. It
ts thoroughly equipped for the pres
: ent and future needs of the growing
BUSINESS. and Is tireproof throughout.
GROWTH OF BUSINESS
HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL
fhe bulk of the business Is done
| With church workers. The committee
speclalizes on books and materials of
| foPSSiai " anu Sun-
lay school workers, but carries cur
Trent literature of the better class
eliminating sensational and off -color
fiction.
There are twenty ak persons en-
ployed by the committee directly, but
lit gives employment to larger num-
Der of printers than any other con-
Germ In Richmond. All of it's printing
: Is done by contract. and three firms
8are kept busy the year around on the
work. All of the printing. with the
Exception of two special colored litho-
graph jobs. is done in this city.
The publication and sale OF books.
pamphlets. ETC., has been a constantly
growing department of the committees
work, and the progress of the whole
work Is emphasized from the compare
tive statement of sales. covering the