Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-07
OMAHA INSPECTS
new FIRST NATIONAL
Magnificent Interior Profusely
Decorated with Flowers
Sent by Friends of
the Institution.
TO MOVE BANK ON SUNDAY

INV 4udttNt9 VI tht het ANnt'S'"'
bank at Sixteenth and Farnam streets.
The reception was held Saturday aft
crnoon from to 9, and the bank will
move the books and records over to-
day and be ready for business at the
new location Monday morning,
AT 2 o'clock the big brass-bar doors
were swung back and the crowds
which had been waiting in the OUT
side lobby began to pour up the short
marble stairs TO view the new quar-
tiers OF this old-established bank in
its fourtecn-story building. From that
moment until 9 o'clock at night, when
the doors were closed, the crowds
continued to file up the stairs and
stroll through the building. N
An orchestra struck up sweet
strains from the rotunda overhead;
pretty gifls pinned flowers on the Wis
itors and half dozen colorcd portcrs
in spotless white served punch.
Great baskets OF flowers began TO
/, arrive carly in the morning with the
compliments OF various business con-
Germs and individual friends and asso-
ciates OF the bank from Omaha, Me-
braska and other states.
Flowers Arrive Early.
Among the flowers which arrived
thus carly in the morning were those
from c. w. Hull, the Jcrpe Commits
! sion company, George H. Thummel.
NJ. w. Dimery, Hugh Z. Wallace,
Metz Bros, William T. Bacon and
Lucian Tctcr OF Chicago, /. B. Zim-
man, Frank w. Judson, Hess &, Swo-
boda, Clifford Dc Puy OF Des Moines
and Byrnc-H Hammer. After this hour
flowers veritably tumbled into the
palatial lobby from the other banks
in the city and business houses OF all
kinds.
The lobby is worked out in a Ro-
man colombo effect, with eighteen
huge white columns surrounding the
rectangular enclosure. A wide stair
way leads from the north entrancctl
Of the building up to the banks quar-
tiers, which are really OIL the second
floor.
The whole interior, the eighteen
columns, the floor, the counters and
the balustrades, are of pink Tennes-
(. see marble and everything above Is
shaded to keep the general tone. This
/ takes off the glare Of pure white
marble and gives soft handsome
and rich effect to the whole per-
\ spechvc.
Marble Of Pink.
Around the stairway is balus-
trade Of Tennessee marble, OF excep-
tional massiveness, containing five
great built-in seats heavily cushioned
with the finest leather upholstering.
A large clock looks down from
either end Of the lobby, controlled
by masterclock in the background,
which electrically. controls not only
these two timepieces. but some ten |
others in the basement, In the rooms
Of the First Trust company, and in
various Offices.
A deep arched ceiling of snowy
white and heavily figured swells high
overhead.
The quarters Of the main officers
are at the north end Of the room,
where are also several private con-
ference rooms, all furnished in finest
walnut with mahogany finish. Here
will be the quarters OF F. H. Davis,
c. T. kountze, T. l.. Davis, !. Allison
and Myles Standish.
I At the west side Of the lobby near
the south end will be the quarters Of
(, the city officers, Luther Kountzc, o.
T. Eastman and George Zimmerman.
Vaults In Basement.
In the basement two huge vaults
present such a mass of heavy alter
mating brass and polished Steel as
would make a modern battleship jeal-
Gus.
These vaults have among other ca
pacitics room for 5000 safe deposit
boxes. The old boxes. which the GUS
5 toners now have in the old quarters
at Thirteenth and Farnam streets,
will be moved bodily to the new quar-
tiers, where the new boxes will be
ready to receive the contents. Then
the customers themselves will come
to the bank and transfer their yalu-
ables from their old boxes to the new.
To Move Live Money" nv
, The big brass cash boxes ordered
have not yet arrived. This means
that the main bulk OF the banks
money will have to be left in the old
vaults at Thirteenth and Farnam for
few days, perhaps until the new
cash boxes arrive. In the meantime,
when the bank opens for business. at
the new location Monday morning,
enough money will have been brought
up to carry on the necessary business.
The live money as the bankers
say, will be brought up.
This bank spent sixty years on
lower Farnam street, and now, at last,
( 10 keep pace with the westward prog
ress of Omaha, has come to the very
hub of the city, the pivot upon which
the business life OF the metropolis
turns. Al
In lite cottage at Twelfth and
Farnam streets this bank began bust
ness. In those days the bank was
known as the Kountze bank, founded
by Herman and Augustus Kountzc.
In 1866 they built a two-story brick
building for their bank at Thirteenth
and Farnam. Then in 1888 they re-
placed this BY a six-story building,
which the bank ahas occupied until
now.
III the elder Kountze could only
be alive today TO step in here for
Just moment, wouldn't he SMILE"
5 was the exclamation of some OF the
prominent business men who stepped
in for a moment to look over the
rooms.
Come for Reception.
Members Of the Kountze family
IA from var;ntss narts NJ the rountvv arc