The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-03-23
BIGGER AND MORE
MODERN BUILDING
MacKay and Company Have Begun
Work on Their New Store And
Expect to Finish i'm Four
Months

From the ashes of the serious f1re
in the business section of Ocala on
February. 18th new buildings are al
ready rising. George MacKay & Com
pany, who suffered the heaviest loss
in the fire, Wednesday began the con-
struction of what will be one of the
handsomest mercantile buildings in
Florida. Within two weeks following
the fire and the insurance adjustments
clearing of the debris was under way,
and a week ago the MacKay company
began work on a new building for it's
undertaking parlors. Work on the
Chace and Gerig buildings is expected
to be started at an early date also.
Plans for these have not yet been def
nitely decided upon.
The new store building of George
MacKay & Company will not only be
much handsomer than the building
that was destroyed, but will be larger.
1t will be three stories in height in
stead of two, and will have an increas-
ed floor space. 1t will have a most
attractive front, and the interior will
be arranged in accordance with the
very latest ideas for mercantile build
ings, with the most modern fixtures
throughout. The building has been
designed to afford maximum of sun
light and ventilation. The front will
be of buff colored brick, with the
mortar indented, with plate glass
show windows on the ground floor and
large steel sash windows with prism
glasses on the second and third floors.
The brick panels and pilasters will be
ornamented. The entrance will be in
the center of the building through a
vestibule, with doors opening on
either side of central plate glass
show window A marquee, suspended
by chains, will extend across the en-
tire front. 1t is expected that the
building will be completed within four
months.
The main floor has been designed
for the hardware and house furnish
ing departments. There will be no
partitions, however. 1t will be one
large room, with the hardware de-
partment occupying the north half
and the house furnishing department
the south. The managers Office, book
keepers Office, cashiers desk and
vault will occupy position in the
center rear of the first floor, and will
be enclosed with partitions of wood
and glass. The vault will be within
walls constructed entirely separate
from the rest of the building, and will
extend up through the second floor,
the lower part being used for the
books and records of the mercantile
departments and the upper for the
drawings and records of the building
department. The building department
and presidents Office will be on the
second floor, on which will also be To-
Gated the furniture department. This
floor will be reached by a stairway
from the house furnishing depart
ment. The third floor will be used
for the present as a storage room.
In the rear of the building will be
the loading and unloading platform
and freight elevator. A feature OF
the building will be the number OF
doors and windows in the rear wall
These will be provided to give all pos
sible LIGHT and ventilation ON aocb
floor.
The building for the undertaking
department will be of brick construc.
tion succeed and of an attractive de.
sign. 1t will have two floors.