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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1905)
THE OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE. May 21, lftOC. Omaha in the Course of an Era of Great Building Transformation ( A . 4. . ... i VIS ffSifeii ;;-C'lMV . '4pd' lm?$-. -5 - -4--' '. - '-rapo t , ,' : i , -- ' Irr- i itZZl : iSJ lit., M. fe r MI 131 in h-l TOt'XO MEN'S nir.ISTTAK AESOCIATTON BUILDTTfO, WTITCH WILL BUS TOKN DOWN TO MAKE ROOM tXK TiliJ BiVANKElS STORJ3 EXC0ARNTraR ITScL5 ASS0CTATIW WniJIIKOTOll TIIB GREAT EHANDEI3 jjjQjff Mj'OKCH A HU ft'wi IIEIl' I N a decade photographs of Omaha present businesa districts will he as great curiosities as loturcd oC tha Famam street of twtnry years afo are now. No one who pretends to know anything about the city doubts that It Is rapidly outgrowing ls old shell, that Is to say, most of the hous ing that business Interests of all kinds ha a had for fifteen years. A transformation has set In that will leave the commercial heart of the town scarce recognizable In 1910 to a person who knows It perfectly well In 1903. The period of marked change began In 1!4 and Is advancing with ever Increasing force, gathering momentum and breadth on the way. All kinds of struc tures, private and public conveniences and Improvements of divers natures are af fected by the progress towards better things. Did you ever read what Kipling said about Omaha In one of the letter he sent back to an Indian newspaper when he trav ersed the United States from west to east In the middle, 80's? This reference Is somo what fresher than that regarding a cer tain set of verses by one John O. Sax concerning an earlier time, but It la. If any thing, less comforting. It would appear that the only things worth speaking that caught the young writer's eye In the Ne braska metropolis were the railway grade crossings. He pictured with his mind's eye much horrible butchery and transmitted these Impressions to paper with a thrilling artistic disregard for statistics; but for a verity the grade crossings were there. Thanks, however, to the energy of citizens, these obcesslons were forced out, and if Mr. Kipling should ever come to town gain the first thing that should be done would be to show him the viaducts and thn subways. It did not take twenty years to make the 'Kipling diatribe obsolete, either. Considerably less than half as long suf ficed. Growth of Fifteen Years. So it Is with other things. The Omaha Of fifteen years ago is nothing like the Omaha of today. In some respects the definite change that will be apparent in the im mediate future will not be so clear cut as the last one, for the periods of building up t ' .: - ; ft-'--'' . . .lUTv ,, a js3 III ; 1 PL - B TANKS OP THE NEW INDEPENDENT ETEVATOR COMPANY ONE FEATURE OF TIlE GROWING OMAHA ORAIN MARKET. NEW OMAHA COMMERCIAL COLLEGE AT NINETEENTH AND FA RN AM REAR OF THE NEW OMAHA SCHOOL OF LAW BUILDING SHOWN IN BACKGROUND. erected at Sixteenth and Howard streets next to the large Bennett department store building, only a few years old and a model of Its kind, property owners on North Six teenth street began to look worried. Not many years ago the great stone federal building was established on Sixteenth, just north of Dodge, and the location of this busy Institution made them feel secure. Many of these property owners are non residents and In the fancied strength of their position they went to sleep. The re sult was that one pf the first asphalt pave ments laid in Omaha was not replaced when It had given all the service that could reasonably be expected and became notorious as the most miserable street flooring in the city. The property owners simply could not be Induced to sign for new paving, thinking that the business was bound to stay in their end of the re- tall district, anyway. Inasmuch as the years ago, but was not owing to the lim itations of the lighting fund. Early In the year ordinances were passed by the city council and approved by the acting mayor directing the telegraph and commercial wire service companies to place all wires in. the retail section underground. The companies have complied cheerfully and by fall there will no longer be any reason for wooden poles downtown. The only poles that will remain on the best traveled streets are the small Iron trolley supports of the street railway company. Work of the Improvement Leasjrne. Another move towards enhancing the 'physical aspects of the city Is being made by the Omaha Improvement league and the Woman's club and has for its object the regulation and minimization of the bill board nuisance. The fight on the billboard is recruiting friends every year, and even and tearing down rotate like the crops only poBtomce waa located there. The Hoe gland with no other stimulus the occupation of more leisurely. When the last convulsion ensued certain advances were made that have the character of permanency and will remain through many upheavals and bet terments. As Illustrations, such structures as the city hall, The Bee building, New York Life building and the Boyd theater may be cited. These and other edifices like them were reared to stay and for man; a dayN to maintain respectability even 1ft such a marvelous lapse of time as an American half century. They were fore runners and exemplars for what Is oc curring today the bases from which the architects and the artisans are working. No matter what the achievement is, a dozen or more buildings downtown will remain as fitting parts of the greater Omaha, and among these the magnificent $3,000,000 federal building Is not least. But now, to the sound of the hammer, the tinkle of the mason's trowel, the noise less and effortless swing of the giant cranes and the wail of shortage of material, tha city Is fashioning a finer and more massive covering than ever before, and by virtue of the same Is compelling new measure ments of its importance and prestige. block, the promised Young Men's Christian association building and other signs of ao tivlty on South Sixteenth street woke up these landlords, however, and they yielded at last to beseechings from their Omaha agents and had a first-class paving put down. But they had waited too long to undo all the damage by a single stroke. This the merchants and real estate men along the thoroughfare appreciated and a few months ago organized the North Six teenth Street Improvement club. The or ganization proceeded at once toward meas ures having as their object the removal of many old frame buildings on North Six teenth street from Dodge to Cuming and their "replacement with solid, substantial and handsome brick structures. They began to negotiate with the landowners again and to secure profitable tenants for prospective new buildings. At the present time several new brick blocks are prom ised for this end of town and genuine ar rangements are being made to consummate the plans. The club also Insisted upon the Improvement of Jefferson square, a pretty little park and the only one In the business section, which for long had been neglected. The efTorts of the club were Immediately recognized by the park board and the city authorities and the way cleared to make the square what it should be. More I.lchts and Fewer' Wires. This organization also endorsed the plans for better downtown lighting advocated by Acting Mayor Zlmuian and City Electrician Mlchaelsen. The latter ever since his In duction Into office Insisted that the aro lamps suspended over Intersections from wooden poles should go and be replaced by ornamental Iron corner poles, both for .brick -and masonry cannot be put together 'lnet reasons and for better protection Room Needed for Bustaesa. The betterments are various and most generous In their scope. Realizing that the time has come when they must have more room so thilr enterprises can grow, else they stand still and depreciate, men engaged in all kinds of Industries have planned and are planning how to get what they need. As nearly every business man In the city is happily on the upward trend the demand for floor space is bunched and cannot be satisfied in a season or even sev eral seasons. Great, erdurlng plies of steel the vacant downtown lots by brick and tone buildings will force the boards out. The Omaha Improvement league, although organized only a year ago, has proved Its powers for accomplishing things in the way of beauttfication. The plan of offering prizes to school children has had good re sults and the league is about to transform a lot of ugly vacant lots at Twentieth and Harney streets into a free public play ground for children. The large membership of the league, the success it has had and the remarkable activity and flourishing condition of the score or more of ward im provement clubs In the city well Illustrate the spirit that has permeated the town for betterments, private and public. Coun cllmen now admit that the ward clubs are valuable factors In assisting them to dis tribute conveniences and betterments of various kinds, and in some wards an in dividual plea for a cross-walk or a street lamp has little or no weight unless stamped with the approval of the club. For the last three years the- clubs have met reg ularly and threshed out questions of great and small concern, all having to do with physical Improvement. To carry out some of their plans they have been forced Into nonpartisan politics and have become some thing of a power in this respect. Public ImproTenienta Progress. Public Improvements are not lagging be hind In the movement. A municipal asphalt plant is now under construction for the city, which will cost, when ready for use, about SIO.OOO. With it the city can keep the thirty-five miles of asphalt pavements In good condition all the time and by giv ing attention to small defects and cuts in the pavements, save ::iuch expense, be sides securing freedom from the conflcta and bickerings of paving contractors. Under the old system the asphaltum was repaired once a year, usually late in the summer, leaving more or less pavement in bad shape for about six months after the winter weather ceased. Since the city charter was amended so that paving specifications could be prop erly prepared and approved, agitation for paving has reached a point that has not been known since the old boom days, when the city was reputed the best paved municipality In the country. Petitions calling for work all over the city havo reached the city hall dally and arrange ments are progressing so that tho work will be done just as rapidly as the law's technical quirks can be satisfied. Prop erty owners all over town are standing ready with money In their hands to pay for the Improvements, and with the clear ing away of the old deadlock between the contractors they can get their wish. Bnlldlna- for Wholesalers. Omaha's wholesale district Is the envy of many other western cities, not because of its beauty, for that is a matter of small account, but because of the Immense amount of business that It transacts throughout the northwest in tho face of the fiercest competition. For a long time complaint has been made that suitable warehouses were not obtainable. This condition is not likely to exist for long, however. Information has been given out that Count John A. Crelghton is to erect two modern, brick, six-story warehouses on Jones street, between the Tenth and Eleventh street viaducts in the heart of the district. A new, larger and better structure is to replace the Mercer build ing in the commission district, whloii was destroyed by fire last winter, and the Millard estate building, occupied by the Klrkendall shoe house, which was dam aged In the same fire. Is to be recon structed and have another floor added. Like the other new buildings in the joT, blng ground it is to have electric elevators, automatic fire extinguishers and other up-to-date complements. The Crane company (steam, gas and water supply Jobbers) has begun work for Its six-story brick building 'at the north east corner of Tenth and Hasney streets. The building la to be of lleht press brick, with steel pillars and cement floors, and thoroughly fireproof. The American Radiator company's build ing at 413-17 South Tenth street, will take the place of a lot of frame shacks that formerly ornamented the main highway from the passenger stations. The struc ture will be of brick and will have five floors. Another commission dlstriot building to he constructed this year Is a five-story brick structure at Tenth and Jackson streets, that will enable the Wright & Wllhelmy hardware house to double its present capacity. These are only a few of the improvements In the wholesale dis trict. Others are planned and some have been started, and a great deal more is needed than has been arranged for. Better Construction a Feature. Not long ago Building Inspector Wlthnell commented on the fact that the most strik ing feature of the present building activity is the Improvement In the character of con struction. Solid stone, masonry, brick and concrete are tho order of the day and only the most substantial kind of constructions seem to be desired. Besides this a general trend toward absolute llreprooflng has set In and practically all the buildings enu merated are so protected against destruc tion by flames. Odious comments of this nature will soon be paBse in Omaha. Bla Brandels Bnlldlna-. The greatest betterments of all are taking place in the retail district of the city. Chlefest of these is the new Brandels department store, which will outclass any thing of Its kind between the Great Lakes and the Pacific. It Is not Improbable that this building will cost nearly $1,000,000 when finished, Including the cost of the land. It will occupy a full half-block, facing on Sixteenth street, Douglas street and Seven teenth street, and will be eight stories high, with a basement. The flreproonng alone will cost $100,000, being tho largest Job of this kind ever contracted for in the west. The materials to be used in the wails are stone and brick, and the designs, made by John Latenser, the architect, show that the structure will rank with the federal building, the city hall and the Audi torium In massive outline and beauty. The ground has been cleared, excavations are being made and the old Young Men's Chris tian association buldlng, an imposing and enduring structure. Is soon to be torn down to make way for the greater edifice. Y. M. C. A.'s New Home. The (new Young Men's Christian associa tion building will stand at the southwest as rapidly as could be wished. Even early In the season the avalanche of construction has caused complaints that brick and other materials cannot be obtained In proper quantities and that trained men to work are scarce. So for different reasons the new garment can't be cut, basted, sewed and finished on the instant, but there is more than enough in progress to bear out these statements about the new Omaha. Impetus to Expansion. Last year when annour.cement was made that the new Hoagland block was to be to life and property. The electric light and telephone wires already were burled and. no excuse remained for the ungainly wooden poles.- After something of a fight with the lighting company and tho making of a new contract whereby the price of aro lamps was reduced from $!M.50 to $15 a year, thus permitting 126 new lights, the efforts succeeded and arrange, nents are under way for the Installation of the poles. These poles will be not only at the street Intersections, but midway In each block, meaning that Omaha will have the down town lighting that should huve been put in One of Omaha's Clever Amateur Organizations Curious and Romantic Capers of Cupid Three Times His Bride. ANSA8 CITY springs the latest K 2 (o receive $1,000 from his estate. Harden is 59 years old and Is a rich widower. Miss f .nurthpr in Sft v.nru Tim inurpjurA triple romance. Frank H. Kump.. n Wen Brantedi capitalist, and Lucretla Kump t Married were married last week for tha third time. Forty-four years ago were first married. They had five one of them Frank H. Kump, in January, 1893, they children. who ts now 39 years old. Mra Kump was given a divorce from him and he settled upon her property and se curities worth $75,000. One week after the divorce Mr. and Mra Kump were married the second time and lived together four years. Then Mr. Kump left his home and during his absence he gave checks on his bank aggregating $4,000. Mr. Kump's family searched for him and finally found him through the checks. For his escapade Mrs. Kump got another divorce from him. In 1897, and they have lived apart sine then. For the sake of the ohlldrethey decided to remarry. To Marrr for H.OOO. A strange agreement has been admitted to record at Fairmont, Ind., In the office of the clerk of the county court. By Its terms Misa Gertrude Lowther of Ritchie county agrees to marry 8. W. Harden of Catawba, W. Va.. and to re main hia wife until hi death, when aha la York, where they wui live. by Trlea-raph. Mary C. Slaughter of Bowling Green, Ky and James Murrell of Fort Mackenzie, Wyo.. although separated by 3.000 miles, were united In marriage through the me dium of the Western Union Telegraph com pany. A minister was at each end of the line. The bride was attired In a white wed ding gown and the usual veil. She was ac companied by a number of friends, who witnessed the novel ceremony. Murrell's reiinufiit will leave In a few days for the Philippines. His wife will leave at once to accompany Mm. Not Too Sick to Marrr. Ill, but determined not to postpone her wedding day. Miss Edna Pope was married at Geneva. 111., to Enos Meyer, an advertis ing promoter. The marriage took place at the summer home of the bride's grand father, Charles Pope, the millionaire beet sugar manufacturer, whose Chicago resi dence Is at 1$ Lake Shore drive. The bride left a sick bed to carry out tha marriage ceremony. The wedding was a quiet one and the couple left soon afterward for NW ' . ' "' l'- fsP corner of Seventeenth and Harney streets, near the Boyd theater, and will be the second building on a heretofore unimproved block of ground. The plans are not com plete and It may be determined to rebuild the old association building with new in terior fittings and finishing and additions. The materials In the old building and Its general stylo are much too valuable to be broken up and sold for haphazard construc tion. The new building, however, will In any event be one of the best of its kind in the United States. Peter E. Her has promised the largest office building- yet erected In Omaha In the shape of a railway exchange building on his property at Thirteenth and Farnam streets. The plans are for sixteen stories and the idea is to have the building used as office headquarters by the railroads maintaining general and local offices in the city, it having been calculated that theso offices now scattered from Ninth and Far nam to Sixteenth street would more than fill the medium skyscraper proposed. Mr. Her has gone east to finance this building and he is very sanguine of its erection. An other project which he has on the go Is the reconstruction of the Her Grand hotel, so that it will have twelve stories, 300 rooms and be one of the finest hotels In the west. No hiatus In finances is holding this structure back, but a simple matter of leisure that has to be satisfied before any thing can be done. Woodmen Circle Headquarters. A pleasant bit of news that the wires carried to Omaha from Chattanooga the other day was that the Woodmen Circle, a fraternal organization with a large mem bership, had decided to put up an $80,000 office building by way of Investment and a place for headquarters In this city. The order has surplus funds now Invested In bonds, but Its financiers think the money would yield better returns in an Omaha building. An option on property Is held by Mrs. Emma B. Manchester, supreme guar dian of the order, who with the executive committee will proceed at once with plans for the erection of the building. The Wood men of the World and tho Ancient Order of United Workmen already have large office buildings In this city. Court Roue and Theater. A brief Inspection of the Douglas county courthouse Is sufficient to convince one that it was reared to outlast the memory of the builders' children's children, but it . has grown too small and there are many complaints about climbing the long flights of stairs leading to the halla of justice. Three courtrooms and the county attor ney's offices are now located outside. Plans are discussed by the commissioners for enlarging the building and putting in elevators and possibly bringing it down to the street level. At the best the physical characteristics of the building, by no means bad, will be changed more or less with an eye toward the modern and the best. The erection of the new Burwood theater by Woodward & Burgess on Harney street between Fifteenth and Sixteenth will give the city its fourth distinctive theatep building. The new Burwood will oost about $60,000, will be of brick and stone, with a front of Greek design, and will seat about 1.400 persons. It will be a thoroughly mod ern theater building, with every comfort and convunlenoe of the patron provided for. The stttKe will he nearly ns large as that at the Boyd and the general plan will b somewhat after that employed at the Illi nois and other recent theaters built in Chi cago and New York. The new Hoagland building, Just being finished and not yet occupied, cost close to $210,000 and for a long time will be one of the finest things In Its class In the city. Its facades are particularly handsome, wrought iron belnp used In the trimmings and decorations as well as stone. Other Important buildings ifnder construction in the business district are the four-story do partment store for Hayden Bros, on Doug las street and the new five-story structure for the Omaha Commercial college at Nine teenth and Farnam streets. On Furnam street farther west a number of Improve ments are under way. Including two brick automobile garages between Twentieth and Twenty-fourth streets. It is not improb able that the Bachelors' hotel building wilt be almost doubled lis size within a year or two. Expansion of Grain Business. About $500,000 is to be spent In Omaha this year In grain elevators and about twice this sum will be invested In the grain busi ness. The two largest elevators to be constructed are those of the Independent company at Thirty-first and Marcy streets and the Updike Grain company near the South Omaha lino. Each will have a ca pacity of 1,000,000 bushels. Th Independent elevator will consist of ten immense cylin drical tanks, each capable of holding 100,000 bushels. The Updike elevator will be built of wood. a The government haa planned to spend about $400,000 reconstructing old Fort Omaha In the north part of the city and making It fit for a training school for tho signal corps of the army. Contracts for about $100,000 worth of frame buildings have been let and brick officers' quarters, bar racks and an administration building, to cost altogether $300,000, are to be built. The site of the fort always has been a beautiful one and with the Improvements It will be one of the show places of the town. Activity In Church Construction The first attempt to Introduce the old .mission or Spanish renaissance type of architecture In this part of the country will be made In the new Roman Cathollo cathedral at Fortieth and Burt streets. Contracts amounting to $30,000 for the foundations have been let - and the total cost of the cathedral will be about $300,' 000. It will be entirely of stone and will follow the better lines of European church construction. The new Kountze Memorial church at Twenty-sixth avenue and Far nam streets and the First Christian church tabernacle at Nineteenth and Farnam streets are also important accessions to the religious property of the city. During the next few years a number of new public schools and fire engine houses and other public buildings are to be con structed. A magnificent new boulevard system ten miles In length Is to be built north and northwest from Bemls park, finally reaching Miller park on the extreme north and connecting with another boule vard system traversing the city from north to south further east. Riven-lew park la to be increased in size by the acquirement of a large tract 'of land fronting on tha river ami Omaha and South Omaha may combine In still another system of boule vards and parkways to include a great lagoon or lake. Close to $1,000,000 was spent In the con struction of dwellings last year, and the amount to be put in residences In l'A will probably double this figure. One new mod ern apartment house on Sherman avenue and Yates street to be put up by H. C. Strehlow will cost about $100,000. In dwell ings, as in business structures, the trend is towards better materials and nor en durlrur construction. The street car line extensions this year will Include lines to Fort Crook, iJelUivue and Forest Lawn cemetery. AsMe from this the Omaha, Beatrice & Lincoln nub urban ltflo will be built, connecting these three cities. Tersely Told Tales Both Grim and Gay El Ben Butler's Retort. NE of the best as well as the neat est hits made by General Ben Butler occurred during the fa mous deadlock on the civil rights bill. The question of adjourn- the conditions when he was- a boy and now that he was governor. He told of the advance in the last few years In indus trial conditions, and ended by saying: 'Veterans, the world Is much better now than It was when you were born," and CORONA ATHLETIC CLUB" I SASX BALL TEAM, ment waa under consideration, and General, every one of the veterans applauded loudly. 'And It will be better when you have passed to the beyond,' th governor con tinued. For u few minutes tho audience did not know Just how to take the remark, but Ilnally they derided to give the speaker the benefit of the doubt and applauded him." Washington Star. Good Advice. J. Hampton Moore, the new chief of the bureau of manufacture of the Department of Commerce and Lubor, Is noted In Phil adelphia for his perspicacity. Slim, quick, bright-eyed. Mr. Moure lia the appearance of a young man of elegance and leisure. He ts, tnsteud of that, a hard and success ful worker, and In Philadelphia his advlca upon financial matters is valued highly. A young woman the other day said to Mr. Moore: "I have Inherited $a,0uO. I hesitate whether to lnvat this money In govern ment tond. which pay only 8 per cent, or In Zaza gold mine stock, which pay IS per cent. What do you advise me to do?" Mr. Moore smiled. "If you want to dine well," ,he said, "choose the gold mine Investment; but choose the other If you want to aletg waii." Cluciauau Eca.uirara Butler had stepped over to Mr. Randall's desk for a private consultation, liutler favored a Sunday session. Randall op posed It. "Bad as I am, I have respect for God's day," said the democrat, "and I don't think it proper to hold a session of con gress on that day." "Oh. pshaw!" responded Butler, "don't the Bible say that It is lawful to pull your ox or your ass out of a pit on the Sab bath day? You have seventy-three asses on your side of this house that I want to get out of this ditch tomorrow, and I thlnit I am engaged in a holy work." Boston Herald. One on Secretary than, Mr. George W. Simpson, a business msn of Cedar Rapids, la., was telling a story on Secretary of the Treasury Shaw last night at the St. James. Mr. Simpson satd that his seeing sp many patriotic men and women in Washington at this time re minded him of the story. "Governor Shaw. It was then," said Mr. Simpson, "was telling an audience, which waa largely composed of Grand Army of the Republic men of his state, how the world waa crowing list tar. Ua pictured