THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1907.
TO-DAY. IN
Marks the Passing of the Old City Into the New, and the Transition From Old
Ideals to New Standards of Industrial Supremacy.
LOUIS
Toddy in a M dny In fit. Louis. i
The big building operations of the bin
city of Missouri nave renrhed hlKh wiitor ;
mark In the completion of the handsomest
and moit substantia wholesale business 1
structure in the nt. The llrown Fhoe
Company WILL (M.ffPY TWO-TH1KD8
OF THE ENTIRE BROWN HLOCK. and
It la believed will have space and equip
ment f aclinic to handle and ship Fifteen
Million Dollars' Worth, of footwear per
year. Tha floor area will be more than
three and one-half (3S4) acres. It In the
largest, beat and most completely i
equipped building In the world used for
in" ainiriouuon or shoos rrom factories
to retallera The entire building has been
built and equipped t' produce greater
economies than has heretofore been known
In the handling of shoes, and Is-the em
bodiment of everything that Is flrst-rlnss,
and the keynote of our trade princlpl"
"WHERE QUALITY COL'NTSi WE
I.KAD." The completion of "The White
House on Washington avenue" Is therefore
Indeed an epoch In the shoe history of the
United States.
St. Ijnulsans and visitors to the World's
fair will remember the topography of '.he
business section.
, Up from the river across the first main
i level of the wholesale district. Bt. Louis
'loaches westward over gradually rising
; around to Thirteenth street, at which point
. a, broad acclivity sweeps up to a natural
summit at Seventeenth street and Wash
ington avenue.
And there, upon the most commanding
Its in the heart of the MOUND CITY,
looms the gigantic structure of the
"WHITE HOtSE" the "crl'l" of the
famous WHITE HOUSE SHOES, for men,
for women, nnd home of "BT'STER
BROWN" BLUE RIBBON SHOES for
boys, for girls.
It Is not too much to say that the splen
did edifice dedicated today to all that Is
best In modern business enterprise la re
i garded by the people or St. Louis as a
, fitting culmination to the triumph of west
, ern manufacture In making their city "the
I hoe shop of the world."
l Take the high speed elevator and run up
! to the roof amd look around for vourself.
i Here you are, away up out of the smoke
I and dirt of the old town, overlooking the
river, the Ends bridge and East St. Loui.
Away below you north, south, east and
west Ilea the great metropolis of the south
westa panorama of commercial activity
broad vistas of busy streets and the throng
, and clang of traffic. And near by. on the
' nouth. Is this country's greatest Union
I Station.
, The "WHITE HOUSE" overlooks them
And more, for In the BATTLE of BUSI
NESS strategical location counts as much
..In dollars and cents to the manufacturer,
dealer and wearer of shoes as does ar
tillery elevation in the deudlv conflicts of
war, and this situation of the Brown Shoe
iCompany's new stronghold means much to
the company and to the public In the
economy of centralization, immediate" fa
cilities In handling deliveries, quick ship
ments and prompt dispatch In the conduct
of a great business In all Its details.
Going up Washington nvenue through the
grand canyon of the wholesale district
rf St. IjduIs. the new structure Is easily
the most prominent thing In sight, and,
what is still more gratifying, the most
beautiful.
For art In commercial architecture has
until very recently been practically unat
tainable, due to the space requirements ot
! nearly all such structures.
. But. that the Brown Company has solved
the problem Is apparent to the most crit
ical eye, and the vast exterior of the big
simrture, from the nolld granite basts
char up to the cornice edge Is, done In
the finest style of French Kennlsnanee, the
entire face in Ivory-white enasnclod terra
cotta.
The effect Is that of the most superb
and splendid beiuty of designs, executed
without a single lapse of detail to mar Its
perfect finish.
Large plate glass windows, with orna
mental Iron frames, give light nnd ven
tllntion, and all the windows of all the
stories abue, on the Washington avenue,
Sixteenth street and Seventeenth street
sides are also of the best plate glass.
The construction Is absolutely fireproof,
floor arches and partitions cf hollow tile
flreprooflng, carried by st.?el columns,
beams and girders on cast Iron base
plates sunk to solid rock or resting on a
foundation of concrete. This steel structure
Is calculated to carry a load of 3U0 pounds
per square foot over every foot of floor
surface on all floors.
No modern building Is bettef built than
this from the fireproof point ot view, or
more solidly constructed from curb to
cornice, Insuring at once the fullest pro
tection to life, safety of stock and con
tents, and immunity from loss by fire or
interruption to business because of It.
Great credit is due and accorded to Al
bert B. Groves, the general and supervis
ing architect of the "White House," St.
Louis; and to James Stewart & Co., of St
Louis, general contractors.
FLOOR ARRANGEMENT.
The floor arrangement la perhaps the
best example of "applied system" In a
distributing house ever devised.
Convenience, easy and rapid communica
tion, economy, safety, lalior-savlng fea
tures of every variety are exhibited at ev
ery turn.
Waste, both In time and substance, has
been anticipated and eliminated; hardly a
useless step or an unnecessary movement
is possible in the great human and struc
tural machine which evidences the experi
ence. Intelligence, forethought and fore
sight of the men who have made the Brown
Shoo company what It is and the great
building which will help make It what it
la to be In the future.
BASEMENT AND 8UBBASEMENT.
Here are Installed the heating and cool
ing system, lighting system and power
plant.
HEATING AND COOLING STSTEM.
"The White House" above the first floor
Is heated by the latest Improved vacuum
system. Tha first floor and basement are
heated; by the most modern blast system.
AH the air, before being heated, passes
through the McCreery air washer, jthlch
In winter Is heated to a temperature of
70 degrees, and cooled In summer to a
temperature only two degrees higher than
the water from the city pipes; which means
that the temperature of the office, lobby
and salesrooms will be kept at practically
70 degrees the vear around.
LIGHTING SYSTEM.
The "White House" Is lighted with about
8,000 Incandescent lights from Its own
power plant. An eight panel switchboard In
this plant controls the lights on each
floor from the englno-room by a separate
switch. This means that, If the lights on
one floor should become incapacitated, the
other floors would not be affected while
repairs are being made.
This system, as well as all motors Tor
running elevators, carrier svstem, fans
etc.. Is run by Its own MAGNIFICENT
660-HORSE-POWER PLANT, which em
bodies everything that la latest and best.
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46
THE BROWN BLOCK
THE WHITE HOUSE
99
In Saint Louis
ON WASHINGTON AVENUE AT SEVENTEENTH STREET
New Home of The Brown Shoe Company
OFFICES, LOBBY AND SALESROOMS.
The general oltlces, lobby and sales
rooms, occupying the main portion of the
first floor, are Handsomely fitted up with
English oak fixtures and, desks to matcn,
with plate glass and brass grilles nnd
trimmings. The floor of the lobby and
sabsrooms will be THE INTERLOCKING
RUBBER TILE, which probably Is the
handsomes and best floor In use today.
The walls are wainscoted with DARK
TENNESSEE MARBLE AND WHITE
ENAMELED BRICK.
The Interior arrangement throughout
serves the double purpose of spacious and
commodious general ottice h atlquartcrs
with a view to pleasant and conitortable
business surroundings, not for a moment
forgetting the wise economy of rapid easy
business accessibility and the value of time
In handling smoothly the enormous trade
which Mows In and out of the big doors all
day long.
bHIPPINO DEPARTMENT.
The shipping department occupies nearly
one-half of the rlrst-floor space.
And here in the shipping department Is
one of the studied features or the building,
for the entire space Is arranged like that
of a first-class freight depot, with what are
called "Jackknlfe" doors, eight in number,
built along the entire St. Charles street
side of the building.
'The goods routed for certain railroads
are piled Inside of specific doors, so the
drivers of the shipping wagons always un
derstand when tliey will receive freight
for the varioui roads. The sidewalk con
structed on St. Charles street is such that
tha wagons mav drive close alomtside of
the building and the doors raised out of
the way for the freight handlers; thus the
cases, can be easily loaded on wagons with
out having to be trucked and piled on a
platform or sidewalk, as Is now the gen
eral custom. This means economy and
dispatch In the shipment of goods.
"Ship immediately; I need the goods
right now; am waiting for them," the cry
from many of the 18,000 customers of the
Brown Shoe company, has now lost Its
terror for the shipping clerks and freight
handlers of the big concern.
The years HKKt. ltMt. 105, have
each shown a acaln In shipments of
one million dollars over each pre
ceding; year, and for 19U the nsunl
annual million grain has been sur
passed by a good amount, regardless
of the Interruption In shipping on
account of siotIiiic operations dor
Ins; the Inst ten daya of December.
It Is not much wonder then that these
stupendous strides in growth and the un
ceasing activity of a superb sales organ
ization of one hundred and three live rep
resentatives hss not only necessitated the
construction of new factories, but has pro
duced the reality of the finest distributing
house in the whole history of the shoe
business of the country.
All the world loves a winner, and It is
now an established fact that the sales force
of the Brown Shoe Company Is sweeping
the country with good shoes from ocean to
ocean, from Boston to ,8an Francisco, with
their argument of quality-value and price,
that Is as true as It Is Important. The per
fact system of the Brown 8hoe company In
sures first-class service to dealers, and
colncldentally the greatest possible Bhoe
value to the consumer.
. The "White House" Is equipped with a
private Individual telephone central station.
All the factories will be directly connected
with this building by Ita private
individual wires. Telephones are so
placed that connections can be had with
the various offices without loss of time In
traveling bark and forth. Hurry call
for shoes from metchants In tH. Louis, or
throughout the entire country, can be Im
mediately taken care of through long-distance
connections.
AN AUTOMATIC CARRIER, especially
designed for the Brown Shoe Company,
with a capacity of UU) CASES PER
DAY, takes goods directly from the side
walk and delivers to any floor desired, at
the will of the receiving clerk. On each
floor the cases can be conveyed to various
locations by gravity carriers, there to be
placed In stock.
I'p on the eighth floor your guide stepi
off, to the left, and tells you as you follow
him that here Is the ASSEMBLY ROOM
if the company. Here will be held the
now celebrated semi-annual meetings of
the salesmen, where "the men that sell
the shoes" get together. And it means a
lot, this ASSEMBLY ROOM, to every
man of the Brown Shoe Company. There
trade comments and criticisms are cashed
Into corrected errors, weaknesses brought
to light, strong points are emphasised, and
everything that honest exchange of ex
perience and opinion can do to make these
shoes still better than before ts done In
the assembly room. Other meetings are
held here, as occasion arises, and a seat
ing capacity Is provided to accommodate
the entire selling force, together with all
staff men at headquarters.
THE GRAVITY CONVEYORS provided
In the "WHITE HDl'SE" are a system of
spiral chutes, which almost Instantly take
munis from the various floors, after they
have been packed, to the shipping depart
ment. Open cases of goods can also be
conveyed by thla system from the various
floors to the packing department,' the
equipment being -sufficient to handlo prac
tically any volume of business. This grav
ity conveyor system was especially de
signed and' constructed for the Brown
Shoe Company.
A PHALANX OF FACTORIES.
Nowhere In the West, and probably no
where, anywhere, Is there any shoe manu
facturing concern so Intelligently ar
ticulated In all Its parts or as strategically
situated; for, by its very location, the
management Is enabled to gather at one
grasp all the reigns of organisation.
No shoe house, perhaps, in the world
enjoys quite the same ideal labor condi
tionspeace In the ranks; willing work
men and workwomen and as loyal a le
gion as ever served any good cause In
anything. Skilled hands and good factory
morale and good services; and good treat
ment all around. You can't help but no
tice this in your turn through the factory
buildings; the way the smile peeps out
whenever you put a question or ask an
operative to explain some step or other in
the process; and it's a mighty good thing,
too, tor It helps mightily to make good
workmen, and that In turn helps good
workmen make good shoes.
Such, In brief, is the story of the
"WHITE HOUSE" In Bt. Louis, where
is located the vast establishment of tha
Brown Shoe Company, and you may pic
ture it to your mind's eye If you will
am a business nower. with Its staff mil
itant, so to speak. In the heart of
it, all Its divisions and contributing forces
ready In close position. A compact, or
ganized, aggressive business army, sup
ported by Loyalty, ' officered by Intelli
gence, regulated by Economy, drilled by
Experience, controlled by Judgment and
led by Enterprise winning the Battle of
Competition by the 8word of Buccess, un
der the banner of the Square Deal and
Honest Shoes.
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Located Eighteenth and Wash Streets, in the City of St. Louis.
Factories A and Ii, where are produced our WHITE HOUSE SHOES for men, for women the
shoes which were given a Double Grand Pria-e at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St.
Louis In 1904, tho only exhibit ot shoes given such distinction. Here are also made our USON
SHOES for women; retailed at $2.60 to 13.00.
'WHITE HOUSE SHOES have HIGH GRADE, FINE SHOE CHARACTER which at once classes
them In style and up-to-date features with tho best shoe productions of the United Stateu
WHITE HOUSE SHOES for women are rpld at 83.00, $3.60 and M-OO.
WHITE HOUSE SHOES for men are sold at 93.50, 94.00 and 85.00,
Annual producing capacity In value, of WHITE HOUSE and USONA SHOES. $3,605.00.
"BLUE BIBBOXr" PLAKT (Ho.
Located Jefferson Avenue and Mullanphy Street, In
3).
the City
of St. Louis
Factory F, where are produced our now world-wide known BUSTER BROWN BLUE RIBBON
SHOES for girls, rpld according to size, from $1.60 to $2.60; here are also made our almost
equally celebrated QUEEN B SHOES for women, a shoe of wearing merit and elegance of ap
pearance, popular retailers at $2.00 to $2.50.
Annual producing capacity in value, of BUSTER BROWN BLUE RIBBON SHOES for girls,
and QUEEN B SHOES for wpmen, $1,600,000.
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Located on block bounded by Russell Avenue, Allen's Lane, Twelfth and
Thirteenth Streets, in the City of St. Louis.
Factory D, where are produced our ENTERPRISE SHOES for women and
children, made In vlcl kid and box calf leathers, and in thla sale 'he
Company Is giving the greatest possible trade values from the stand
points of honest shoe construction, to give. wearing merit and at tiia
same t.me good style and titling qualities, at popular prices, so as to
"miiks same great evrry-day sellers for the trade. Here also is mado tha
; PAR VALUE, ur great Every-Day Work and School Shoe for Woraea
and Children sold according to sites at $1.25 te $3 .00.
, Annual producing capacity of value of ENTERPRISE. PAR
t VALUE, and other brand made m thla plant, $2,740,000.
"BUSTEH 1BOWX" PLAJtT (Ho. 4).
Located Seventeenth Street and Lucas Avenue in the City of St. Louis.
Here are produced, in Factory K, our BUSTER BROWN BLUE RIBBON SHOES for boyi, now
being sought after in all parts of this country, sold according to alio, from $1.76 to $3.00, and
In Fectory E we make our great REPEATER SHOE for men, In the various fine shoe leathers
in I Welts, popular retailers at $2.50 to $3.00 per pair;, also our famous MOUND CITY LINE,
which consists of high top shoes tor Sportsmen, Prospectors and Surveyors, as well as regu
lar cuts for Railroad Men. These shoes are retailed at $3.00 to $3.60 in regular cuts, and front
$3.50 to $8.00 in the high tops. 1 .
Annual producing capacity in value, of BUSTER BROWN BLUE RIBBON SHOES for boya,
and REPEATER and MOUND CITY SHOES for men, $2,010,000.
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MADE BY
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ST. LOUIS, U. S. A
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:
GEORGE WARREX BROWN, JOS. II. ROItLEE,
President. Vice Pronldem.
I. H. SAWYER A. M. ROBLEE
E. F. SHAW W. F. ARMSTRONG
GEORGE E. SOUTHWICK,
Sec'y. and Treaa.
RECAPITULATION
Of Our Presen Annual Manufacturing Capacity
"WHITE HOUSE" SHOES" Plant ... $3,505,000
"BLUE RIBBON" Plant 1,500,000
"BUSTER BROWN" Plant , 2,010,000
"HOMES-TAKE" Plant 2,760,000
"M0BERLY" Plant 2,250,000
Total $12,025,000
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K0BEXZ.T PLAJTT Vo. 6).
Factory O, where are now produced our famous
OX CALF SHOES for men and boys.
The leather fpr these shoes Is mude under our own special specifications
to supply the greatest value yet' produced In EVERY-DAY WORK
SHOES for the American people. It is the Intention of our Company to
i make this brand a standard of quality with the trade tot which It la
especially constructed.
This Is our latest plant, which started operation De. 12, 1901.
Annual producing capacity of this plant in value, $2,260,000.
MIL
LION DOLLA
MS
Manufacturing TrBr TTP IT 7W
Capacity Oyer & Y v lLlLs V lil
SZStSiZ OVER FOUR MILLION DOLLAR
S
PER
ANNUM
PER
ANNUM
0KrDa
OKI SKiniPIl'TS
Ir OK, .19.03 LsK 1905
WHERE QUALITY
s
COUNTS WE LEAD
$2) LI rj U i? S) n u u1 JJ 1? S)
