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Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began on January 2, 1870. The first work entailed the construction of two caissons, upon which the suspension towers would be built. The Brooklyn side's caisson was built at the Webb & Bell shipyard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and was launched into the river on March 19, 1870. Compressed air was pumped into the caisson, and workers entered the space to dig the sediment, until the caisson sank to the bedrock. Once the caisson had reached the desired depth, it was to be filled in with brick piers and concrete. However, due to the unexpectedly high concentration of large boulders atop the riverbed, the Brooklyn caisson took several months to sink at the desired rate. Furthermore, in December 1870, the timber roof of the Brooklyn caisson caught fire, delaying construction further. The "Great Blowout", as the fire was called, delayed construction for several months, since the holes in the caisson had to be repaired. On March 6, 1871, the repairs were finished and the caisson had reached its final depth of 44.5 feet; it was filled with concrete five days later. Overall, about 264 individuals were estimated to have worked in the caisson every day, but because of high worker turnover, about 2,500 men in total were estimated to have worked in the caisson. Despite the high turnover rate, only a few workers were paralyzed. At its final depth, the caisson had an air pressure of 21 pounds per square inc.
The Manhattan side's caisson was the next structure to be built, and to ensure that it would not catch fire like its counterpart had, the Manhattan caisson was lined with fireproof plate iron. It was launched from Webb & Bell's shipyard on May 11, 1871, and maneuvered into place that September Due to the extreme underwater air pressure inside the much deeper Manhattan caisson, many workers became sick with decompression sickness during this work, despite the incorporation of airlocks. This condition was unknown at the time and was first called "caisson disease" by the project physician, Andrew Smith. Between January 25 and May 31, 1872, Smith treated 110 cases of decompression sickness, while three workers died from the disease. When iron probes underneath the Manhattan caisson found the bedrock to be even deeper than expected, Washington Roebling halted construction due to the increased risk of decompression sickness. After the Manhattan caisson reached a depth of 78.5 feet with an air pressure of 35 pounds per square inch, Washington deemed the sandy subsoil overlying the bedrock 30 feet beneath to be sufficiently firm, and subsequently infilled the caisson with concrete in July 1872.
Washington Roebling himself suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of caisson disease shortly after ground was broken for the Brooklyn tower foundation. Washington's debilitating condition left him unable to physically supervise the construction firsthand, so he designed the caissons and other equipment from his apartment. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, provided written communications between her husband and the engineers on site. Emily understood higher mathematics, calculations of catenary curves, strengths of materials, bridge specifications, and intricacies of cable construction, and so she spent the next 11 years helping supervise the bridge's construction. After the caissons were completed, piers were constructed atop each caisson, upon which the masonry towers would be built. The construction of the towers themselves was a complex process that took four years. Since the masonry blocks were heavy, the builders lifted the blocks using a pulley system with a continuous 1.5-inch-diameter steel wire rope, operated by steam engines at ground level. The blocks were lifted via a timber track alongside each tower, then maneuvered into the proper position using a derrick atop the towers. The blocks sometimes vibrated the ropes due to their heaviness, but only once did a block actually fall down.
The suspension towers started construction in mid-1872, and by the time work was halted for the winter in late 1872, parts of each tower had already been constructed. By mid-1873, there was substantial progress on the towers' construction. The Brooklyn side's tower had reached a height of 164 feet above mean high water, while the Manhattan side's tower had reached 88 feet above. The arches of the Brooklyn tower were completed by August 1874. The tower as a whole was substantially finished by December 1874 with the erection of saddle plates for the main cables at the top of the tower. However, the ornamentation on the Brooklyn tower could not be completed until the Manhattan tower was finished. The last stone on the Brooklyn tower was raised in June 1875 and the Manhattan tower was completed in July 1876. The saddle plates atop both towers were also raised in July 1876.The work was dangerous: by 1876, three workers had died by falling from the towers, while nine other workers had been killed in other accidents.
While the towers were being constructed, in 1875, the project had depleted its original $5 million budget. Two bridge commissioners, one each from Brooklyn and Manhattan, petitioned New York state lawmakers to allot another $8 million for construction. Ultimately, the legislators passed a law authorizing the allotment, under the condition that the cities would buy the stock of Brooklyn Bridge's private stockholders. Work proceeded concurrently on the anchorages on each side. The Brooklyn anchorage broke ground in January 1873 and was subsequently substantially completed in August 1875. The Manhattan anchorage was built in less time, having started in May 1875, it was mostly completed in July 1876. The anchorages could not be fully completed until the main cables were spun, at which point another six feet would be added to the height of each 80-foot anchorage. The first temporary rope was stretched between the towers on August 15, 1876, using chrome steel provided by the Chrome Steel Company of Brooklyn. The wire was then stretched back across the river, and the two ends were spliced to form a "traveler", a lengthy loop of wire connecting the towers, which was driven by a 30 horsepower steam hoisting engine at ground level. The next step was to send an engineer across the traveler rope in a "boatswain's chair" slung from the wire. The bridge's master mechanic E.F. Farrington was selected for this task, and an estimated crowd of 10,000 people on both shores watched him cross. A second traveler rope was then stretched across the bridge, a task that was completed by August 30. The two traveler ropes would then be used to create a temporary footbridge for workers while cable spinning was ongoing. The temporary footbridge, located some 60 feet above the elevation of the future deck, was completed in February 1877.
By December 1876, a steel contract for the permanent cables still had not been awarded. There was disagreement over whether the bridge's cables should use the as-yet-untested Bessemer steel or the well-proven crucible steel. Until a permanent contract was awarded, the builders ordered 30 short tons of wire in the interim, 10 tons each from three companies, including Washington Roebling's own steel mill in Brooklyn. Ultimately it was decided to use 8 mm Birmingham gauge crucible steel, and a request for bids was distributed, to which eight companies responded. In January 1877, a contract for crucible steel was awarded to J. Lloyd Haigh, whom Roebling distrusted but who was associated with bridge trustee Abram Hewitt.
The spinning of the wires required the manufacture of large coils of wire, which were galvanized but not oiled when they left the factory. The coils were delivered to a yard near the Brooklyn anchorage where they were dipped in linseed oil, hoisted to the top of the anchorage, dried out and spliced into a single wire, and finally coated with red zinc for further galvanizing. There were thirty-two drums at the anchorage yard, eight for each of the four main cables, of which each drum had a capacity of 60,000 feet of wire. The first experimental wire for the main cables was stretched between the towers on May 29, 1877, and spinning began two weeks later. All four main cables were being strung by that July. During that time, the temporary footbridge was unofficially opened to the general public, who could receive visitor's passes; by August 1877 several thousand visitors from around the world had used the footbridge. The visitor passes ceased that September after a visitor had an epileptic seizure and nearly fell off.
As the wires were being spun, work also commenced on the demolition of buildings on either side of the river for the Brooklyn Bridge's approaches; this work was mostly complete by September 1877. The following month, initial contracts were awarded for the suspender wires, which would hang downward from the main cables and support the deck. By May 1878, the main cables were more than two-thirds complete. However, the following month, one of the wires slipped, killing two people and injuring three other. A subsequent investigation discovered that J. Lloyd Haigh had substituted inferior quality wire in the cables. Of eighty rings of wire that were tested, only five met standards, and it was estimated that Haigh had earned $300,000 from the deception. At this point, it was too late to replace the cables that had already been constructed. Roebling determined that the poorer wire would leave the bridge only four times as strong as necessary, rather than six to eight times as strong, so the inferior-quality wire was allowed to remain and 150 extra cables were added. The contract for the remaining wire was quietly awarded to the John A. Roebling's Sons company, and by October 5, 1878, the last of the main cables' wires went over the river.
Not everyone supported the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, and there was substantial opposition from shipbuilders and merchants located upstream, who objected that the bridge would not provide sufficient clearance underneath for ships. In May 1876 these groups, led by Abraham Miller, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the cities of New York and Brooklyn. Ultimately, the Supreme Court decided in 1883 that the Brooklyn Bridge was in fact a lawful structure. After the suspender wires had been placed, workers began erecting steel crossbeams to support the roadway, as part of the bridge's overall superstructure. Construction started on the superstructure in March 1879, but as with the cables, the trustees initially disagreed on whether the steel superstructure should be made of Bessemer or crucible steel. Ultimately in July 1879, the trustees decided to award a contract for 5,000 short tons of steel to the Edgemoor Iron Works, based in Philadelphia, to be delivered by 1880. However, by February 1880 the steel deliveries had not started. That October, the bridge trustees questioned Edgemoor's president about the delay in steel deliveries. Despite Edgemoor's assurances that the contract would be fulfilled, the deliveries still had not been complete by November 1881. Brooklyn mayor Seth Low, who became part of the board of trustees in 1882, became the chairman of a committee tasked to investigate Edgemoor's failure to fulfill the contract. When questioned, Edgemoor's president stated that the delays were the fault of another contractor, the Cambria Iron Company, who was manufacturing the eyebars for the bridge trusses; at that point, the contract was supposed to be complete by October 1882.
Further complicating the situation, Washington Roebling had failed to appear at the trustees' meeting in June 1882, since he had fled to Newport, Rhode Island. After the news media discovered this, many of the newspapers called for Roebling to be fired as chief engineer, with the exception of the Daily State Gazette of Trenton, New Jersey, and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Some of the more longstanding trustees including Henry C. Murphy, James S. T. Stranahan, and William C. Kingsley were willing to vouch for Roebling, since construction progress on the Brooklyn Bridge was still ongoing. However, Roebling's behavior was considered suspect among the younger trustees who had joined the board more recently.
Construction on the bridge itself was noted in formal reports that Murphy presented each month to the mayors of New York and Brooklyn. By early 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was considered mostly completed and was projected to open that June. Contracts for bridge lighting were awarded by February 1883, and a toll scheme was approved that March.The New York and Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May 24, 1883. Thousands of people attended the opening ceremony, and many ships were present in the East River for the occasion. Officially, Emily Warren Roebling was the first to cross the bridge. The bridge opening was also attended by U.S. president Chester A. Arthur and New York mayor Franklin Edson, who crossed the bridge and shook hands with Brooklyn mayor Seth Low at the Brooklyn end. Though Washington Roebling was unable to attend the ceremony (and in fact rarely visited the site again), he held a celebratory banquet at his house on the day of the bridge opening. Further festivity included the performance of a band, gunfire from ships, and a fireworks display. On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the span.
The bridge had cost US$15.5 million in 1883 dollars to build, of which Brooklyn paid two thirds. The bonds to fund the construction would not be paid off until 1956. An estimated 27 men died during its construction. Since the New York and Brooklyn Bridge was the only one across the East River at that time, it was also called the East River Bridge. Until the construction of the nearby Williamsburg Bridge in 1903, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, 50% longer than any previously built. Less than a week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, ferry crews reported a sharp drop in patronage, while the bridge's toll operators were processing over a hundred people a minute. However, cross-river ferries continued to operate until 1942.
At the time of opening, the Brooklyn Bridge was not yet complete; the proposed public transit across the bridge was still being tested, while the Brooklyn approach was being completed. On May 30, 1883, six days after the opening, a woman falling down a stairway at the Brooklyn approach caused a stampede, which resulted in at least twelve people being crushed and killed. Subsequent lawsuits failed to find negligence on the part of the Brooklyn Bridge Company. However, the company did install emergency phone boxes and additional railings, and the trustees approved a fireproofing plan for the bridge.Public transit service started with the opening of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway, a cable car service, on September 25, 1883. On May 17, 1884, one of circus master P. T. Barnum's most famous attractions, the elephant Jumbo, led a parade of 21 elephants over the Brooklyn Bridge. This helped to lessen doubts about the bridge's stability while also promoting Barnum's circus.
This particular product indicates "Pure White" and "Whitest" snow, but the fibrous, fluffy material used is predominantly amosite asbestos, which is more of a beige coloration in this product.
Not certain what is meant by "Cleanest" either, the highly fibrous amosite asbestos tends to leave residual fibers wherever it touches.
One thing is for sure, it is definitely "Fire Proof".
This shows the Northern arm of The Horseshoe Weir on The River Derwent at Belper, Derbyshire, England, UK. The UK OS Grid Reference is SK345481.
The small town of Belper was founded by Norman monks who called it “Beau Repaire”, which approximately means “lovely sanctuary”.
The weir was installed in 1797 to provide sufficient hydraulic head for a breast-shot suspension wheel that powered the early cotton mills of Jedediah Strutt. It is listed Grade Two Star.
The structure was built to power the West Mill and by 1820 impounded some 5.8 hectares of pond on the Derwent. It was modified and increased in height in 1819 and 1843.
By 1804 the West Mill had been joined by a North Mill on the left ( Southern ) bank of the Derwent. This was equipped with a large but lightly built suspension wheel that was eighteen feet in diameter and twenty feet long. It was by Thomas Hewes. The wheel engaged a spur cog that transmitted power to a shaft that in turn distributed the power to various zoned stories of the building via rigid rods and bevel gears.
The existing North Mill superseded one built in 1786 and burnt down in 1803. Subsequent to advice from Charles Bage who in 1796 built the World’s first iron-framed building, a flax mill at Ditherington, Strutt built the new North Mill of brick arches over a frame of turtle-backed cast-iron beams, mounted on cast-iron columns. The beams are yoked together with wrought-iron ties and the floors lightened with clay pots. The foundations are of stone. Taken together the design is almost fireproof.
Originally, the cotton was carded on the third and fourth floors and spun in 4236 separate threads using water frames on the first and second stories. The sixth floor was a school. Later, mule spinners were installed to diversify the product.
The Strutt Family divested at Belper in the 1950’s and my understanding is that English Sewing Cotton Limited has suspended operations at its Belper sites. The North Mill is open to the public at regular times and is listed Grade One. Together with the Bage flax mill it may be regarded as the ancestor of steel-framed buildings everywhere including classic American skyscrapers though not, alas, of the suspension designs favored by Old World engineers and tragically exemplified by the New York Twin Towers.
Example of recent clamp attachment to structural steel building member showing disturbance of underlying fireproofing.
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I don't know how long this beautiful building has been abandoned. The last mention I find is from 2008 when the owner was planning to restore it and make it into a photography studio and events center; however, from the looks of the place, it looks like that project never got off the ground. Hope someone can save this landmark.
Close-up of "high-percentage" asbestos fireproofing debris as found on top of suspended ceiling panel.
Cogs.
King's Stanley is situated approximately two miles west of Stroud in the County of Gloucestershire, UK
Stanley Mill. Built in 1812 for the manufacture of woollen cloth. The main building was one of the first in England of "fireproof" construction, with iron columns.
1812 Present buildings begun
1813 Feb. Sold to Harris and Maclean for £8,655. Reference to new erected dyehouses, wool-lofts, woolstores, workshops, clothrooms, counting houses, etc. Canal accounts show delivery of stone, bricks, timber, iron and slates. Timber and some stone came from the Forest of Dean. The iron work was made by Benjamin Gibbons of the Earl of Dudley’s Level New Furnaces. This plant built in 1802-3 continued to run until 1954.
1824 First reference to a steam engine at Stanley.
1834 Maclean, Stephens and Co made superfine cloth and kerseymere.
1834. At Stanley, a steam engine of 40 hp. (bought from Boulton and Watt 1824) and 5 water wheels on a fall of 16 feet, equal to 200hp. The supply of water in summer was so irregular it caused interruptions in the work several hours a day.
All machinery considered dangerous was fenced off as far as was practicable. Hours worked, 11 to 12 and in some departments 13. No children under 9 were employed and very few under 10. The youngest, up to 12 or 13, were employed as piecers working up to 101/2 to 11 hours. The older ones worked 11 to 12 hours.
Refractory or disorderly children were dismissed.
1839. At Stanley, a steam engine of 50 hp. and 5 water wheels, 1 of 30hp. and 4 of 25 hp.
c. 1839 Sold to Nathaniel Marling for £27,000.
1854 Weaving shed built in front of main building, probably replacing an earlier building on the site.
1867 High pressure condensing engine installed.
1868 80hp. Turbine added.
QUEEN'S HOTEL.
Le Queen's, surnommé par ses propriétaires le "BIJOU HOTEL of MONTREAL", est un établissement entièrement à l'épreuve du feu, une première à une époque qui a vécu une longue suite d'incendies d'hôtels.
Situé près du Dominion Square (actuel Dorchester Square), à proximité des gares Windsor et Bonaventure, il connaîtra des améliorations successives qui amèneront son nombre de chambres à 500 vers 1915 (tel que mentionné dans la publicité).
Le tracé de l'autoroute Ville-Marie passe exactement à cet endroit aujourd'hui.
Nota: À cette époque il en coûtait entre 2,50$ et 4,00$ par jour pour louer une chambre.
Nota 2: la gravure montre le bâtiment agrandi du double en 1915.
Source photo: document BAnQ / Albums des rues: E. Z. Massicotte.
Source texte: Les guides touristiques d'hôtels montréalais, 1857-1917, une stratégie publicitaire / Michel Lefebvre, 2013.
Asbestos abatement worker found dry sweeping asbestos fireproofing debris inside regulated work area; broom was disposed as ACM waste, debris adequately wetted and disposed, and worker removed and disciplined accordingly.
Ghost sign on the Gordon Square Theatre in Cleveland. The Gordon Square Theatre opened in 1911 as a vaudeville house. The theater started showing movies as early as 1918. It appears to have closed sometime in the 1940s and the building was later condemned by the city. The Cleveland Public Theatre bought the building in 1995.
I did not take a photo of this theater or the other two in the neighborhood, which was a sign I should head to my car and call it a day.
This is the coolest house. I don't know that it was actually built. There are some similar houses, but this one is a pretty neat layout. I typed up the content of the page ... in FLW's own words ... with the plans and put it on my site Antique Home & Style.
One example of an asbestos spray-applied fireproofing, of which there are many types, sometimes referred to as "spray-on". This particular material is similar in appearance, composition and texture to other fireproofing brands, such as Mono-Kote (by WR Grace). The fireproofing material shown contains a low-percentage of asbestos (about 2%) as well as vermiculite flakes. It is beige-to-tan, looks muddy, and is semi-dense as installed in intact condition. However, the fireproofing actually feels somewhat lightweight, soft, powdery, crumbly to the touch, and susceptible to damage from even minor abrasion.
This image shows an example of the fireproofing as installed on a large, vertical column, structural steel support member in relatively intact condition. Of further note is the observation of splatter or "overspray" pattern that appears on adjacent cross-members from when the material was first installed.
Certain spray-applied asbestos products, such as this fireproofing, are some of the few banned or "prohibited uses" of asbestos in the US and generally worldwide.
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An example of spray-applied fireproofing on building components, showing fluffy, fibrous appearance; in this case tested negative for asbestos content.
Another example of spray-applied fireproofing shown on structural steel member and corrugated metal ceiling deck; showing textured appearance.
El Paso, TX, est. 1873, pop. (2015) 679,000 • Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, est. 1659, pop. 1.4MM) • El Paso-Juárez Metropolitan Area, pop. 2.7 MM • Life on the Line, NY Times Magazine
• the 809-seat "fireproof" theater [early photo] is an early example of Moorish Revival architecture, which became popular in the U.S. in late 1920s • the 3-story structure is decorated with arabesque tracery & Islamic calligraphy • the engaged columns separating the windows are reminiscent of the medieval Alhambra palace complex, Granada, Spain —Texas Trost Society • Henry C. Trost Historical Organization
• owners Rodolfo & Manuel Cruz spent an astonishing $150K ($3.5MM in 2016 dollars) to construct the theatre, apparently all of it their own money • they had made their 1st fortune after gold & silver were discovered in 1903 near their hometown, Guazapares, Chihauhua, Mexico • they promptly engaged in silver mining, first at the Rio de Plata mine, then following up with the Cleopatra & Santa Barbara mines, selling the latter in 1906 for $350K (roughly $9MM in 2016 dollars) • after the Cruz brothers moved to El Paso, Rodolfo — before devoting himself to the Alhambra — established a real estate business, having had previous experience in Chihuahua Mexico, where he built of the c. 1909 Rodolfo Cruz Building
• the Alhambra was designed as a playhouse for live theater, vaudeville & silent films by Henry C. Trost (1860-1933), Trost & Trost, El Paso • it was equipped with a $45K evaporative cooling system • mothers could check their children with a nurse at the "baby's rest room," which had 8 small cots • the adjoining "women's rest room" offered telephones, desks, stationery, mirriors, etc.
• the Cruzes catered to the El Paso's Mexican refugee community, of which they were members, having arrived in 1911 • consisted largely of immigrants who had fled the Mexican Revolution • the theater also served English-speaking audiences & Mexicans who lived across the border in Ciudad Juárez (economy fares for border crossings were readily available)
• Rodolfo (b. 1876) actively managed the theater and signed performers; Manuel (b. 1883) kept the books • when vaudeville acts delivered disappointing box-office, Rodolfo substituted light opera with music performed by the Alhambra Orchestra, Prof. Ernesto Gonzalez conducting
• in 1917 Rodolfo — often seen motoring around town in his 2-tone gray & black Cartercar Roadster — reportedly sold his underperforming $150K theater for $200K to his lawyer, P.E. "Pete" Gardner, who later flipped it for a suspiciously low $70K • Gardner, allegedly a member of the Ku Klux Klan, ran for Mayor of El Paso in 1923 & lost to R.M. Dudley, who had made Gardner's Alhambra deals — not to mention his association with the KKK — campaign issues • after selling the theatre, Rodolfo Cruz resumed selling real estate
• Dudley Beats K.K.K. by 2,120 —El Paso Times, 25 Feb, 1923 • Ku Klux Klan Had a Short Life in El Paso —EPCC Libraries • Ku Klux Klan in El Paso Texas
• the theater reopened under new management as a straight moving picture house • in 1918 a pipe organ — then said to be the largest in the southwestern U.S. — was installed to accompany the exhibition of silent photoplays • the 2nd floor housed a "refreshment parlor/dance hall called Rest-A-Whyle, which replaced the original confectionery/tea room • renamed Palace Theatre, "Home of Paramount Pictures," 1920 • by the 1970s exhibited adult movies • façade restored, 1987 • since 1990 has mainly housed a series of nightclubs —Cinema Treasures
• National Register # 80004109, 1980
Vintage novelty gag-gift asbestos moneybag by H. Fishlove of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. - 1967. With a graphic of a happy couple sitting on a pile of money, printing on the item's carton indicates: "NOW! YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU"; in reference to a popular saying that one "...cannot take money with you, after you die."
Apparently this saying is based on an assumption that one would be going to hell (of popular religious tradition) for having spent one's mortal life in greed and obsessed with money, where the paper currency would burn and coinage would melt among the infinitely-hot, sulfurous, eternal confines of Hades.
Introduce...asbestos. Of course, if one's money were in a fireproof asbestos bag however, then rest assured and rejoice that this little pesky problem is now solved. In fact, this 75% chrysotile asbestos textile gag-gift item includes a screenprinted "guarantee" that one's money is "TO GO SAFELY THROUGH HELL - FIRE - BRIMSTONE". Although, not certain how one could challenge such a claim, but the silly premise of the novelty is certainly worth a chuckle, right?
Unfortunately, the apparent hilarity of the moment might be "short-lived" realizing the ironic twist that asbestos may bring one's demise a little earlier than expected. Not such a novel novelty afterall.
Additional fireproofing has been installed during the Stent Hall construction project. Photo by Pete Zivkov.
Park Road elevation.
Coleman's iconic "Fireproof Depository" after being empty for decades (despite strange looking windows being put in the upper two floors, c2009) is being converted into flats.
Coleman's were established in Overton Street in 1875.
The corner of this building says "Established 1875. Rebuilt 1900".
1900 was presumably when this building was erected.
It took out a full page Advert in the 1902 Gore's Directory:
www.flickr.com/photos/44435674@N00/25540808006/in/datepos...
There had been a similar warehouse on the site before that.
This is currently the highest building downtown. It is located directly east of the Marion County Courthouse & Federal Courthouse. One block north of Ocala's Downtown Square.
In 1980, this building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
This former Marion Hotel building, today known as the Sovereign Building, was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm of Peebles and Ferguson who designed a number of hotels throughout the south, including Hotel Lorraine and the Hotel Monticello in Norfolk, Virginia.
The hotel's builder was Day and Zimmerman, Inc. The costs of construction were completely financed by the sale of stock certificates to local citizens by the Community Hotel Corporation. Dr. James E. Chace, a former mayor of Ocala, and Horace L. Smith, Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, led the effort to have a first-class hotel erected in the city to accommodate tourists and traveling salesmen. A decision was made to construct a 100 room fireproof hotel and supporting structures. A method of financing the hotel was developed and the Hotel Committee of the Chamber of Commerce formed a Citizens Sales Organization with 140 volunteers who sold stock in the Community Hotel Corporation. Funding for construction was raised in less than six weeks, for a total amount of $500,000, with most of the shares being purchased by local residents.
The design of the seven-story concrete and steel hotel included stucco walls, with decorative Spanish elements. A central tower rises above the top floor of the main block flanked by two-story wings. At the time of completion, an automobile garage for the use by guests, the Hotel Marion Garage, was also erected adjacent to the main structure.
The hotel opened with a gala celebration in early March of the year 1927 with 300 people in attendance. When the hotel first opened it was managed by Griner Corporation, of which movie actor Thomas Meighan and Governor John W. Martin served on the Board of Directors.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Hotel_(Ocala,_Florida)
www.emporis.com/buildings/241684/sovereign-building-ocala...
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The former David Fireproof Storage Warehouse, 3240 West Lawrence Avenue, in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. Completed in 1916.