WENATCHEE DAILY WORLD
VOL. H. JfO. 283.
COLUMBIA VALLEY BANK HAS ELEGANT NEW HOME
The Columbia Valley Bank build
ing, a picture of which is reproduced
herewith, is by far the handsomest
business block in Wenatchee, and
from the standpoint of architectural
elegance would be a credit to a town
many times as large as this place.
The building was designed by W. A.
Ritchie, who drew the plans of the
Spokane county courthouse and the
capitol at Olympia, two of the most
imposing structures in the state. Mr.
Ritchie ranks among the leading ar
chitects of tbe country, and, in draw
ing the plans for the new home of
the Columbia Valley Bank, he ex
ercised all his ingenuity in obtaining
grace and symmetry of proportions
consistent with the best possible ar
rangement for commercial purposes.
The building covers a ground
space of 60x85 feet and is four
stories high, including the basement
floor, the greater part of which is
above the sidewalk level. It is con
structed of Tenlno sandstone and
white pressed brick. A large part
of both fronts is place glass windows.
The stepß leading to the entrances
on both Wenatchee and Orondo ave
nues are granite. The main entrance,
which is on Wenatchee avenue, is a
handsome arch of Tenino sandstone
with the name plate bearing the
name of the bank and the date of its
establishment, 1892, and the date of
the laying of the corner stone of the
building, 1906.
The interior is finished in the Mis-
$3,500
Lot 100x270 feet with bearing
orchard and modern dwelling,
five blocks from postofflce.
Terms
$6,500
Lot 100x270 feet with modern
dwelling and bearing orchard.
Cost of house $4000. Terms.
L. V. Wells
WKMATCHRB, WASHINGTON, W*DNB»RAT, APRIL 8, 1907.
of stained Puget Sound fir. The
first floor hall and the lobby of the
bank are tiled. There is one main
stairway leading to the second floor
facing the Wenatchee avenue en-
trance. The stairs leading to the
j third floor are divided into two
j flights with a broad landing half way
up, surrounded by an artistic railing.'
The second floor is divided into office,
rooms, which are arranged in suites,
aud the third or top floor is cut up
into rooms for rooming purposes.'
In the sub-basement is a large heat- :
| ing plant. All the rooms on each
floor are provided with hot and
cold water, while a standpina run-'
ning up through the hall and coils o*,
hose on the different floors provides
protection against fire.
The first excavation for the build
ing was begun early last July and
the final touches were completed a
week ago, with the exception of some
interior finishing in the bank. Tbe |
total cost of this magnificent struc
ture reaches nearly $50,000. W.
M. Windham, of Seattle, was the
builder, and, in passing, it might be
pertinent to state that Mr. Windham
has been so favorably impressed with
Wenatchee that he has invested in
considerable property here and will
locate here permanently. The build
ing is an enlarged and improved re
sion style, and the wood work is all
plica of the home of the Cover d'
Alene Banking and Trust Company,
of Cover d'Alene city. About three
quarters of the building is rented.
The tenants on the basement floor
are the Red Apple Real Estate com
pany, which, by-the-way, made
enough out of commissions from
land sales the first week after oc
cupying its new quarters to pay the
first year's rent, the largest busi
ness ever transacted by that firm in
anything like the same length of
time. Fred Hoffman -has a real es
tate office adjoining the Red Apple
company. On the first floor the
tailor shop of O. F. Etzkorn occupies
the rooms at the left of the Wenat
chee avenue entrance; the Wenat
chee Heating and Plumbing com-
I pany is located in the fine store
B rooms at the right of the Orondo
j street entrance; Walter M. Olive has
i the office at the left of the same en
trance, and the Columbia Valley
Bank occupies the remainder of this
floor, about two thirds of the space.
There are 20 offices on the second
jfloor, 12 of which have already been
' rented, and the occupants were
I named in a recent article concerning
ithe building that appeared in the
j World. The third floor Is rented for
rooming purposes, and all but two
suites have been leased.
The banking quarters are deserv
ing of special mention. The fixture*
are finished in black wal~«? and
blue and white native marble. The
lobby is tiled, and in the center is a
circular desk for the use of custom
ers. There are two roomy vaults,
one a money vault, in which is the
burglar proof, manganise steel safe,
and the other is for safety deposits.
Both are enclosed with thick, fire
' proof walls and the ceilings are wire
lathed and plastered. The arrange
ment of the bank is planned to afford
the greatest possible convenience to
both the patrons and employes, and
is designed for the easy handling of
not only the present business but the
1 increased business that will coma
'with the growth of tne iCirti. The
rooms are thoroughly lighted, which,
by-the-way, is one of the principle
features of the entire building, for
there is not a dark corner on any of
.the floors, either in the offices or the
halls. In the basement under the
bank are two more bank vaults.
The boiler room is partitioned
from the rest of the building by
brick walls and the ceiling is wire
lathed and plasered, as a protection
against the spread of fire. This
same precaution is used in the con
struction of the principle partitions
on the first floor, which is intended
as an aid in localizing a fire.
The Columbia Valley Bank was
established by J. J. Browne in the
spring of 1892, after the building of
the Great Northern was assured but
before it had been constructed
through Wenatchee. Arthur Gunn
was the first cashier and manager/
and the bank was first located in the
old town. As soon as the railroad
was completed this far and the town*
site established, the bank was install
ed in a building on Wenatchee ave
nue opposite the present site.
In 1894 H. R. Schildnecht and M.
Horan became interested in the in
stitution, and tbe old bank building,
just vacated was built, the first
brick block constructed in Wenat
chee. Mr. Schildnecht succeeded
Mr. Gunn as cashier in the fall of
1894, and in turn was succeeded by
Guy C Browne, the present cashier,
in 1900.
When organized, the capital stock
of the Columbia Valley bank was
$39,000. In 1906 that institution
had built up a surplus of $20,000,
and this was then transferred to the
capital, which was increased' to
$100,004, $75,000 of which is paid
UP; • ' ■
TWENTY-FIVE ACRES
Two and one-half miles from town with water for irrigation piped
to the land from springs, making fine supply all the year round
with no maintenance to pay, in tracts to suit, and on easiest pos
sible terms, at per acre 9500.00
ONE HUNDRED ACRES
Good farming land on Wheeler Hill, a big snap at . . .$2,200.00
ARTHUR GUNN
Real Estate - Financial Agent
$15 0 0
Two lots in same block as court house
$1550
Five lots facing east and south, opposite corner
and facing the Tibbitts residence.
BOUSQUET & CHRISTENSEN
Special Sales Friday and Saturday
Brussel Art Squares 20 per cent off
Ingrain Art Squares 20 per cent off
Ingrain Carpets 20 per cent off
Duncan ©. Graves
a
Opportunity
For a HOME —in an irrigated district'in the
midst of the great wheat belt
For INVESTMENT. There is no other place on the
Great Northern Railroad in the wheat section w r hich
is so situated as is the town of
IRBY
A Fruit district which is bound to grow into a large
place, because it is beautifully located for homes in
the wheat section. The same fertility as the lands
In the Wenatchee valley. These lands are on the
market for $300 per acre. For further information
address
BABCOCK-CORNISH, Owners
IRBY, WASHINGTON.
This is the oldest bank In north
central Washington and has the
largest capitalization. The last pub
lished statement showed that the
deposits then exceeded a third of a
milion dollars, and it ranks as one
of the soundest financial institutions
of the state.
Much stress has been placet on
the fact that the new horns of the
Columbia Valley Bank is a credit to
tne city of Wenatchee and that it
would grace a city of many times trt>
population of this place. This Is ab
solutely true and because It is true,
credit should be given the builders
of this handsome and elegant struc
ture for the enterprising and pro
gressive spirit displayed in giving
Wenatchee a building of this kind.
wm cavTi n copy.
For Terms Apply to
It is a display, not only of enterprise,
but, what is still more, implicit con
fidence in the future of this town.
"By their works ye shall know
them," and the Columbia Valley
Bank will always be known as a
friend of and a believer in Wenat
chee.
J. J. HILL RESIGNS.
L. W. HID Succeeds Him as Presf
deat of the Great Northern
ST. PAUL, April 2. —James J.
Hill has resigned the presidency of
the Great Northern and will be the
chairman of the board' of directors.
His son, L. W. Hill . succeeds his
father as president of the Great
Northern.