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NEW BUILDINGS FOR CITY OF'BAY SI. LOUIS.
' MERCHANTS BANK TO ERECT ! HANDSOME NEW BUILDING—
[ NOTHING LIKE IT HERE*. AT PRESENT—WILL COST ABOUT TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS^'"
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While the material progress of Bay St. Louis, compared with other communities of more rapid growth, has been ; slow, yet the tendency has ever been onward and upward and with this spirit prevailing the town has from time to time grown to such proportions that today we have a city of no small means, but, on the contrary, it would now appear we were on the eve of building a veritable little metropolis. Within the past few years the rise has been gradual and constant, solid and prosperous; and again, if we are going to build by leaps and bounds, the town is going to take another leap, so to speak.
Scarcely has the new $10,000.00 City Hall been completed, then three more ^buildings of unusual prominence are announced for immediate erection,namely: Another bank building, of brick, for the Merchants Bank, to cost $10,000.00; a large department store and theatre, frame structure, for John Osoinach, costing from $6,000.00 to $10,000.00; and a two-story hall building, of brick, for the order of the Woodmen of the World, Cedar Grove Camp, No. 507.
Material for the Osoinach store building and theatre is already on the ground and work will be started and pushed to rapid completion as early as practicable. The building, two stories, will be located on a site directly opposite the proposed Merchants Bank Building, on a site being a portion of land formerly known as a portion of the Feahney property. Southron R. Duval, of New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, is the architect.
The Woodmen Hall will be builton the Piemas lot, adjoining Cedar Rest cemetery, purchased a few days since for the sum of $600.00 cash. This building will cost over $5,0C 3.00 and it is intended to have it built during1 the present year.
The Merchants Bank Building will be located on part of the Feahney property, where a frontage of 67 feet was secure*! for $2,250.00 cash, and will be located opposite the Osoinach store an 1 t'.icafcrj' building.	•	£
Such a building by the Merchants Bank is indeed a triumph for the suc-A cess of that well-known institution, contrary to many predictions when it first was organized some little ever two-’ two years ago, flourished from the beginning until today when its success is not only assured but its growth, popu-J
larity and solidity in business continues to grow unabated. _
Much, in fact considerable of the I Merchants Bank unparalled succes; which declared so large a net earning the first and second year, is due to the indefatigable and wide-awake efforts of its cashier, George R. Rea, a Mississippi boy, a young man yet in his twenties, who has the ability ^nd the confidence and universal respect of the community of a man twice his age and many times his experience. Assisted by the good people of Bay Louis and outside friends, how well Mr. Rea has succeeded is best told by the story today of the building of a $10,000.00 home for the institution and its business. The Executive Board of the Merchants Bank is as follows: President, John Osoinach, merchant; vice president, L. M. Gex, merchant and contractor; second yice president, C. L. Hopkins, retired capitalist; John K. Edwards, mayor of city and lumber manufacturer; Jno. A. Breath, justice; A. L, Stokoe, manufacturer; Jos. O.Mauf-fray, merchant; C.G. Moreau publisher. L. H. Fairchild, resigned'; L. Spotorno and A. F. Cameron, deceased, were members of the original board and their efforts instrumental in the bank’s success.
Plans and specifications for the new building have been completed by Southron R. Duval, New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, and are on exhibition at the bank and at the office of The Echo, to which the inspection of the public is invited to both places.
The front elevation of the Merchants Bank Building will be particularly handsome, unlike anything heretofore ! constructed in Bay St. Louis, a building that would do credit to any large city. The material used in the construction will consist principally of a fine, re-pressed brick, with trimmings
•	in cement over the openings and along the entire length over the brick off-sets. All openings will be arched, with cement trimmings in imitation of stone. The entrance into the banking house will be located on the iiorth-east corner of the building,, corner of Front street and the L. & N. R. R. right of way, with gray granite steps, leading up to the tiled vestibuled doorway, somewhat fashioned after'the manner of the N. O. National Bank Building, comer Camp and Common streets, New Orleans, with a massive red granite column on the comer, supporting the building. A roof of ornamental de'sign, covered with red tile, will add to the general attractiveness of the -entire building. On the top, surmounting the center part of the roof, on a piece of wall constructed of pressed brick and, continuing from the elevation of the building proper, this inscription in large iron letters will appear: ‘‘The
Merchants Bank, Bay St. Louis”. The j monotony of the roof and its bright-color will be broken by tall and grace- j ful chimneys of pressed brick and cemented tops.
On tne first floor there will be the banking house only, about the same interior arrangement as the present bank-'ing house in the Echo Building, with a large plate-glass front to admit of light. The same handsome golden oak fixtures swill be used, ouly with an addition of a 'heavy marble base of one foot in height. The public space will be floored with a beautiful pattern in tile, laid in solid concrete from the ground up to the floor surface. . A directors’ room 22x19:6 will follow the bank proper (behind the ' fixtures), with a . safety vault on the £ west side, almost in the south-west cor- K ner, with complete toilet apartment be- ? hind the vault.	\	JTVy.	/
The vault will be constructed along the most modem lines of safety and security against fire and burglars as well, and within will be placed a new Hosier screw-door safe, which the directors , contracted for about ten days ago.
, This safe is the latest, absolutely burg-1 lar-proof, and will be equipped with a triple set of time locks. In selecting a safe the directors spared no expense when it came to security and protection to their depositors, and the , very best that money could secure was selected., A feature of the vault, and one that will1 be an innovation for Bay St. Louis, will: be the installation of a number of safety j boxes for the safe-keeping of jewelry, j papers and other valuables, which the j bank will rent to the public at a given ' price per annum.
The second floor will be reached by a stairway leading from a vestibuled entrance on Front street, on the south end of the building. On this floor there will be two office rooms, 16x16, facing Front streetjfefollowed by two ante-rooms; thence^S hall crosswise, with toilet room^ at the north end, and oneTarge room' in the rear of the building, measuring 32x16:9, designated as club rooms, divided overhead by an archway. This space is intended to be occupied by one of the local organizations. The hallway will measure 5 feet clear. Upstairs will be all plastered; overhead ceiled with lumber. The first story will be ceiled overhead with an ornamental pattern of pressed steel ceiling, as will ■also the iron-covered awning that will-'su spend, held by chains, over the front sidewalk. Height of ceiling first floor, 14 feet clear; upstairs, 10 feet 4 clear.