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Building Revival Prospects 



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Those who are interested in 'building operations and have carefully 

 investigated the outlook for 1915 are confident that they see unmis- 

 takable signs of improvements that will place this industry far ahead 

 of its conditions at the close of 1914. A recent issue of the 

 American Contractor summarized reports from the leading business 

 centers east of the Eocky Mountains, and vphen the facts thus brought 

 out are considered in connection with information from other sources, 

 the prospect is filled with encouragement. Ko abnormal activity in 

 building operations is predicted, nor should any be expected. A 

 return to normal conditions is looked for, and that expectation is 

 based on the improvement in financial conditions, and also on the 

 fact that much building has been postponed and the accumulated 

 work will be done at the earliest opportunity. 



Take Cleveland, 0., as an example. Architects of that city are 

 preparing plans for new buildings the cost of which will exceed 

 $14,600,000. Buildings for which plans are being prepared by 

 foreign architects for the city wUl cost over $3,609,000. Buildings 

 contemplated for which no architect has been employed will total 

 $6,349,000, or in short the building work now in sight which will go 

 forward in 1915 will cost approximately $24,558,000. It might be 

 interesting to know just what class of buildings are being planned 

 and financed. The following is a claEsification of buildings for 

 which plans are being made by local architects and estimated cost: 

 Hotels, $200,000; office and commercial buildings, $3,060,000; resi- 

 dence and apartment buildings, $2,389,000 ; college and school build- 

 ings, and lodge buildings, $4,210,000; hospitals, $1,080,000; theaters, 

 $285,000; public buildings, $620,000; churches, $646,000; factory 

 buildings and warehouses, $2,110,000. 



Othek Ohio Cities 



Cincinnati in 1915 will erect a new court house and jail, a new 

 high school, at least one and possibly two intermediate schools, a 

 municipal auditorium, two new buildings for its municipally owned 

 university, a new central Y. M. C. A. building and a colored branch, 

 at a cost of $5,000,000. It will also open to the public its new 

 general hospital, erected at a cost of over $3,000,000. 



In Columbus the improvement in building operations and prospects 

 during December were encouraging and architects in that city expect 

 conditions to continue on the upward trend for some time to come. 

 At the recent elections in that part of Ohio there was a much better 

 response to the bond issues for schools and other public buildings, 

 and there is no reason why even more favorable action might not 

 be confidently expected on the bond issues for public buildings which 

 will be submitted within the next few months. Church and school 

 buildings which have been temporarily held up during the past few 

 months because of business conditions are rapidly feeling the inspira- 

 tions of the renewed hopes in the world of finance and business. 

 Several jobs of this character are now in a good way to be pushed 

 to the front because the men back of them are fully alive to the 

 bettered conditions. Many requests for commercial buildings have 

 been made. Business men who have been keeping close to the shore 

 during the past few months have read the signs of the times, which 

 point to a year of great prosperity to the United States. Additional 

 business buildings and more factories will be needed to care for the 

 additional manufactured products which America will be called upon 

 to supply. One architectural firm reports that there has been an 

 unusually early demand for plans of all kinds, especially in the 

 smaller towns throughout central Ohio. Many lodges which have been 

 planning to get better quarters, were deterred from making the move 

 in the latter part of 1914, but now that the business skies have 

 brightened they are clamoring for plans and specifications of the 

 lodge buildings which they will want pushed to completion. Con- 

 tractors and builders throughout Columbus and central Ohio have also 

 caught the inspiration of the good times to come and they are pre- 

 dicting that 1915 will prove one of the record-breaking years, unless 

 all signs fail. And at this time, there are no indications that these 

 signs will fail. 



—22— 



Prospects in Chicago 



It is reported that Chicago architects are busy with preliminary 

 sketches of work which will get under way in the spring. It is 

 expected that money will loosen up soon and then a number of 

 plans which have been pigeonholed will be brought out and operations 

 will start. This prospective work includes factory buildings, large 

 apartment houses, and in fact all classes of structures. The sole 

 reason why they have not gone ahead was because lenders locked 

 their safes and put their check books in cold storage. And now that 

 the genial spirit of confidence is once more gaining sway this con- 

 struction work, gronn somewhat bulky through long accumulation, 

 points to what may possibly develop into a vernal freshet of work. 

 Turning from prospects to actual developments, there is reported 

 some increased activity in flat building business, under construction 

 mainly by so-called speculators and contractors. On the outskirts 

 of the city considerable' actual building is in progress and the diminu- 

 tion in construction, as compared with a year ago, is quite moderate. 



Architects in all parts of Indiana expect renewed activity in this 

 line and are laying their plans accordingly. Many projects will 

 materialize in the spring, and some will be taken up in the immediate 

 future. 



OtTLOOK IN WiSCOX.SIN AND MINNESOTA ' 



Architects and contractors in several of the larger cities surround- 

 ing Milwaukee feel hopeful regarding the future, and most of them 

 have one or two good sized projects to start the spring work with. 

 Not only the architects, but the manufacturers are taking a more 

 hopeful view, and all are talking increased business for next year. 



The general feeling is the same at Green Bay. A large amount 

 of building is predicted for the ensuing year. Plans are in progress 

 for factories, creameries, and other work of that sort. There are 

 no stringent laws governing the building industry in Wisconsin, and 

 the building enterprises under contemplation look very promising for 

 an abundance of construction work next spring. The slogan of a 

 well known banker in this state reads as follows: "You can buy and 

 build cheaper today than any time within the last five years." 



In Minnesota the prospects for 1915 are good. The railroads are 

 planning a lot of new work, which will add considerably to the total 

 volume now scheduled for this territory. The rate on loans is prac- 

 tically back to normal and after the money scare is over the archi- 

 tects in general look forward to a great boom. Lots of work which 

 was postponed last fall undoubtedly will be undertaken in the spring. 

 No single event has done more toward strengthening busine^i confi- 

 dence than the establishing of the new banking system, the full 

 advantages of which have not yet been fairly tested or appreciated. 

 The St. Paul railroads have finally decided to erect a new $15,000,000 

 station, which ought to help the city considerably in the building 

 line. 



Work in the West 



Much building has been planned for Omaha in the early spring. 

 Though reports from cities and towns in various parts of Nebraska 

 and Iowa are usually conservative in their forecasts, there is a 

 hopeful tone throughout the region, and in many instances the hope 

 is founded on actual contracts for buildings. In Sioux City archi- 

 tects have been asked to submit sketches for several churches, which, 

 it seems fair to assume, wUl be erected this year. Several fraternity 

 club houses will likely be built. There is no evident diminution in 

 county and municipal improvement work projected. The county has 

 authorized the sale of bonds to cover the cost of the erection of n 

 court house to cost half a million dollars. Municipal improvements 

 will equal or exceed those of last year, if present plans materialize, 

 and there seems to be no reason why they should not. 



Differences of opinions exist among architects and builders in St. 

 Louis concerning prospects for renewed building activity in that 

 city. They say it depends largely upon the loosening up of the money 

 market so that prospective builders can secure loans at advan- 

 tageous rates. 



