THE first copy of the REVIEW bearing the imprint of Washington, D. C., was dated Aug. 20, 1903, and the entire mechanical work on this and the five succeeding issues was done in an outside office. These six numbers contained only sixteen pages each, as it was impossible to purchase paper stock of the right size or to find a folding-machine large enough for a twenty-four-page paper, in Washington.
The office of the newly formed Review and Herald Publishing Association had been located in a large residence at 222 North Capitol Street. The General Conference also had its offices in the same building. Here, early in September, we installed our linotype, and the REVIEW of Sept. 17, 1903, was a twenty-four-page number upon which all the work, except the presswork, was done in our own office. Since that time we have done all the work, except the presswork, on all our periodicals. The number of employees necessary to do all this mechanical work rarely exceeds ten.
Our composing-room is in the dining-room of the residence, our folding and mailing room in the kitchen—the cook-stove being still left in position. Both of these rooms are in the basement, and are about fifteen by twenty feet. The editorial and proof rooms are on the fourth floor—four long flights of stairs from the mechanical department. This made necessary a great deal of going up and down stairs, till finally necessity, “the mother of invention,” demanded an easier means of communication between these departments, and so a string was hung out of a proof-room window, and this has since served the purpose of a pneumatic tube in carrying proof and copy back and forth.
It was impossible to find room for our Book Department in this same building, so we rented a store on Thirteenth Street, more than a mile from our Main Office on North Capitol Street.
THE NEW HOME OF THE REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
In this way, with crowded and inconvenient workrooms, and with the Book Department isolated from the other departments, we have carried on our work thus far.
We do not complain because of these conditions, nor speak of them to secure sympathy, but simply that our people may understand our situation, and may appreciate with what anticipation we have looked forward to more favorable conditions in the proposed new building.
The first two years in Washington have been eventful ones in many ways. Our periodicals show a most encouraging gain in circulation. Of the REVIEW of Aug. 20, 1903, we printed 13,500 copies, while of this week’s issue we are printing 18,700 copies, a gain of almost forty per cent.
The first printing order on the Youth’s Instructor, in Washington, was 11,600 copies, and the last printing order was 13,700 copies.
The publication of the Sabbath School Worker was begun January, 1904, and the August issue consists of 7,500 copies.
The Life and Health, the name given to the Pacific Health Journal when it was taken over by this association, has grown in favor from the first. Less than 2,000 copies were necessary to supply the actual subscriptions for the issue of July, 1904. The subscription list now stands at 6,964 copies, and the additional orders from agents were such that 12,500 copies of the August number were printed and sold, and 15,000 copies are now being printed for September.
The good hand of our God has been over us all the time, and to him be the praise for what has been accomplished.
We are much pleased to be able to print in this issue a reproduction of the architect’s water-color perspective drawing of the main building of the Review and Herald Publishing Association to be erected at Takoma Park.
The readers of this paper are more or less familiar with the developments which have made necessary the establishing of our publishing work in the city of Washington. They know that definite instruction through the spirit of prophecy was given for the removal of the publishing work to this place, and for the erection of a suitable building.
Several plans were drawn for such a building, but finally, after counseling with the representatives of other publishing houses in attendance at the last General Conference, the building shown herewith was decided upon. It is sixty feet wide by ninety feet long, with three stories and basement. It faces the northeast, and is located just inside the20District of Columbia, at Takoma Park, two blocks from the railway station, and about a mile and a quarter from the Washington Training College.
The first and second stories are to be of cement and iron construction, finished in such a way as to give the building a solid, substantial appearance. The third story is mansard with slate sides and tin roof. There is practically no ornamentation, the desire being to eliminate every unnecessary item of cost.
The first and second stories have iron pillars and girders, and the construction is such that the roof is upheld by the iron framework, and does not depend at all on the partitions.
The solidity and strength is not in appearance only, for the floors are constructed to carry a live and dead weight of two hundred and fifty pounds to the square foot.
The basement will have a cement floor, and will be used for storing paper.
On the first floor will be the business offices, the Circulation Department, book storage, and pressroom. The door shown at the right, in the picture, on the side of the building, opens into the Shipping Department.
The bindery and its storage rooms will occupy the second story.
The editorial, proof, and composing rooms, the chapel, and the foundry will be on the third floor.
There are to be toilet-rooms on every floor, and an elevator will run from the basement to the top floor.
The exterior of the building is termed fire-proof, and this effects a considerable saving in the cost of insurance.
A small power-house, and a fire-proof vault for the storage of electrotype plates, are to be erected in the rear of the main building.
Electricity will be used for power and for lighting.
It will be observed that this building is not so large as the old Review and Herald building, nor is it so large as our other denominational publishing houses in America, but we are now located in the country, and are not planning to solicit commercial printing. We hope to use the whole building to its full capacity, as soon as it is completed, for the printing and binding of our denominational publications, and shall move the printing outfit now in Battle Creek, to this place when it can be done advantageously.
If our work should increase so that more room is needed in the mechanical departments, this can be secured by building on an extension at the rear.
The cost of the building will be between twenty and twenty-five thousand dollars.
Thus far only the excavating for the basement is done, but the lumber and material are now coming to the grounds, and by the time this paper reaches its readers, actual construction will undoubtedly have been begun.
