THE SUXDAT OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 25, 1912.
10
FURNITURE HOUSE ONE
OF CITY'S BIG FIRMS
Tina of L &rv-arU ft Son Established Thirty Years Ago rounder of
Etor Still Active Company Ha 500,000 Capitalization.
FROM renting- modest store at fit a
month, SI years ago, to being head
of a corporation with a capitalization
of $500,000. la tho story of I. Oovarts.
f tho firm of L Gevurts i Sons, could
tall had be th desire or Inclination.
Tho start of ths furniture and general
outfitting- business, which has Just en-
tbltij I. Gevurts Pons to lurnisn
'throughout ths mammoth Hotel Mult
nomah, to say nothing; of numbers of
Imw enterprises, was small In every
way. but Its irowlh has ben as steady
as that of the city In which the con
earn Is housed.
It was aa a school teacher that the
early years of Mr. Gevurts were spent,
end to hla friends be has told that many
a night he burnt midnight oil studying
to better his education. At the ajce o(
II ha was assistant tearfcer In a private
school In the City of Lublin. Ituaslan
Poland, and at that time was giving
the larger part of his earnings towards
the support of his family.
It was In ISO that Mr. Gevurts land
ed la New York. and. after earning
e-ood wages for sis months, he left for
Kcrsnton. Fa., with a pars on his back,
lis stayed In gcranton for three years,
starting with a capital of $:00 and
closing bis business with 11000 and
some anerchandlse, when be left for
ten Francisco.
After an unsuccessful venture. Mr.
Gevurts started In the retail and whole,
sale cigar buslnera. at one time bav-rng
three retail stores and a wholesale
store. In 1 S 51 he sold out two of the
stores and the wholesale business and
aet his face towards Oregon. He found
a small store on Front street, rented It
for izb a month and painted it himself.
In that store Mr. Gevurls laid the foun
dation of h's present great business.
At a rental of IS40. Mr. Gevurts.
three years later. In 1811. rented a
store at the corner of Front and Yam
bill streets, snl in till he cut through
to First and Tamhlll streets. At that '
time he oc-ur'ed three buildings on
Front street and two on First street.
While Mr. Gevurts lost much money
In the pania of HIS. he recalls wnn
considerable pride that although his
neonriv depreciated and hla gooda had
to be sacrificed, yet he was enabled to
retain all his employes without cutting
their wages In any manner.
In U3 he moved to First and Tam
hlll streets, eventually taking In the
entire building irom irsi i wcouu
streets. At the time of the first lease
his rental was $1SI a month now It Is
$1500. The lease will expire In a few
months and at the expiration L Gevurts
bona will move to their new building
to be altuated at Fifth and Alder
streets.
Ten veara ago the company was re
organised and all the Gevurts children
who were of age were given one-half
share of the corporation stoca. xne
final reorganization to ,600.000 being
accomplished this year. Eight of the
Gevurts children participate actively
In the business. Philip Gevurts being
a notable factor In Ita present career.
Mr. Gevurts now looks with com
mendable pride on hla business and
considers with eqanlml'j the many en
terprises with which his name is con
nected, not the least rouble being the
Carlton and Multnomah hotels. During
his whole life he haa assisted la bring
ing to this country a large number of
his relatives, besides assisting many
more yet In Russia. With quiet humor
he says that of the brothers ana sis
ters he brought here "some of them
did not stay very long, as they thought
weTtere not religious enough.
Mr. Gevurts parents are dead, one
brother died here and another in Seat
tle: two brothers and two sisters are
still living.
"I am a great believer In unity.
says the pioneer dealer, "and my main
object now la to keep my whole family
with me In the business. I am espe
cially proud that I have never asked
any man to take less than his price. I
still expect to be In business with my
children until the end or my lire.
Portland Is Becoming
Big Hotel City
Facilities for TMaadllag Ceaveatlra
Crowds aad Toartata Greatly las
revd With Opealag ef Sfalt-
AS there will be many big conven
tions held In Portland this year
and next year, the city will now have
greater facilities than ever for the han
dling of the, tmmen crowds of visi
tors. Other "fine hotels ars planned
an In course of construction and each
will be a success, but as convention
headquarters for the largest conclaves,
the Hotel Multnomah will have mora
pace and a greater number of commit
tee and ante-rooms to accommodate the
demands of the National gatherings.
Portland la becoming more and more
a tourist center. 'Less than six years
ago the hotel facilities in Portland ware
limited and there were few hotels of
any consquence. Today the number of
hotels Is five times greater and still
the traffic from the traveling public In
the busy periods of the year la such
that most of the hostelrles are crowd
ed. The situation In Portland now In
dicates thst It will be a prosperous
year for all the hotels.
The management of the. Multnomah
announces that It will make every ef
fort to maintain at all times the high
est standard and make the hotel an In
viting retreat, a place that will al
ways be a credit to the city.
in the appearance of the marquees, or
canopies, which overhang the hotel's j
fine entrances. The grill work on the
stairways, the elevator cabs and doors.
the store-fronts and grill work of the
office, all finished consistently In Jet
black or gold have made the Multno
mah a pattern to other hostelrles and
add a distinctive touch In what com
prises the ensemble of the furnishing
of the hotel. There is said to be no
concern In the country either better
equipped for handling thla part of the
work than the Spokane Ornamental
Iron Wire works, which obtained
thla part of the construction contract.
FIXE PLTCMBIN'G IS INSTALLED
M . I Kline Company, Pioneer Con-
cern. Fills Bis; Contract.
For 1 years the M. I Kline Com
pany has been established In Portland,
dealing In wholesale supplies, so It was
not Inapposite that In a hotel built by
Portland capital for the admiration of
the whole world, a Portland concern
should have one of the largest sub
contracts. To the Kline Company was
awarded the complete plumbing con
tract for the whole of the Hotel Mult
nomah, amounting In all to about
130.010.
Fvery bathtub, every tiny faucet aa
well aa large one sinks of all designs,
tolet arrangements, closets and slop
inks. In fact, all of those multifarious
Items In the furnishings of a great
caravansary that a plumber only can
supply. together mltb the fitting
thereof, all were supplied and the work
lone by the Kline Company.
One of the vpeclaltiea are the elab
orately fitted up silver and marble
white bathrooms, one of which la con
nected to a great majority ef the rooms
la the hotel. The Kline concern waa
elected because of Its ability to fur
nish the supplies Instantaneously and
erect there promptly on time, because
one or the Multnomah's grest boasts
wss that It wa,s to be completed from
roof to garret at the Instant the bottle
f champagne was broken on Its tes
elated Doors to signify the opening
f the doors to the public.
ILARS-HALL. MATTRESS SAX1TAHY
31 ore Than 1000 Springs Are Found
In Each Flxtnre.
No less than 1040 separata, soft,
durable springs are to be found In
every one of the 200 mattresses sup
plied to aa many rooms In the Hotel
Multnomah by the Marshall Ventilated1
Mattress Company of Chicago. One of
the really remarkable features about
theae mattresses aa they apply to the
eleeplng comfort of hotel guests Is the
constant free circulation of cool, fresh
air through avery part. The many
springs of these mattresses are ar
ranged In rows and aet ao closely to
each other that the mattress conforms
to ths curvature of the human body
while responding to Its every move
ment. That It la health-promoting la
claimed for the Marshall ventilated
mattress, while Its original construc
tion gives It the titles of self-cleansing.
The Marshall mattress Is the only
ne of Ita kind made.
Ita comfort has caused Its adoption
In a number of the leading hotels of
the country, while a large number of
hospitals have paid a tribute to Ita
merit by purchasing Marshall mat
tresses for the use of patients.
BRASS BEDSTEADS ATTRACTIVE
Furnishings Are Expensive Sim-
onds Contract I B!f.
The taste and desires of patrons
whose tread Is towards beds of con
struction of either a light or massive
nature were considered by the Hotel
Multnomah management when the con.
tract for bedsteads wss let to the
Slmonds Brass Bedstead Manufacturing
company, of Kenosha, Wis.
With their satin-finish the Multno
mah braes bedsteada are one of the de
lightful features of every room and
s-e to be found absent only In the
bridal and royal suites, where the color
scheme demao Is wooden bedsteada
The most expensive beds obtainable
were ordered from the Slmonds con
cern, the largeat company of Its kind In
the world, the price running In some
Instances as high as $275. The Slmonds
beds In the Hotel Multnomah are fab
ricated of solid brass and In conform
ity with the demands of modern fashion
are not polished, the satin finish being
considered preferable.
Graceful lines and appearance less
tnan wearing ability were factors In
the letting of the Slmonds contract,
said to be one of the largeat ever let
to one concern by any hotel. Theae
beds were purchased through' L Gevurts
4c Sons, who furnished the hotel
throughout.
IRONWORK ADDS TO IIARMOXY
Ornamental Features of Hotel Are
Object of Admiration.
In avery detail of its construction, it
was naturally an essentia! that har
mony should be an ever-prominent fac
tor of the fitting of the Hotel Mult
nomah. This harmony extended even
to the Iron work, for which the Spo
ksne Ornamental Iron 4 Wire Works
were responsible.
The experience this Eastern Wash
ington concern brought when It ob
tained the contract for grill and Iron
work of the hotel has been manifested
COLOR SCHEME DISTINCTIVE
Decoration of Hotel Among- Fea
tures Mostly Admired.
What an artist described aa a "sym
phony In artistic coloration" is a term
that is not Inapt when the painting
and decorative scheme of the Hotel
Multnomah Is consldsred even by the
most partial and prejudiced of ob
servers. In the hanging of the wall alike,
which are so charming a feature of
many gueat rooms In the hotel, the
work done by J. T. Wilson has come in
for deserved commendation. Mr. WIN
son's contract extended also to the
painting and decorating of the Interior
of the whole building, not excepting
the lobby, the gold and cream effect of
which haa been admired by visitors
from the whole country.
From the magnificence of the lobby
to the most tasteful coloring aad paint
ing of the walle of these parts of the
hotel reaerved exclusively for women,
there haa been shown a tastefulness
and artistic merit that make this
work one of the really notable factors
In the attractions that have gone to
make the Multnomah what It is.
KITCHEN IS WELL EQUIPPED
Bir. Ranges and Fixture Fabricated
Especially for Hotel.
It Is a proud boast of the owners of
the Hotel Multnomah that In ao part
of the mammoth building baa greater
attention to detail been paid than in
the construction aad equipment of the
kitchens, which for some time will be
thrown open to the publlo at stated
hours.
The arrangements of the elaborate
kitchen ranges, bake ovens and kitchen
fixtures had to be of euch a nature
that the cooking of everything from
an egg to the most elaborate menu waa
possible. In letting to the Western
Etove A Sheet Metal Works, of Port
land, this part of the contract, the
Hotel Multnomah proprietors declare
that success in the culinary arrange
ments waa foregone conclusion. The
elaborate nature of the Multnomah eul.
sine, prepared in the belief tht "civil
ised man cannot live without cooks,"
may be taken as an Indication that be
fore he can accomplish anything of
merit the cook must have the requisite
tools of character, and It la of thla na
ture that the kitchen la Portland's
latest hostelry consist.
FLOORS FINISHED IX TERRAZZO
Artistic A pea ranee of Lobby and
. Other Room Noted.
Many hundred thousand tiny cubes,
cut exactly to shape and hand flnlsehd.
were required to be set by craftsmen
on their knees for the finishing in pure
white mable of the lobby of the Hotel
Multnomah. Each tiny cub had to
be set on a bed of concrete and each
had to fit in nerfect harmonv of a . .
and coloring with its neighbors. This
was the part of the construction work
performed by J. Braids, a mosale art-
ac
Have been furnished in every
guest room in the magnificent
HOTEL MULTNOMAH
The proprietors of this up-to-date hostelry never debated
as to what was needed, nor spared expense to give their
guests the most convenient writing table on the market.
The successful combination of a desk and table is a practi
cal convenience, and we are proud to have it, not only in
this princely establishment, but to know that the leading
hotels in the West and Northwest have installed them.
Leading Western Hotels That Are Furnished With Cadillac Desk-Tables:
TAHOB TAVERN. Lake Tahoe, Cal.
HOTEL KENNEBEC, Long Beach, Cal.
VIRGINIA HOTEL, Long Beach. CaL
HOTEL ALEXANDRIA. Los Angeles. Cal.
WESTERN HOTEL. Marysville. Cal.
HOTEL MARYLAND. Pasadena. Cal.
GOLDEN EAGLE HOTEL, Redding. Cal.
HOTEL ALEXANDER, gan Krancisco, CaL
HOTEL BELLEVUE, San Francisco, Cal.
ELKS' CLUB. San Francisco. Cal.
HOTEL GRANADA. San Francisco,' Cal.
HOTEL GRAND. San Francisco. Cal.
HOTEL HAMLIN. San Francisco. Cal.
MAJESTIC HOTEL. San Francisco. Cal.
HOTEL MANN. San . Francisco, Cal.
HOTEL MANX. San Francisco, Cal.
HOTEL MONTGOMERY, San Francisco, CaL
HOTEL NORM AN DIE, San Francisco. Cal.
PACIFIC GRAND HOTEL, San Francisco.
HOTEL RANDOLPH. San Francisco, CaL
HOTEL SAVOY, San Francisco, Cal.
ST. FRANCIS HOTEL. San Francisco, Cal.
HOTEL SHATTUCK, San Francisco, Cal.
HOTEL TURPIN, San Francisco, Cal.
UNION SQUARE HOTEL, San Francisco.
VAN CORTLAND HOTEL, San Francisco.
HOTEL DEL CORONADA, San Diego, CaL
HOTEL FREDERICK. San Diego, Cal.
HOTEL ANDREWS, San Luis Obispo, CaL
HOTEL LAFAYETTE, Stockton, Cal.
OWYHEE HOTEL. Boise City. Idaho.
HOTEL WASHINGTON, Boise City. Idaho.
HOTEL MONTANA. Kalispell. Mont,
PARK HOTEL, Livingston. Mont.
RIVERSIDE HOTEL. Reno, Nev.
HOTEL OSBORN. Eugene. Or.
HOTEL HOLLAND. Medford, Or.
COMMERCIAL CLUB, Portland, Or.
THE CORNELIUS. Portland. Or.
KRUSE HOTEL. Portland, Os.
LENOX HOTEL. Portland. Or.
MULTNOMAH HOTEL. Portland. Or.
HOTEL PERKINS, Portland, Or.
PORTLAND HOTEL. Portland. Or.
HOTEL SEWARD, Portland, Or.
SEMLOH HOTEL, Salt Lake City, Utah.
HOTEL UTAH. Salt Lake City, Utah.
ARCTIC CLUB. Seattle. Wash.
RAINIER GRAND HOTEL. Seattle, Wash.
HOTEL RICHMOND, Seattle, Wash.
SEATTLE HOTEL, Seattle, Wash.
SEWARD HOTEL, Seattle, Wash.
PLAINS HOTEL. Cheyenne, Wyo.
It is not only a hotel convenience, but equally valuable in the home. It
saves the space of one piece of furniture. If you want information about
them for the Home, the Club, the Y. M. G. A., or your Hotel, send to the
Wolverine Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich., the makers, for Book
let No. 5. The Desk-Tables are carried by all the leading stores, but the
Desk-Tables for the Multnomah were furnished by the progressive firm of
i. gevurt:
ONS
PORTLAND, OREGON
Who carry a full line of CADILLAC DESKlTABLES and will be pleased to show them to you.
1st. who also waa responsible for the
terrasso flooring In the main lobby,
barber ehop and all th. toilet bath
rooms la th. treat caravaneary.
Terrauo flooring- is Intricate work.
Millions of fragments of marble are
sown, like wheat, over a cement-prepared
flooring. They are then rolled
In and the whole surface Is finally
around oft and polished, the whole
completing- a work of real and unique
beauty.
Wood-work la Biff Feature.
In Inspecting the hotel one's atten
tion Is directed to the quality and fin
ish of the woodwork. This feature of
the Interior Is the work of the Parellus
Manufacturing- Company, a Portland en
terprise. All the doors and casings are
of birch and the fixtures of the buffet
are of mahogany. The hardwood
finish of the Arcadian garden,
breakfast-room, ballroom. banquet
rooms and committee-rooms Is
considered by connisseurs the equal of
any to be found In the country. The
Parellus Manufacturing Company Is
equipped to turn out the highest class
of wood finishing products and al
though established only a few years
ago. the concern ranks with the best
Institutions of the kind.
THE MULTNOMAH
HOTEL KITCHEN
Was Designed and Constructed by Us
This kitchen is conceded to be the largest and
bast equipped kitchen on the Pacific Coast.
Wa make a specialty of botel and restaurant
work, shipwork and retinning. Fully equipped to
handle large or small contracts in a satisfactory
manner and at reasonable prices. Practical labor
saving devices for the kitchen.
Let us make you an estimate.
WESTERN STOVEPIPE &
SHEET METAL WORKS
SHEET METAL CONTRACTORS
J. U. McDonald, Mgr. 429 Stark St. Phones: Marshall 1976, A 729S.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST AND ONLY SANITARY MATTRESS
Marshall Ventilated Mattress
Supreme for Health, Comfort and Durability
Original, Self-Cleansingr, Health-Promoting
Has 1040 ssparata, soft, -durable springs. Constant free circulation of cool. Imh air through every part. Conforms
to every curve and motion of the body. Insures the return ot every guest who sleeps on It. He tells others of Its merits.
Used and Indorsed by the Following
Prominent Hotels and Hospitals:
Hotel Multnomah, Portland.
Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco, Cal.
Hotel Savoy, 8a n Francisco, Cal.
Hotel Virginia, Long Beach, Cal.
Hotel Arlington, Santa Barbara, Cal.
V. 8. Grant Hotel, ban Diego. Cal.
Hotel St. Anthony, San Antonio, Tex.
The Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, Tex.
Hotel Southland, Dallas, Tex.
Hotel Sherman, Chicago, Illinois.
Congress Hotel and Annex, Chicago, 111.
The Auditorium. Chicago, HI.
The planters, Chicago, III.
Chicago Athletic Club. Chicago, III.
Illinois Athletic Club, Chicago, III.
Vnlon League Club, Chicago. 111.
Chicago Auto Club. Chicago. III.
Clarendon Hotel. Seabreeze, Via.
If inter Hotel. Milwaukee, Wis.
St. Paul Hotel, St. I'aul. Minn.
Queen's Hotel. Toronto. Can.
The New Capital, Little Kock, Ark.
The Goldman, Fort Smith, Ark.
So. Pacific- Hospital, San F'ranciHco, Cel.
Clara Barton Hospital, I.oe Angeles, Cal.
Caspar Kohn Tuberculosis Hospital, Loo
Ajigeles, Cal.
Wesley Hospital. Chicago. 111.
Michael Keese Hospital. Chicago. 111.
United States Steel Co. Hospital, Gary, Ind.
. And many others. Furnished throughout with the Marshall Ventilated Mattress
Beware of Inferior Imitations
Send for complete illustrated catalogue and ask us about our new Sanitary Marshall Box Springs
Marshall Ventilated Mattress Company
908 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois