The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-05-24
: THE WORLDS COLISEUM.
From the Boston Advertiser. !

The new Coliseum will be as far SUI
perior 10 the former site as the chorus
OF twenty thousand was to that of seven
or eight thousand in 1869. The general
features of the Coliseum were decided
upon some months since, but the de-
tails were left TO be arranged when the
preparations for the great festival had
attained more definite shape. OF course,
it was no small honor to be the archi-
tect of such a building as this, and the
competitors for the position were nu-
merous. There were fourteen or fif-
teen plans submitted, but those of Mr..
G. w. Preston, prepared by him in the
stort space of ten days, and complete
even to the minor details when pre-
scented to the Executive Committee,
were accepted unanimously.
Mr.. Preston is now rapidly drawing
the working plans, and pictures of the
building will soon be ready, showing
how it will look on the opening day,
June 18th, when the thrOng of visitors
from all parts of the United States and
Europe gather at its doors. A better
idea of the vast edifice, which is to
cover over five acres of land, and cost
nearly a quarter of million dollars,
can be obtained by putting before the
reader rough statement of its magni-
tude before describing it in detail. The
depth of the part set aside for the or
chestra and chorus is 23S feet, and of
the auditorium 312 feet. The contents
of the floor which the chorus will oc-
cupy are $4,000 feet, or nearly two
acres, ard the contents of the auditor
ium are nearly half as large again, be-
ing 120, $50 feet, or nearly three acres.
The whole building will be $50 feet
wide, or, including the wide prone
nades on each side, 400 feet wide. AT
each end will be tower so feet thick,
60 feet wide and 90 feet high. These
two towers will make the whole length
of the building 600 feet. The roof will
be supported by % trIISseS Of superior
construction, which will be more fully
described at some future time. The
foundation will be laid in such a way
as to secure strength, solidity and safe
ty. So much for the general appearance
of the building.
The auditorium will be composed of
a parquet and gallery, the latter 75
feet wide on each side, and i'll front,
opposite the orchestra, % feet wide.
The arches under the galleries and the
side walls will be supported by pile
foundation. There are to be seven
entrances, two Oh each side aud three
under the tower in front, each % feet
wide. Tie gallery entrances Will be
entirely distinct from those to the par
quet, two on each side and two in front.
The Hobbies of the gallery entrances
will be So feet square and the staircase
II feet wide. The entrances open to-
ward the walls, which will prevent 4
direct rush down the stairs in case of a
panic being raised in any way. Around
the parquct and gallery the promenade
will be % feet wide. This prominade
will enable the doorkecpers 10 prevent
crowdiDg very much. The plan ofthe
seats is not yet decided upon, but the
tickets will be,colOred or stamped so as
TO indicate the proper entrance Tor the
holder, and no one will be admitted
except mt the door nearest their seat.
There will he also inside doorkCepers
so as to prevent rush from the prem
enade to the parquet. The galleries
will be entirely distinct from the par
quet, and no one can pass from the
gallery to the parquet without going
out of the building and coming i'll by
another entrance. The entrances 10 the
chorus seats will be the same in num-
Der as those to the auditorium and
similarly arranged, though it is pro-
bable that there will be four supple
mentary entrances to secure tEe great
est facility of egress and ingreSS.
The towers ut each end will be high.
ly ornamental. Each will be 100 feet
high to gallery, which will be built
just a little above the crown of the
arched roof Around the tower at this
point there will be a gallery ten feet
in width, from which a magnificent
view of the city and surrounding
country may be obtained. 1t is pro-
posed, though not yet fully decided
upon, to put an elevator in each tower,
to convey spectators to this gallery.
Above this gallery is a campanile sixty
feet high, terminating i'll a wedge
shaped rrof. The front will have an
highly ornamental appearance. The
front door will be % feet wide by 80
feet high over the entrance is to lie a
pediment, on which will be placed n
colossal statue of Peace. Over this Is
an enormous window made i'll three
compartments. The central and widest
one will have an arched head, IN
which will be placed Il clock, the dial
Of which viii be eight feet in diameter.
The corner towers will be 100 feet big n
and 80 feet square; the upper portions
being finished in an ornamental man.
ner, and with a view to assisting IN
the proper ventilation of the building.
In front of the Coliseum, on the lower
floor, is row of mullioned windows,
and a similar row lights the galleries,
Groups of windows similarly treated
are also placed higher up, TO assist i'll
lighting the area above. The skyline
of the roof conforms to the line of the
trusses, and is finished off in an Ella
borate bracketed cornice. These re-
markable truSscS are % in number, ~
feet thick ut the base and L at the
crown of the arch. The length of each
truss measures $40 feet over the top,
and 302 feet on the inside. 1t is made
on the principal of the lattice girder.
The vertical side walls are forty feet
high, and there are two rows OF win
dows similar to those in front. The
roof slopes up TO Il continuous dormcr
ten feet high, running nearly the
whole length of the building. In the
dormer are So windows, and a narrow
platform runs along in front, allowing
of person going along ana opening
and closing the windows as may be
necessary. Further up on the roof is
n row ofskylights, fourteen in number,
and they are to be made SO as to give
the appearance of ground glass. On
the crown of the arch are seven venti-
lators in the shape of octagon turrets,
twenty feet in diameter. 1t has been
customary TO put on monitor roofs on
buildings like these, but they are liable
TO be blown over by high wind.
These turrets will answer every pur-
pose, and are not SO exposed. 1t was
ut first intended to cover the roof,
which is about six acres in extent,
with sheet lead, but it is believed that
some other material will be found.
Ventilation may be assisted very much
by opening the windows in the dormer
on each side, so that current of air
can pass through the whole upper part
of the Coliseum. Extra precautions
will be taken to secure strength and
safety.