New-York tribune., 1874-07-06
TIE CENTENNIAL.
ING PLANS,

CHANGES IN THE BUILDING PLANS.
GREAT REDUCTION IN THE ESTIMATED COsT-THE
FUNDS RECEIVED AND SUBSCRIBED NEARLY SUI
FICIENT FOR THE woRK-LETTER OF THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TO THE UYTTED STATES MINISTER'S
ABRoAD-FoREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO BE IN
vTTED TO TAKE PART IN THE EXHIBITION.
TFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE ]
PHILADELPHIA, July "A few words more
about the Centennial and lay the subject aside
until the structures for the exhibition begin to show
themselves In Paramount Park. the Commission has
something to relative 70 special features or
the fair In the choice plans for the principal build
ings the Board Of Finance has acted with great good
With the money already In hand or Subscribed
buildings he put up which will answer for an exh
bitOn OF moderate dimensions, say about One-haf me
of that Vienna and If the increased public
interest in the enterprise shall produce new suoscriD-
tons during the next year. may reasonably be ex-
pected the plans be enlarged without deracting
from the architectural beauty OF the edces The assur
that the Board has begun nothing which t cannot
it's way through TO completion before the hrst OF
March, 1876, will destroy the prevalent idea that the
Centennial visionary project and will commend IL at
to the good opinion Of practical men, The low
prices for which the successful bidder offered TO put up
the Memorial Hall aud the main exhibition ibuilding
we're a gratifying surprise. When the plans for which
offered in last year the estimated cost
OF the former structure s5OOOOo and or the latter
s5OOO00. making s60O0GOO in all Tne preferred plan
for the former afterward aside entirely and
a new adopted, and the pavilion plan OF Messrs.
vaux and Radford the manipulating, which received
the hrst prize, greatly modaed by Henry Petit,
the engineer of the Commission With these changes 1t
was expected that heavy reduction could be made in
the estimated cost believed that would be
possible to get the figures down below S,60O,oO0 The
result OF the competition among sbuilders for the
work IA that the contract cost or the per-
manent Memorial Building is reduced toi S979,OoO
and Of the s.36O Oo0i including $4,000
for grading. The dimensions OF the former will
probably increased 80 per cent, which will bring ITS
cost up TO 81 25O0O. There is also talk OF adding two
the covered by the main building imaking
20 instead OF 49, which would add about 5000 900 70 the
contractors bills. The s6OoOOOO which these twoichef
structures cost, according to the extravagant
IDEAS which prev allied when the Centennial project was
started have. under the process OF shrtnkage through
which the plans have been put, come down TO s2ssGO,
aud all contemplated extensions are carried out, the
will be only t28A000. The machinery hall, orig
nay estim ated to cost 100000 twin probably be put up
for t5O0,O0O The agricultural hail. which will require no
expensive foundations support heavy machines need
sl7OO and the conservatory will sooD be
under contract for about 100000 Taxing these figures
and adding TO them the expenses Of grading. fencing,
ornamentation OF grounds and general administration,
the following estimate Of the entire cost Of the work
ha