The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-04-14

A Description Of the Exterior and Interior
OF the Centennial Buildings--1he space
Allotted 90 Each Of the Nations Exhib-
iting. ftfa Enr ffral
The New York Herald's Philadelphia
correspondent gives some interesting
figures relating to the Centennial exhi-
bition and buildings: ~ -
The main exhibition building is To-
Gated immediately east of the intersec-
ton OF Belmont and Elm avenues. Elm
avenue is the southern boundary line of
this portion Of Paramount park and of
the exhibition grounds, and all of the
principal approaches from the city are at
this point The main building runs par
allel with this avenue, and is the first of
the exhibition buildings, which rises
prominently before the sight as you APP
proach the grounds from the east by the
herse car lines. The building is in the
form OF a parallelogram, extending east
and west 1900 feet in length, and north
and south AGA feet in width.
The larger portion of the building is
one story in height and shows the main
cornice upon the outside at 40 feet above
the ground, the interior height being 70
feet at the lanterns in the roof. At the
center of the longer sides, or fronts of
the building, are projections 416 feet
across, and in the center of the sides are
similar projections ZIG feet across. In
these projections, in the center OF the
four sides, are the main entrances, which
are provided with arcades upon the
ground floor and central facades, extend
ing to the height of 80 feet. They are
ornate and imposing. Upon the corner
of the main building are four towers rs
feet high, surmounted by spire ct each
angle of the towers, and between the
towers and the central protectors, or
entrances, a lower roof, "a feet to the
cornice, breaks the uniformity.
In order to obtain q central feature
for the building, as whole, the roof
over the central part for 1S4 feet square
has been raised above the surrounding
portion, and four towers, forty EIGHT feet
square, rising to 100 feet in height, with
spires thirty feet higher, have been in
troduced at the corner of the elevated
roof. Innumerable fag-staffs, with
small flags and pennons of all nations,
surmount the roof at these towers and
along the caves, and the effect islgay and
brilliant, while the many windows with
which the wallis of the building are
pierced make it appear light and grace
full.
The foundations OF the buildings are
piers of masonry and the superstructure
is composed of wrought.iron columns,
which support wrought-iro roof trusses.
Lengthwise of the building the columns
are twenty-four feet apart. There are
672 columns in all, the shortest being
twenty-feet and the longest 125 feet in
length. The building being temporary
construction, both columns and roof
trusses are SO designed that they can
easily be taken down for re-erection
elsewhere. The sides of the building,
for the height of seven feet from the
ground, are finished with brickwork,
with panels between the columns, and
above the seven feet with glazed sash.
All the corners and angles of the build
ing, upon the exterior, are concentrated
by small galvanized-iron octagonal tur-
rets, which extend above the roof and
are surmounted by fag-staffs, or, at the
other places, by the national eagle, made
of galvanized iron, gilded. The national
standard, with appropriate emblems, is
main entrances. Surrounding each of
the side entrances is a trophy showing
the national colors and the coat-of. arms
of the country occupying that part of the
building.
The areas covered by the main build
ing are as follows:
Square feet. Acres.
Ground floor. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS $50 20.02
Upper floors, in projectiops...... 1884 .85
Upper floors, IN towers. 26,34 sc
Total. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50, OOS Plat
The general arrangement of the ground
floor shows a central avenue, or nave,
100 feet in width, and extending 1882
feet in length. 1t is the largest avenue
of that width ever introduced. into an
exhibition building. On either side OF
this nave there is sn avenue 100 10y 49,
feet long. Between the nave and side
avenues are aisles forty. eight feet wide,
and on the other side of the building
smaller aisles twenty-four feet In width.
In order to break the great length of the
roof lines three cross avenues, or tran.
septs, have been introduced, of the same
widths and of the same relative pc
sitions to each other as the nave and av
enues running lengthwise-Eamely, 9
cenUral tIduSepI, AH0 lett III Wluul ny flt
feet in length, with one on either side Of
100 feet by 416 feet, and aisles between
of forty eight feet. The intersection o.
these avenues and iransepts in the cen
trail portion of the building results il
dividing the floor into nine open space.
free from supporting columns, and GOV
ering in the aggregate an area Of All
square feet. -Four of these spaces are
100 feet square, four 100 feet by A 20 feet
and the central space, or pavilion, 12I
feet square. The intersections of the
forty-eightfeet aisles produce four in
terror courts forty-eight feet square, ont
at each corner of the central space. TIL,
main promenades through the nGwe an(
central transept are each eighty feet il
width, and those through the center o
the side avenues and transepts fifteeI
feet each. All other walks are ten fee
wide, and lead, at either end, to exit
doors. Louvre ventilat0rs are over tn,
central nave and each of the avenues
and skylghts are in the roof of the cen
tral aisles. Small balconies or galIerie
of observation have been provided will
four central towers, at different heights
and they will form attractive points o