The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-05-03
THE GREAT CENTENNIAL.

THE GREAT CENTENNIAL.
An Interesting Description of the Mnin
! Building and Its Connections.
1t was only last May that the work Of
erecting the columns for the main build
ing on the Centennial grounds was be-
gun, and now a magnificent edifice has
been completed, covering over twenty
acres of ground, using nearly 5000, 600
pounds Of iron in its columns and
girders, 1000, 900 feet of lumber, four
miles Of water piping, and requiring the
services of an army OF 5000 mechanics
and laborers. Such work is unpre-
cedented.
| The building is in the form Of q
parallelogram, extending east and west
1880 feet in length, and north and
south 464 feet in width. The south
front is on Belmont avenue, a wide road
way extending through the central por-
ton of the grounds The larger portion
of the building is one story in height
and shows the main cornice upon the
outside at forty-fve feet above the
ground, the interior height being
seventy 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, PIG 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 CEN
tral facades, extending to the height OF
ninety feet. They are ornate and i'm
posing. The east entrance is also the
eastern boundary of the grounds. Here
VII be the carriage concourse and the
principal approach to the exhibition for
visitors in carriages. The south en-
trance, ct the Elm avenue side Of the
structure, will be the principal entrance
from the street cars, the ticket Offices, as
at all the gates, being under covered
ways, within the arcade or vestibule.
The main portal, on the opposite, or
north side, communicates with the pas
sageway to the art gallery, snd the main
portal on the west front, at Belmont
avenue, fronts machinery ball, the
second largest exhibition building.
Upon the corner Of the main building
are four towers, seventy-fve feet high,
surmounted by spire at each angle OF
the towers, and between the towers and
the central projections, or entrances, q
lower roof, twenty.four feet to the cor
nice, breaks the uniformity.
In order to obtain central feature
for the building, as whole, the roof
over the central part for 184 feet square
has been raised above the surrounding
portion, and four towers, forty-eight
feet square, rising to 120 feet in height,
with spires thirty feet higher, have been
introduced at the corners of the elevated
roof. Innuinerable fagstaffs, with
small flags and pennons of all nations,
surmount the roof at these towers and
along the caves, and the effect is gay
and brilliant, while the many windows
with which the walls Of the buildings
are pierced make it appear light and
graceful.
The foundations of the building are
piers of masonry and the superstructure
is composed OF wrought iron columns,
which support wrought iron roof truss
es. Lengthwise Of the building the
columns are twenty-four feet apart.
There are 672 columns in all, the short
est being twenty-three feet and the
longest 1875 feet in length. The build
ing being a 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 be.
tween the columns, and above the seven
feet with glazed sash. All the corners
and angles of the building, upon the ex-
terror, are concentrated by small galvan-
lied iron octagonal turrets, which ex-
tend above the roof and are surmounted
by fagstafs, or at other places, by the
national eagle, made Of galvanized iron,
eilded. The national standard, with
appropriate emblems, is placed over the
center of each of the four main en-
frances. Surmounting each Of the side
entrances is q trophy showing tho ma.
tional colors and the coat Of arms of tho
country occupying that part Of the
building. Variegated bricks and tiling
are introduced in the vestibules OF the
four. main entrances, and tie ornamen'
tation over the arches of the entrance
ways is rather original. Mr.. Henry
Petit, the engineer and architect, wish
ed to avoid, as far as. possible, following
the antique, and to have the decoration
peculiarly American. Instead of folia-
tions of the classical acanthus we see
the not less beautiful forest leaves OF
our own country. MIR. Petit made a
collection of the foliage found in Fair
mount park and the exhibition grounds
itself; and the capitals, the wreaths and
the scroll work over the arches Of the
portals are of the leaves of the fern, the
rhododendron, or mountain laurel the
oak, the maple, and the familiar forest,
trees of America. The walls OF the
building are painted brown, and the or
namentation is in goldan bright colors.
The areas covered by the main build
ing are as follows: .'
Square Fact. Aeres
Ground noOr.. ol6,oAo ~ o0 N
Upper floors, in projections 1884. .ss55
Upper floors, in towers. 26,Sa4 .oo
Total. .......... s3s;OOs 2l47
The general arrangement Of the ground
floor shows central avenue, or nave,
12O feet in width, and extending 1882
feet in length. It is the largest avenue
of that width ever introduced into an
exhibition building. On either siGe OF
this nave there is an avenue one hundred
by /, 1892 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 ave-
nues, or transepts, have been introduced,
of the same widths and in the same rela-
tive positions to each other as the nave
and avenues running lengthwise-name-
". O central transept, 120 feet in width
by 416 feet in length, with one on either
side of one hundred feet by 4l6 feet,
and aisles between Of forty-eight feet.
The intersection OF these avenues and
tronserts in the central portion of the