The Osceola times., 1876-05-20
Main Building.

This is a parallelogram, running east
and west one thousand eight hundred
and seventy-six feet long, and north and
south four hundred and sixty-four feet
wide. The larger portion is one story
high, the interior height being seventy
feet, and the cornice on the outside for
ty-eight feet from the ground. At the
center of the longer sides are projections
four hundred and six feet in length, and
on the ends of the building projections
two hundred and sixteen feet in length.
In these, which are in the center of the
four sides, are located the main en-
frances, which are provided with
arcades upon the ground floor, and cen
trail facades ninety feet high. The
east entrance forms the principal APP
proach for carriages, visitors alighting at
the doors of the building under cover of
principal approach from railway cars.
The west entrance opens upon the main
passage-way to two principal buildings,
the machinery and agricultural halls, and
the north entrance TO memorial hall TART
gallery. Towers sevcnty-fve feet in
height rise at each corner of the building.
In order TO obtain a central feature, the
roof for one hundred and eighty-four feet
square at the center has been raised above
the surrounding portion, and four towers
iorty-eight feet square, rising TO one hun
dred and twenty feet high, are intro
duccd into the corners of this elevated
roof. This gives ventilation as well as
ornament. The main building has nine
hundred and thirty-six thousand and
eight square feet of surface, or nearly
twenty-one and half acres. Its ground
plan shows central avenue one hundred
and twenty feet in width, and one thou
sand eight hundred and thirty-two feet
in length, which is the longest avenue of
that width ever introduced into an exhi-
bition building. On either side of this
is another avenue Of equal length, and
one hundred feet wide. Between the
central and side avenues are aisles forty
eight feet wide, and on the outer sides of
the building smaller aisles of twenty -four
feet width. To break the great length
of the roof-lines three transepts have
been introduced, Of the same widths and
in the same relative positions to each
other as the longitudinal avenues. These
cross the building, and are four hundred
and sixteen feet in length. The inter-
sections of these various avenues make
at the center of the building nine spaces,
free from supports, which are from one
hundred to one hundred and twenty feet
square, and which aggregate four hun
drea and sixteen feet square. The gen.
eral elevation of the roofs of all these
avenues varies from forty-five feet to
seventy feet.
The building rests upon the ground,
the land having been thoroughly graded
and prepared. The foundations consist
of piers of masonry, the superstructure
being composed of wrought iron columns
placed twenty-four feet apart, which sup
port wrought iron roof trusses. There
are six hundred and sevcnty-two of these
columns in the entire structure, the
shortest being twenty-three feet and the
longest one hundred and twenty-five feet
long. Their aggregate weight is two mil
lions two hundred thousand pounds. The
roof trusses and girders weigh five mil
lions of pounds. The sides of the build
ing, to seven feet above the ground, are
finished with brickwork in panels be.
tween the columns. Above this there
are glazed sashes. The roof covering is
of tin, that being the best roofing known
in this climate to resist leakage. The
flooring is of plank, upon sills resting
upon the ground, with no open space be-
meath. Turrets surmoun. the building
at all the corners and angles, and the ma
tional standard, with appropriate en-
blems, is placed over each OF the main
entrances. There are numerous side en-
frances, each being surmounted with a
trophy, showing the national colors of
the country occupying that portion Of the
building. In the vestibules variegated
brick and tile are introduced. Louvre
ventilators surmount all the avenues,
and sky-lights the central aisles. Light,
of which there is ample supply, comes
from the north and south sides almost
entirely. There underlie the building
two miles of drainage pipe, the water
supply and drainage system being COM
plete. Offices for the foreign commits
sions are placed along the sides of the
building, in close proximity 10 the pro-
ducts exhibited. Offices for the admin
istration are at the ends. The design OF
the building is such that all exhibitors
will have an equally fair opportunity OF
exhibiting their goods to advantage.
There is comparatively little choice OF
location, as the light is uniformly dis
tributed, and each of the spaces devoted
to prOducts is located upon one nc the