Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-06-18
WHERE 1T WILL BE HELD.
The Republican Convention will Meel
In q Half.fimished Theaser

In q Half.fimished Theascr.
Chicago Special to the New York World.
vast unfinished pile OF granite and limestone,
| topped by fringe OF ungainly iron rafters and
ragged walls, surrounded by heaps OF lumber rub
bish material, old Iron, mortar hosting engines,
chaos, and unsightliness, Is what the Auditorium
building, In which the republican national conven-
ton Will meet looks Ike from the outside. Three
stories are finished OF the great building that Is TO
be ten stories high, and an army OF workmen are
on the walls, while most OF tue material for the
other seven stories Is on the ground. From the
exterior there Is nothing that looks in the least
Ike convention hall. Nevertheless, the place
where S:s2 delegates are 70 nominate the next re-
publican candidate for President in the presence
OF thousands OF spectators Is this very spot, and
have had experience '' in such things that that
up 10 this time no national convention has
beer held In place so well suited for It. Although
there Is nothing but chaos on the outside the con-
vention hall really Is almost finished. Nothing but
the finished decorations and a few fittings are
lacking The temporary floors for the convention
bish Is being cleared away. Before the convention
meets the place will be ready for t. Yet thousands
convinced that the building will be so far from
completion that the convention will have to be
vention hall is completely hidden by the exterior
structures OF the Auditorium building, which will
not De finished until next December or later. IL
stands In a square formed by these structures on
three sides and a high block OF buildings on the
other SIDE. When the convention assemblies the
unfinished walls outside will be covered with bum
ting and decorations all the building material will
be removed and the hall Will DE practically just aS
available as If the whole 81 600 600 structure were
finished.
TO BE HELD IN THE THEArER.
To give an adequate conception OF what the
hail win be like it is necessary TO say something
about the whole enterprise. The convention will
be held In the great thelter which is only third
part OF the Auditorium building Surrounding It
other an Office building with 200 Offices. The
whole plan occupies about one-nalf OF a square
and fronts on three streets. on the east or lake.
front side IL has 1877 feet on Michigan avenue. On
the south, fronting Congress street. there are 361
ieet and on wabash avenue, on the west side, 161
feet That is total or 100 feet OF frontage Three
stories OF the ONCE building and hotel will be Of
Minnesota granite, The rest will De OF light brown
Bedford limestone The building Will be IA feet
hign with a tower, 40X71 feet, running up 81 feet
higher. The location Is within stones throw OF
the lake, and considerably out OF the noise and
dust OF the business streets When the theater is
permanently finished It's projectors declare that 1t
VIII be the finest audience room In the world This
Is an easy boast TO make, but In this case 1t really
seems 10 have some foundation. The supporters
OF the Auditorium project are the richest men in
capital into the enterprise for the patriotic pur-
purpose OF getting for the city OF conventions a
convention hall that shall be a wonder OF COM
pleteness and Ingenuity, without regard to ex-
pense.
The dimensions Of the theater are 10 by 100
feet. II will contain 5000 seats. The stage is 100
by 90 feet and the prOScenium arch opening 80
by 50 feet There are three galleries. Some feat
ures about them are different from anything seen
before In an American theater The two upper
galleries. instead OF having the usual curves, are
perfectly straight. This enables every seat to
squarel face the stage and prevents the slightest
down from the ceiling almost In front OF the
second gallery. Yet the pitch or each is so
interrupted view Of the Whole stage, but Of the
whole parqueJ well. Great hinged curtains OF
iron work and decoration. operated Oy machinery,
nj. In fnff hrlr Ia
ries. When IL is desirable to reduce the seating
capacity or the house a curtain can be lowered so
una. no one na nne paTHneI w1Iid SUSPECT te
house are TO be USED the curtain Is raised and folds
back into the ceiling so as TO look like the rest OF
the decorations.
PERFECT ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES.
The theater is reached by level entrance, 70
feet wide, from Congress street; by another level
entrance SO feet wide, from Wabash avenue, and
by entrances from Michigan avenue. Tunnels
lead directly into the parquet and parquet circle.
From the Wabash avenue entrance broad stair
ways lead to the galleries, and half q dozen ele-
vators Will carry persons who do not care TO walk.
There are 260 clear feet of exits On each floor
are foyers large enough 10 hold the entire audience
The shape OF the theater is an oblOng rectangle.
From the curtin line OF the stage to the rarthest
seat In the farthest gallery Is $50 feet The ceiling
swels out from the proscenium arch to the galleries
IN series OF elliptcal arches so that II looks like
an immense shell. II Is believed that the effect OF
this will be TO make every sound on the stage
audible in the remOtesJ part OF the house. The
stage will De furnished with 100 complete sets OF
scenery and all accessories, including a So, 900
organ. Only grand opera and great dramatic
performances will be given in the theater, which
Is designed In the first place for conventions.
great many OF these things will be lacking at
the convention. The hall Is not even plaStered
yet. The floors that have been laid are only tenn
porary for the use OF the convention. The stage is
not built The fOyerS and parlorS are not fitted up
and the elevators are not running. Gorgeous deco
rations will hide the baroness OF the walls, how
ever and the lack OF the other things will not be
Temporary decorations already
nearly finished. The ceilings and walls will be COW
cred with restoons OF red, white and blue bunting.
arranged IN a complicated design. IncandeScent
electric lights will be woven into these In a way to
make strikingly beautiful effects. On one side
will be q great picture OF Washington and on the
other OF Lincoln, framed in wreahs OF electric
lights, bunting and flags. The ceilings will be
studded with rosettes OF lights and coorS. Smaller
pictures or other patriots and prominent dead
republicans will be arranged around the walls.
The fine elliptical arches which support the
ceiiny will glow with electricity from one end to
and will surpass anything OF the kind ever seen
here.
national committee have finally arranged the seat
ing OF the house In way hat they think will give
the utmost satisfaction. The chairman OF the con-
ventiOn Will occupy small platform feet high In
what is to be the orchestra pit. Behind him the
members OF the national committee will sit on a
somewhat lower semi-cifcular platform. Directly
IN 'front.' OF the chairman will be tables arranged In
@ semi-circle for 147 working representatives OF
the press. On the level space which will be the
parQuet when the theatre Is finished will be seats
Tor s2 delegates. and back OF them in the parquet
side the 700 odd alternates. The rear or the par
quet circle and the rest OF the available space in
the first floor foyer Will be given up TO the public
The upper gallery will be closed. The first and
second galleries will be for the public In the stage
space back or the proScenium walls two temporary
.lleries have been erected which will also be for
the public.
THE SEATING CAPACITY.
This gives the seating capacity as follows:
DticSdttS SsS2
Alternates ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50
In parquet circles and foyerS.............. 800
III Stdse sdierics 22OO
In nrst gallery ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 800
In second gallery. .-.-...................... 800
Press, committees, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50
Total. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1892
III the upper gallery were TO be opened IL would
add TO the convenient seating capacity OF the
house at least 700 A rule Of the national COM
mittee forbids more than 5000 In the hall OF the
convention, and 1t is believed that the two CALLER
les on the stage will be more satisfactory ar
rangement than TO put 700 people so high In the
air. The great advantage OF the Auditorium and
the seating arrangement is that every person In
the hall will have perfect view OF all the proceed
lngs and be able to hear every word that Is said
Every one OF the S32 delegates can be seen all the
time oy the man who perches away up in the last
row CT the second gallery just as we'll as by the
chairman himself. There was a plentiful lack OF
this sort OF satisfaction In the Exposition building