The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-03-29

ops artistically. want which is still more
keenly felt is that of hall for conventions
and large meetings of any kind Washington
is rapidly becoming a convention centre, and
for years it has been evident that large con-
vention hall was a necessity. The enterprising
firm of w. G. Metzerott & Co. now proposes
to meet the demand for such hall.
The plans of the building, which have been
presented to the Commissioners for approval
by Messrs Metzerott & Co., are the work of
Messrs. Fava, Naeff & Co., architects, and l..
Amateis & Co., decorators. As Lincoln Hall
has now closed its doors as a concert hall and
become theatre Washington would have re-
mained without concert hall but for the
timely intervention of Messrs. Metzerott
& Co.
Aside from its practical purposes, the new
building will be valuable addition to the
now ever-increasng number of ornamental and
artistic edifices of the city, and its well-de-
signed proportions, choice of materials, and
elegant decoration bid fair to make it rank
among the first.
The front of the proposed building, which
will be located on Twelfth street, Immediately
below F, will be in Italian ffteenth-century
style. The material used will be buff brick,
which is now becoming so popular, andwhich
gives building an elegant and more orna-
mental appearance than dark brick is able to
give. The ornamentation will be mainly in
white terra Gotta. The prominent part of the
building, white projection, which will
contain the entrance and staircase, will be
nearest to F street. The balance of the lower
part of the building will be occupied by stores,
In the projection there will be above the main
entrance balcony for the use of the people
in the gallery, and above this, in large niche,
will be statue representing the Goddess of
Music seated on throne, statue and pedestal
being fourteen feet high.
Along the top of the building will run white
terra Gotta cornice projecting far out, as the
style requires, and surmounted by an orna-
mented balustrade, also in terra Gotta.
Under this cornice, on the fat part of the
building, the words "Metzerott Hail. in large
gilt terra Gotta letters, will appear.
Along the fiat part OF the building, on a
level with the lobby of the hall, and not of the
gallery, as the first one was, will run another
balcony ornamented with an elegant terra
Gotta balustrade. From this level starts a
series Of high arches rising to almost the en-
tire height Of the building and resting below
on massive piers. These arches contain the
doors to the balcony and the windows for the
hall and gallery, and the wide opening be-
tween the piers below are the entrances and
show-windows of the stores. The two bal
comics mentioned form a notable feature of
the building, as they will be used, like the
European ''foyers," for promenading during
pauses or when the temperature is warm, thus
making the hall conveniently available even
in the warm season. 1t is important to note
that these balconies are accessible not only
from the main floor of the hall but from the
gallery, which advantage exists In very few
buildings.
The interior consists OF main hall over
seventy-fve feet each way, ifty-fve feet high,
which, in connection with high windows and
four large ventilators in the ceiling will insure
perfect ventilation. AT the east end OF the
hall is the platform for musicians or speakers.
There is no scenery on this platform, and the
rear of it is composed OF sounding board
representing shell, richly decorated In orna-
mental relief. This platform is encased by
wide arch and two large pilasters.
The whole decoration of the hall will be in
Colonial style, in relief and fre-proof. The
color of the walls will be ashes of roses and
the ornaments thereon In a warm cream tone
with goldleaf. The ceiling will have the as
pect of an immense rosette, the lines con.
CeHlIc1 luub lOElulLS d
number of panels in relief, which will be dec
GRATED with musical emblems. There will be
no chandelier in the centre, but the light viii
be given by bouquets of electric lights dis
tributed on the ceiling and around the walls
and gallery front.
The main feature of the hall will be tn,
view toward the platform. The shell and
arch, already described, will be inclosed by
two pilasters reaching from the dado to tht
curve of the ceiling. On each side of tn,
pilasters will be two private boxes, supported
by two rows of small columns and surmounteC
by large medallions, bearing the initials of thu
owner, IN" and inclosed and supported b.
ornaments The decoration of the side apper
tanning to the plaster on the right will b
dedicated to classical music, and will b
composed Of portraits of the great masters i
medallions and allegorcal figures The sid
belonging to the pilaster on the left will b
decorated in the same way with portraits an
figures relating to light music
The floor of the hall will be horizontal, {
that in addition TO its uses a concert an
convention hall, this will make the large
dancing floor in the city There will be on
one gallery, running all around the hall, bl
the height of the ceiling above this will easi
allow of the addition of a second one should
become necessary. 1t is calculated that Il
hall and gallery will seat over two thousal
will aacilN 10