St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-17
ARCHITECTS AT WORK
Plans and Specifications for
the New Auditorium
Building
To Be Decided Upon by Next
Monday, at the
Latest.
10 Unnecessary Delay Will
Be CouRtenaneed by
Citizens.
An Architect Offers a Few
Suggestions Respecting
Plans.

The city council joint committee on
auditorium began its duties yesterday
afternoon. A half-dozen architects
were in attendance upon the meeting.
held in the council chamber at o'clock.
but it tranSpireS not all had come to
tender their services. Some had come
as public spirited citizens TO see just
how the problem was going 20 be figured
out.
Assemblyman Van Slyke was made
chairman by unanimous consent, and
Lewis Baker. chairman of the citizens
committee On promotion, addressed
the meeting. He wished espe-
ciaIly to caution the committee
against inadequate plans that would
endanger repetition of the
unpleasantness the sister city met with
when Mr.. ClarksOn viewed the exDosi-
ton building with a critical eye. Mr..
Baker explained that provision must be
made to accommodate at least 600 re-
porterS. They must be given an ad
vantageOus location in the auditorium
near the stage. where they can hear and
observe everything that occurs during
the convention, Then there must be
quarters for both telegraph companies
in near proximity with the reporters,
and there will also be about 100 stem
ographers who will need convenIences.
Mr.. Oppenheim assured Mr.. Baker
that all these requisites had been con-
Sidered, and the best sort of facilities
will be arranged.
Then followed disSult0ry discussion
concerning the probable number of Wis
itOrS that will be drawn to the city bv
the convention, and it was explained
that the convention people will he com
posed Of l 800 delegates. Then Mr.. OPP
penheim gave ain exposition of the ideas
he had formulated the past weeks. He
has devoted his entire energies to the
auditorium project, and had familiar
lied himself with all the phases that
are likely to arise. His idea, in order
to systematic the work the committee
has undertaken. Is to request the archi-
tectS OF the city to present sketches of
an auditorium. 1t will be unreasonable
to expect anything in detail, for the
time must be TOO short. Then the archi-
tectS can come before the committee
and give verbal explanation of their
plan and specifications, which will be
given complete at some day after the
work shall have been entirely begun.
work must be well under way before
the national committee meets, so that.
the st. Paul delegation can show that
there IS no danger of 4 disappointment
in June. Under the city charter two
weeks will be required at best to award
a contract; but the excavation can be
under way at once. Mr.. Oppenheim
wanted Saturday designated as the
time for inspecting the sketches and
listening to the plans of competing
architects, and he desired that every
architect understood that no one will be
paid unless bis plan is the one accepted
by the joint committee. The minimum
seating capacity must be 10000.
Mr. Murray explained that he was
present. to protect the interests of
Walter lfe, who wanted to submit plans.
The time would be too short, and, after
discussion, it was agreed to fix Monday
afternoon at o'clock for examining
plans. This being satisfactory, Mr..
Murray insisted that specific instruc-
tiOns be issued to the architects that
they must provide for a row Of stores on
WabaSha, Seventh and ST. Peter streets
sides of the site, but the committee
promptly decided that this feature of
the enterprise must come later. The
first work is the auditorium, and Mr..
Oppenheim again explained that the
only plans that had been considered at
all provided for stores 150X75 feet of the
spaces on both WabaSha and st. Peter
streets.
Then Mr.. Murray began an argument
for a wigwam, when Mr.. Oppenhelm
called HIM to order with the eXclama-
ton that the council had passed upon
that already. There is no taking a
backward step now.
why didn't you advocate these ideas
at the council meeting last night?"
curtly asked Aid. Conley.
''Why. l would have been Missed
down." frankly replied Mr.. Murray.
1t was decided that all architects COM
peting should be careful to keep within
the One-mIll tax levy.
The next meeting will be Monday aft
ernOOn.