The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-12-05
CENTRAL UNION.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
THE NEW CHURCH.
A Piece of Architecture That
Honolulu May Well be
Proud of.

The church fronts on Beretania
street, where it is approached by
fine fight of granite steps, bat the
aged will no doubt prefer to enter at
the side door on Richard street, which
lets them in without any step climb
ing.
Entering by this door we find our
selves in an aisle about 10 feet in
length, running across the building.
This aisle or hallway is connected
with the Sabbath school by number
of large folding doors. The school
room is IS feet long by 46 feet wide,
and very high and airy. At the east
end is a gallery 30x46, and there will
| be accommodations for not less than
600 or 200 children in all. The room
| is wainscotted, and the walls finished
| in rough plaster suitable for tinting
while the timber work and large
| beams of the roof are covered with
glazed varnish. The hall presents an
appearance similar to the very beau
| tiful audience room at Kamehameha.
| The largest window in the building,
with its splendid display of stained
| glass, opens into the Sabbath school
room, it is safe to say that there will
be no more attractive and delightful
place of assembly in this city than
| this which is designed especially for
the benefit of the children. The
library will be conveniently placed
in the adjoining hall.
Another particularly attractive fea-
! ture is the ladies' room, 1SX26, at the
| left of the passage, which will be
tastefully arranged and large enough
| for many of the ladies' meetings. At
| the other end of this same passage
way is the kitchen with large win
dow through which the supplies at
directly into tie school room.
The main entrance into the audi
| forum is of course from the front on
Beretania street. Mounting a flight
of twelve stone steps, and passing the
beautiful granite pillars of the en-
trance way, the visitor finds himself
| in the vestibule, ten feet in width,
from each end of which stairways lead
to the gallery and tower. When the
doors have once swung behind you,
you find yourself in the auditorium,
| the pulpit and organ loft fronting you.
The auditorium is 6Sx70, or almost
exactly square. This does not include
the wings for which about II feet
more should be added. Fifty-two feet
above the floor is an octagon ventila-
tor in the roof with a diameter of
twenty-four feet. The floor slopes
gradually down from three sides to
| the pulpit, which is placed just below
the organ and choir loft. The latter
| is 24X21X30 feet high, affording room
for large choir and organ. Numer-
Gus large windows furnish abund-
ance of light and air to room which
is twice as high as the correspond
ing one of the vacated church.
The seats, of birch, are placed in
curves, and the 115 pews accommo-
date 800 people. The inside finish of
the auditorium is the same as that of
| the Sabbath school-room.
Mention should also be made of a
room upstairs, 26 by 80 feet, which
| looks down into the Sabbath school,
and will be used as convenience die
tates.
The church building is 1871 feet long
and "a wide, the gables IS feet high,
and the tower reaches height of $50
feet. The entire structure, with the
exception of the granite in the front
and the wood in the last rs feet of the
tower, is built of the hard volcanic
rock, used to such beautiful effect at
the Kamehameha School. The church
was designed by George A. Bordwell,
of San Francisco, and is similar to a
church in East Oakland, but much
finer. The windows are filled with
cathedral, Venetian and Opalescent
glass, in geometrical figures, and they
are generally admired.