Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-12
ATHLETES MAY DO IT,
But Ordinary People Will Find the
Worlds Fair Is Too Big.
IT WILL TAKE MILES OF WALKING
To Get an Adequate Idea Of Such As Simple
Show as I hat of Glass.
VISITORS SHOULD GO IN TRAINING
WRITTEN FOR THE prsrArcH,I ]

VISITORS SHOULD 60 IN TRAINING
WRITTEN FOR THE p1srArcH.I
The first impression which the observer
j gets of the Worlds Columbian Exposition
in its present stage of development is one Of
its vastness. That is probably tho impress
sion which, when the Fair is opened, will
dominate all others. No exposition was
ever projected on such scale before, and,
| for this generation at least, no one is likely
to be again.
The historic building erected in Hyde
Park in 1851 to accommodate the first of
modern worlds fairs covered 100000 square
feet. The building devoted to manufactur-
ers and liberal arts at Chicago covers nearly
800, 900 square feet. The largest building
at the Paris Exposition in 1889 was the
Machinery Palace, covering II acres; the
largest at Chicago covers nearly 81 acres
The main building at the Centennial Expo
sition had floor area of $40, ,464 square
feet: at the Worlds Columbian Exposition
the area covered is 1,479, 499 square feet
At Philadelphia, Machinery Hall occupied
604, 720 square feet, at Chicago it COW
ers, with its annex, zoo, 900 square feet, and
| outside of this there are three separate
buildings, covering in the aggregate fully
as much space more, devoted to the depart
| ments of electricity, mines and mining and
transportation, all of which were accommo-
dated in Machinery Hall at Philadelphia.
The Art Building at the Centennial had
76, $50 square feet of floor space and SO, 8sS
feet of wall space: the Worlds Columbian
Art Palace, with its annexes, will have
1874, 900 feet of floor space, and Of wall area
for picture hanging at least 145, 1852 square
feet
Tho Limit Of Enlargement
The list might be prolonged, but the scale
of expansion has been sufficiently ind-
Gated. It is, perhaps, no greater than the
scale Of material development established
in the second half Of the nineteenth
century. But there is limit to everything,
and those who know most about worlds
fairs believe, with apparent reason, that at
Chicago the limit OF possible enlargement
has been reached.
On the stupendous structures which cover
over 200 acres of jackson Park II of the
most eminent architects in the country have
wreaked themselves on somewhat turgid
expression. Never were seen efforts more
labored and ambitious-even in this town of
sky scraping edifces-to adapt old styles to
new uses. There is French renaissance and
classic renaissance; Italian renaissance con-
ceived in French spirit and again carried
out with rigid regard to formula There
is also what is described as the renaissance
of Spain, treatment of Romanesque, said to
be after the manner of the Ecole des Beaux
Arts, and Spanish Romanesque. Moreover,
there is pure Corinthian and presumably
pure Ionic, and q style which may be
classed as pure Washington. There will be
section of Venice presented on the lake
front, and such colonnades, archways and
terraces as the Dockery Committee may
have spared. Scattered with q free hand on
and about the buildings will be statuary Of
gigantic proportions
Really Too Bi. to Look At
It would be absurd to discuss the COM
bined effect of an architectural picture
painted with brush of such Titanic size
and sweep. There will be no combined
effect. The disproportion between the
buildings and the visual capacity of their
beholders is too great for that. Viewed
from above. say from the dome of the Ad-
mlnistration building-a counterfeit st.
dul S-d Ndot VI IOOio Will UC bu0
dominating feature. Viewed from tho
ground, feeling of dazed bewilderment
will seize the ambitious enthusiast who
tries to take mental photographs of the
architectural triumphs Of the Fair. Some |
critics may dismiss them, as a recent Ger. |
man once did, with the curt comment that |
they are merely academic" Others may
decline to see the fitness of the indefinitely |
enlarged Greek temples and Roman tombs |
L. Al
merchandise. But none Will hesitate to |
pronounce them prodigious or to give their |
designers credit for a great deal of ingenuity
and no little daring.
AS far as the adaptation Of means to ends
is concerned, the Fisheries Building is
probably the only serious architectural
effort of them all which will stand criti-
cism. The main building will take the lead
as model of cumbrous inaptitude, with
the Hall of Mechanic Arts and the Agri-
cultural Building closely contending for
question of traversing the miles OF passage
ways, along which will be grouped the
triumphs OF civilization which the century
has been preparing for this the hugest OF all |
its shows, what wall will 60 up from the
weary and footsore thousands who will
daily attempt the impossible task Of ''do-
ing" at least one portion Of the Fair thor
oughly.
There'n Be Plenty OF sunstrokss.
No man has ventured to compute how far
the aisles of the main building would
stretch if extended in a straight line, but,
impressive as is the maj diameter of Chi
cago, they would doubtless transcend that
For the purpose of installing exhibits two
have been provided to traverse
the longitudinal expanse of the building,
but for the visitors there will be nothing
indoors to mitigate the weary toll of in
walking One discerns large
field for the activity of the Exposition am
bulance system in rejecting on the mid
summer conditions under which the Ameri-
can people, with throbbing temples and
aching feet, will perform their painting
homeage to the goddess of bigness whose
shrine is the main building in Jackson
Park.
Nor will the absence Of facilities of being
borne around the vast spaces in which ex-
hibits are displayed be compensated tor by
the possibility OF finding all the articles Of
} given class grouped in one place. The
Department OF Manufactures contains 35
groups, whose constituent paits will be
scattered over the entire building. Prod
lcts will be first grouped under the coun- !
.ries of their origin and then under their I
appropriate class. The result may be that
he visitor intent, say, on finding out what the
world can do in glassware will have to
rayel from the British section to the