The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-06
PITTSBURG IN LUCK
ANDREW CARNEGIE WILL ENDOw
II ART GALLERY WITH 81 200, 900.
He Makes the Announcement While
Turning Over to the City His
MiiIfon-DoIlar Library.

~PITTSBCRG, Nov. This was Pitts
burg's great day. The proud city not only
received the magnificent gift OF a million
dollar library. music hall and art gallery
from the equally proud donor, Mr.. Andrew
Carnegie. but the pleasing announcement
was made that Mr.. Carnegie would endow
the art gallery with one million dollars.
and also proposed erecting for the greater
Pittsburg. free libraries at Duquesne. Car
negie and Homestead.
The dedicatory exercises took place in the
music hall of the new building. which was
packed to the walls by probably the most
representative gathering ever seen in the
Iron City. The exercises opened with an
organ prelude by Frederic Archer. who. for
the occasion. had Transcribed Weber's
overture. Jubilee" Right Rev. Bishop
Courtlandt Whitehead then offered invoca-
ton. The Mozart Club. under the direction
of j. p. McCollum, followed the invocation,
rendering the choruses. Roses Strew We
for His Footsteps" by Hoffman, and
Songs Of the Vikings by Tanning.
On behalf of the board of trustees, Presi-
dent w. n. Frew made the opening ad-
dress, introducing Mr.. Carnegie, who, in a
brief address, formally turned over his
magnificent gift to the people, delivering
the keys into the custody of the trustees.
In the course OF his remarks. he stated
that he would give 81, coo, 900 as an endow-
ment fund to the art gallery, the interest
TO be used In the purchase Of works of art
and that he would also erect libraries at
Carnegie, Duquesne and Homestead. Ad-
dresses by Governor Daniel III. Hastings.
on benalf OF the commonwealth. and Mayor
=. Mchenna, on behalf of the city, fol-
lowed. The closing address was delivered
by Congressman John Dalzell. AT the con-
clusion or the exercises an informal re-
ception was rendered Mr.. and Mrs. Car
4 negie in the main room of the art oollarx
Representatives from many OF the principal
newspapers OF the country and distln-
guisned guests from New York and Phila-
delphia witnessed the dedicatory exercises.
The style of the library is of the Italian
renaissance. The walls are of Cleveland
gray sandstone and the roofing covered
with tile. In length the building covers
3s3 feet OF ground and in width has an aver
age Of about $50 feet. There are two floors
on which are arranged the various quarters
for the library, art rooms and the music
hail. The music hall is sixty-eight feet
deep and III feet wide; having a maximum
shape of an eliptical dome, while the hall
itself is semicircular in form, to afford the
best possible acoustics. The stage is forty
AT the rear of the platform Is stationed
the grand organ. A beautiful proscenium
arch rises above the stage. Four piers up
hold it, the pilasters of which are highly
ornamented. Behind the auditorium is a
set of rooms for the convenience of musi-
clans and choristers. The south portion of
the ground floor is occupied by a lecture
room and two rooms on either side for
like uses, the three taking up a space of
eighty-twO by fifty-two feet, to the east of
which is the. apartment for the use OF the
amateur photographers, which is thirty feet
square.
The frieze of the outer p~ortico of the
Parthenon, the great temple built in the
Acropolis at Athens, by Pericles, is repro
duced as a border for the walls in the hall.
call, were designed by Ictinus. A staircase
from a balustraded marble platform leads
platform are entrances to the circulating
library and periodical rooms. The period
zeal rooms on either side of the circulating
library are partly separated from it, the
walls being modified by a Palladian design,
with a center arch opening. including the
columns and smaller openings, square in
the placing of library volumes, has a limit
in capacity of 100000 volumes, which is al
most as large as that of any library in the
country. There are several miles of this
shelving. The entire stack is constructed
Of iron, with doors covered with iron, with
fre-proof walls. to preclude as nearly as
In the south part of the building is the
4 science wing, including the lecture room.
cupied in front by the music hall, while
beyond 1t are the three art galleries. the
trio taking up a space of lSOx52 feet These
lofty ceilings of iron and glass, affording
such light as is probably not excelled by
that Of any american art gallery. These
| 6aLlC Z DIV ofOVO o4aoAS ASSk "a q oRo0C
for the exhibition of paintings. Great ma
hogany doors lead into the committee
galleries at one side. and into the second
floor lineal corridor at the other. On the
other side of the corridor is the reading
room of the library, nine by forty-two feet
in dimensions. The corridor has vaults and
wall panels painted in gold and buff. and
added to the ornamentation are wreath cur
tains and other designs of the Italian mot
i've. In the basement are plenty of rooms
comfortable and satisfactory in every way,
which may be adapted 10 tie use of art
schools or schools of various artistic trend.
1t is said that the grand collection of art,
including the building. and it's contents, rep
resent a monetary value of Sl,5OO.0W.
Mr.. Carnegie's public beneficence has been
principally in the last few years. One of
the best known music halls in New York
the Carnegie Music Hall-was his gift. In
the last half dozen years he has given
several organs to churches In Bredock,
where one of the largest of his several steel
plants is located. He has also given an or
gan to a Homestead church. He estab-
lished a great library at Dumfermlino, his
native town, in Scotland. as well as gave
that municipality a public bath house. At
Latrobe he placed an organ in a church,
and performed like services for houses of
Christian worship in Carnegie the town
which was named for him. and which form
erly bore the name Of Mansfield), Oakmont,
Irwin, Greensburg, Swissvale.. Uniontown.
Scottdale, Perry and Connellsville; all cities
1890 Mr.. Carnegie presented to Aberdeen,
Scotland, a large public library, and about
the same time ne maze a like GIT TO the
civ of AYR, Scotland. Not long after these
gifts Mr.. Carnegie presented to the town of
Fairfield. Ia. a library. He also estab-
lished a library at Lithgow. Scotland, and
one at Bradock. The Carnegie libraries in
Allegheny and Pittsburg take the most
prominent place, as they represent enor-
nous gifts when taken from the standpoint
the good they do, as they draw as large
a community as the majority of his other
gifts combined, and they also indicate a
greater monetary outlay than many of the
others put together. The Allegheny Lii
brary was erected at a cost of 100000.
Mr.. Carnegie's benefactions. however.
have not been confined to the founding of
libraries and the building of organs, music
halls and the like. A notable instance of
the good he has done is furnished by the
great sum raised in 1898 to help give work
in the Pittsburg parks to laboring men who
were idle and needy through the stress of
the bad business conditions. Mr.. Carnegie
aid not wish to see the fund lag, and to
stimulate its growth he offered to duplicate
from his owe purse the offering of the
entire public. As soon as the people
learned this the subscriptions began to in
crease In number and amounts until an
aggregate of over $l30,0 0 was raised In
Pittsburg and roundabout. Mr.. Carnegie
gave his check for a like amount and the
total was used in giving employment to the
unfortunate workmen-