The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-06-07
FOR SUMMER NIGHTS
oLYMPIA's WONDERFUL ROOF GAR
DEN NOW BEING CONSTRUCTED.
Resort for Pleasure That
VIII FulnIl the Dream of n Royal
Epicurean SyIvnnite.

New York Herald.
When the summer ~solstice is at its height
and the "can't-get-aways' are filling sun
baked Broadway o'nights. they will md a
new haven of refuge from the Overwhelming
heat. where they may sit and sip their
beer in the most pleasant of cool surround
ings, listen to the soft music of lively songs.
get the benefit of any gentle breeze that
blows, and manage. to forget that a moment
before they were thinking. If not saying,
things in thorough accord with the weather
beneath.
Hammerstein's roof garden will be the
place then. and If the promises of its pro-
jector are carried to a successful fruition 1t
will be one of the finest OF the kind in the
city. The clang of hammer, the rattle of
ironwork, the forcible directions of foremen
are all that can be heard there now, but the
proprietor says all will be ready for the
public during the first week of next month,
and that then and thereafter the public
can't come too fast or too often for him.
Let us step into one of the two roomy
elevators and glide up to the roof. 1t is the
first night. we will imagine, and this is
what we will see, SHOULD all the plans not
gang agley:''
There, directly in front of you, at the
other side, 1O feet from where you stand
as you leave the lift. is the stage. None of
your mere platforms, hastily erected. to
save expense and to serve a temporary pur-
pose, but a roomy, deep, solid stage, COW
cred and lined with ~brickwork. 1t is forty
two feet long, it is ten feet less in depth,
just the size of the stage in the tieater be-
low, and on it seventy-five persons can be
assembled without any undue crowding.
For seventy-five feet above the stage is
this background extended, and inside this
10 one soehe ioIt anu space Ior every stage
appliance. Behind the stage are twenty
two commodious dressing rooms, and, taken
al In all, such another stage cannot be seen
on any other roof garden.
LANDSCAPE GARDENING.
But your eye will wander from the stage
even though it be thronged with beauties
to the pretty picture by which ii is fianked.
There is rugged nature transplanted from
its most secret hiding place to grace a met
ropolitan amusement hail.
From where the glass roof meets the wall
of brick juts out a mound of grass grown.
rock studded earth: from the top of one
end a waterfall makes its tortuous way d.
agonally to the other end; here a fountain
plays, its spray cleaning. d~iamond-.ike, in
the electric lights, and at the bottom, reach
ing out to your feet as you walk along, is a
miniature lake, on which swans glide here
and there. and which is to be stocked with
fish.
1t is a veritable triumph. YOU must ad-
NIT. and the list of adjectives expressive OF
admiration will surely be exhausted by the
thousands who will gaze on the scene. AS
lends its aid in beautiful pieces of statuary
scattered all around. On one side Of the
ian. grotto, the other is a bit of scenery from
switzerland.
Directly beneath the curving front of the
stage sit the musicians, and behind them are
the reserved seats for $50 persons. At each
side OF these is a stairway, with pretty bal
ustrades. leading to the floors below, and
broad grand promenade, which starts at one
end of the garden and, in a winding, cir
cuitous way, traverses the 20 feet to the
other side.
Scattered all over the rest of the space are
pretty tables and comfortable chairs, ,ex-
cept where here and there an occasional
mense palm or a Statue makes an intervai
necessary. AT either side Of the elevator
shaft are the private boxes-a dozen on each
are furnished IN a most comfortable man.
ner.N
ers that four times the weight allowed
by law may be carried. Thus 1t is that these
tons and tons of earth may be upheld, and
there will be no danger for the 1900 persons
date at one time. Fifteen iron columns rise
from the floor to the ~roof-whose apex is
sixty-hve feet from the garden fioor-and
meet the arches of the roof.
At the base of each column is a mound OF
earth, in which grows the vines and green's
which will wind vim around the column and
plants with which the arches are covered.
Half hidden among the greens will be the
electric lights, which will illumine the scene
nearly 5000 of them, not in any gaudy COL
| ored globes. but in a soft crystallized glass,
| which will prevent any eye straining glare.
| In this garden one can sit when a storm
of rain will make its neighbors deserted. 1t
has a roof Of glass, in a gentle curve to the
| center, where it Is divided In sections which
| may be opened as ventilators. The glass is
of thick plate and heavily ground. and even
! on the most sunny day an audience could sit
at a matinee and not be incommoded by the
MANUFACTURED SHOWERS.
This same roof of glass gave play to Mr..
Hammerstein's ingenuity, the result being a
plan which, 1t is said. will do more to make
the garden a cool resort than any other de-
| vice for refrigerating the air. Up inside the
| interior of some of the big columns run big
| pipes, which are connected with an immense
icebox in the cellar.
From these pipes run three other pipes.
which extend lengthwise along the roof. In
the roof pipes are tiny perforations. A pump
sends iced water from the cellar up through
the column pipes to those on the roof, 1t
| trickles through the perforations and in a
thin sheet runs over the plate glass OF the
roof. This process will be kept in operation
all day. making the glass as cold as the ice
itself, and reducing the neat in the atmos-
artificial arctic zone will be abroad in the
garden, and no one will care whether or not
| a breeze comes. From the CUTTERS at the
| s;des the water which has cooled the glass
| dsscends by pipes to the icebox in the cellar.
only to be iced and pumped up again to do
| double duty.
A tower in which fifty persons may be
cong-egated surmounts the elevator shat fits.
Its sides will be fitted out with windows
| after the bulrs-eye style. Here will be
found an assortment of astronomical in
struments. with which, the patrons may
| gather instruction, as well as amusement.
An extended view may be had from the
| garden. Over the tops OF the buildings 10
the west may be seen the hills on the Jer-
sey shore; up Seventh avenue the eye will
reach until it catches the green trees in
| Central Park. and any breeze that stirs will
find hard work to steer away and leave the
| garden untouched.
Here. Mr.. Hammerstein says. he will give
to his patrons a regular performance, prob
ably burlesque or light opera, to be followed
by an array OF speciality artists in novel at
fractions. Nor is the garden adapted tC
the summer business only. 1t is only neces-
sary 10 glass in the open sides, the pretty
balustrade lending itself easily to such a
plan. turn on the steam heat and turn of
| fhe iced water from the roof. and il Will ne