The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-28
DR.. HAMILTON'S PLANS.
He VIII Put a Hanging Gallery,
Seating 1900,
Into His Hall, Making Its Elk
treme Capacity
About8, 900 seated,and 4,ooOWhenAs
Standing Room is Taken on Extra
Occasions-Property to BE Left
to the City When DR.. Ham
ilton Dies.

DR.. Hamilton says that if the inn
provements contemplated when he built
his hall are made, it viii hold 1000
people and accommodate any conven-
ton which may assemble here.
when I built my hail." said Dr.
Hamilton, 81 planned for a large swing
nggallery but did not have the mon
ey to complete it then and I thought
would put it i'm when better times came
But the better times have not come
Il have had architects figure upon the
plans and they say that with the gal
lery put in as contemplated my han
will seat at least 5000 people comforta-
bly,. AS it stands now there have been
3,O05 people in the hall by actual count,
but they could not all be seated
my plan is to build the gallery There
are extra supports on the roof for
the purpose OF supporting the
from the back wall SO as to allow the
sound to pass under it. 1t is planned
to have it seated with iron frame opera
chairs and Will be as comfortable as
could be devised.
In addition to this the plan includes
two large ventilators in the root IN
which large revolving fans will be
operated. The windows on the sides
and ends with these VeutilatOrs VIII
make the hall the best ventilated IN
Kansas.
my use. I could rent it much more
readily if it were smaller Societies
which give entertainments will not use
my hall because the crowd would. De
lost in it, so that the only thing I can
hope is that the city may get some BEN
eft from its use for the state conVen-
tons and large public gatherings That
was in my mind when i built It, 4 did
not expect that 1T would pay me, but
spent $50 600 in its erection because the
city needed a hall of this kind badly
and because as a citizen of Topeka
was anxious to do something to help
the city.
My wife and / are alone. and we can
not live forever. There is no one to
leave this property to, and it is my de-
sire that it be left to the city.
The improvements i'm my hall will
not cost to exceed S2,500, and there viii
then be a hall in Topeka large enough
for all purposes, and it viii be of very
little use for any other purposes than
large gatherings and consequently the
benefit I VIII receive personally viii
DR.. Hamilton says that he is figuring
on extending the stage q few feet far
Their into the hall, 50 that q speaker
may be readily seen from any part of
it. He says he at first thought of hav-
ing the stage at one end. but changed
his mind when he found that the people
on the stage could scarcely be seen,
much less heard, from the farther end.
He says that he has had the exits ex-
amined by the fire marshal who pro-
nOunced them aQeQ out he IS Will
ing to have the narrow one on the alley
side Widened if necessary and a wider
stairway put on the north side.
DR.. HamiltOn's offer is generous
one, but viii it bring us the conven-
tiOns2 A convention or a great state
meeting brings to this city hundreds
frequently thousands, of people from all
over the state. They come hundreds Of
miles, and then when they get here,
they can't get in. They must hang
about the hotels, or walk about the
streets. Naturally they feel angry about
it. Topeka needs q. hail with a seating
capacity of 5000 and there have been
times when 5000 or 10000 people would
have attended a meeting if they could
have gotten into the building The ex-
position building where the Illinois con-
vention is to be held tomorrow has been
provided with $4,000 seats and it is ez-
pected they viii all be filed
Until Topeka can get the proper kind
Of hail, a temporary one might be
constructed. or the auditorium moved
in from Oakland and placed on vacant
lots near the central part OF town.