The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-01-05

JoCt OF sites 1t IS SUFFICIENT 1Ol 11lC ~
| say that [ must agree with the land-
scape architect on the question or Sc
lection. To my mind the advantages
of The flushing tunnel site over any
| If the others that have been suggested
are 50 great that there is little ground
for hesitation in choosing.
'',rhe general level of the major por-
| ton of this site in relation to the high
bluff upon which the main approach
from the city would he located gives
opportunity for a most unusual, eco
/ nomcal and particularly beautiful ar
| rangement of the main buildings ana
the exhibiting space it would contain
/ The general scheme, as shown in the
| sketches, is for q homogeneous group
ing of all the principal exhibits III 2
single building; Which will form about
| tWo-fiftllS of a circle, with q greater
radius, the center of which is located
/ about halfway between the govern
/ ment pier and the city intake tunnel,
! and throws the outer circumference
within about SeYenty-fiye feet OF the
! Chicago & Northwestern Railway
| tracks, which follow the curve of the
| high bank at this place. radial line
| taken through the middle of this seq
mental facade and continued beyond.
strikes directly through the junction OF
| Lafayette place and Sunni it avenue,
at which point 200 feet in width of en-
| trance gates or stiles, fianked by two
| monumental columns, will provide the
grand entrance to the position. This
| entrance will give upon platform lev
| ell with the city streets above men
toned and with the topmost level of
| the exposition buildings, thus admit
81
same level, from the streetcar term
| inals directly to the highest roof-gar-
| den, from which will be seen at once
| the Splendor of the entire exposition
and of its setting at the waters edge
of Lake Michigan.
Before reaching the roof-garden,
however, the visitor will have passed
| domed structure of impressive and
| monumental design, for the purpose OF
| administration and to seat, in auditori-
| UNI, a congregation Of 10000 people at
| one time. Toward the entrance plat
| form and toward the lake, entrance
| porticos to this building of two stories
| in h light. will shelter balconies hung
| between the columns. The entrance
| platform has an area of about 100000
square feet. and it would be a cOnven-
| lent and commOdiOuS space in which
to gather parties together for purposes
| of rendezvous. Into this platform
from the line of the main building and
on each side of the grand staircase
will extend open covered paviiions,
| their floors twenty feet lower than the
platform. These pavilions carry along
| the same horizontal lines and arcades
| that are seen in the sectional facades
between which the gradual descent of
the staircase to the main floor level
and the open terrace and eSplanade
beyond. is made; are, in fact, treated
! as wings of the main building.
The descent of sixty feet to the es-
! planade may be made most interest
ing progress by the breaking up of the
total height into short flights and long
levels, somewhat as shown on the
plans, and by placing balustrades
with statuary at various points on the
way down. Standing on the top space
| between the two halves of the main
building or upon the terrace beyond in
line with the opening, a vista of the
giant staircase with the administration
| building as the focal point, and the
blue sky beyond, should be very i'm
posing.
The Gardens as n Feature
ssThe entire main building is divided
ON the main floor into departments "a
daily, thus giving to each department
the entire width of the building aud
consequently, light from beth sides.
Above the height OF the first story the
building is divided in half longitudin-
ally, or, rather, is carried up to the
height of another story only on the ter
race side of the line biSecting it's
width, the portion toward the lake be-
ing OH this level file roof of the main
| floor departments transformed into a
| garden similar to that already spoken
of as on a level with the approaches
| to the exposition, on the roof of the
Second-fioor exhibits.
1T is largely upon these gardens
that the scheme depends for it's
! uniqueness and beauty, and when it is
considered that they will occupy the
entire length Of the segmentaI roof and
are 125 feet in width interrupted only
by long, narrow skylights placed at in
| teryals in their length to give addition
| al light to the exhibits underneath:
! that they will be enclosed with balus-
! trades forming the browning feature
of the facades as seen from below. but
| intended to be so planted and hung
/ and intertwined with plants and vines
/ that even from below the character of
/ the enclosure will be manifest; it is
/ easy to imagine and not difficult to
| constitute these gardens a sight as
beautiful and inspiring as we are told
! were those of the Emperor Nero: or
the splendid gardens Of Babylon in the
/ Biblical era.
THE height Of the first garden is