The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-03-08
Immense Worlds Fair Buildings Going to
Wreck and Decay.
MAY COLLAPSE At ANY TIME
Eight ana Ntnc story Hotels without
GUest-FOrtunes Lost In Them.
sInny OF ,rhem AFRO Nero shells
Chicag0's Enwise Citizens Now
Paying Dearly for THOR Folly.


travel to the regions of the Nile to look
upon ruins beth picturesque and desc
late. Hyde Park and Woodlawn, once
beautiful residence suburbs of Chicago,
are full OF immense buildings, empty,
gaunt and towering-ghostly reminders
OF the Worlds Fair-brlngIng nothing
but trouble and expense to the visionary
unfortunates who Invested IN them.
each separate spectre represents ruined
MONIES. f)St fortunes and social diSaS-
tcr-sone even death and suicide.
Many of them are mere shells. Some
are OF massive architecture. eight and
nine stories high. In these are marble
Staircases. expensive chandeliers, frcs-
coed walls and immense heating plants,
all going to decay. There are others.
too, which, filled with the poorer class
'of tenants. are perfectly arranged fire.
traps. unkcmpt, unsightly and an mex
cuSatblc menace TO the lives of their
occupants.
Real estate values near these ghosts
nave dropped nearly onc-half, for who
wishes to live next TO scven-story
architectural spectre which is likely at
any momcut TO topic over into IL pile
OF BRICK and mortar. or in the still hour
Of the night TO break into a mass nr
flames?
inc amount of money invested in
'h'Se architectural wrecks Is almost in
credible, while hundreds Of Chicago's
unwise citizens are either paving heavy
mortgages or are nearly pennilcss ha-
cause of their wild investm ants in 30
ana W One hotel, the Verdomo. cos;
l'ot one penny less than S35O.0OO There
are dozens of others than range from
$50. COO 10 $500 600 ''''
AZ the corner Of Champlaincs ov.p,,c
ana sixteenth street stands ragged.
roI!aPSed building, known in WORLDS
fair days rs the Great Eastern. II
covers nearly half Il block Of ground,
extending from Champlaines TO 81
lawrence avenue. The back doors Of
TINS MOTEL look cut upon WASHINGTON
race tuck. with it's splck -and-span
abieS and yelow-painted grand
stand To the north Is one of the mftst
beautiful and picturesque bits of Wash
lnEton Park. Not n hundred wards
away Is skating pond where South
sue society girls and boys glide and
pliouettc rs soon ms shtng weather
arrives. surrounding the Great East
ern are fine residences Of gray stone
originally this hotel cost $4,000. It
was built by the Great Eastern Hotel
company, of which Sidney 4. 10th
was president: S. W. Stone, vicc-presI-
uent, and John III. Frerichs. manager.
an area OF 256XSO0 feet Is covered by
the largest hotel in the world. contain
ing LOO rooms, only three stories high
with fire proof. makolitr partitions and
artistic staff exterior To-day n more
complete and desolatc and awful wreck
OF building could not be found in n
month of travel and research. Tho
roof is cavcd in and torn off in patches
windows are broken. doors have fallen
from their hinges ana the once cart g.
tic staff exterior covering" looks MS if
IL had been eaten by monster months
IL is easy to see that the Great EaSt-
eEh was nothing more substantial than
a SieNc-like framework of lnths board
ell up with pine on the inside while it's
exterior was made passably preGrntu-
pic by thin coating Of cement. 4
black sign. on which is painted in gold
the one word Buffet" still swings
jaunt!ly from its hooks just above the
entrance 10 the big dning-rnom. 1t
alone is the one thing left perfect and
intact. How the small boys who sys-
tcmaticallE sma shed nearly every WIN
dow pane came II overlook this lone
some Eildcd object is Il mystery quite
beyond the solving
The City Council has twice condemn
ed the Great Eastern, and orders have
been given that Ii should be torn
down. l'ut ii remains standing. Near
by nci%hhors live in terror and alarm
lest ii catch fire ana their homes per-
lsh with it,
After the fair the building was
bought by n man rumed MauZy, who
thought to turn 1T into an immense
amusement hall, with seating capa-
city of 10000
81 mnrtSagad all my property. which
has since been sold to pay off the land
n;nt." said Mr.. Mauzy to-day. 1--WE lost
every cent ] had In Il. as did the people
who built it,
Less than ten blocks away from the
Great Eastern. at the corner OF Sixty
second street and Monroe avenue, is the
Nsndome, whose nine stories of gray
stone ami yellow brick stand high
above the surrounding houses and fat
buildings. This is magnificent struc-
ture, utterly different from the Great
Eastern, as Il was well built and was
perfectly equipped. Its windows are
dirty and q few ara broken.
directly across the street is vacant
lot tossed over With stray paper, old
cans and various bits Of r. fuse Just
beyond tina; is all that is left of the
| great Coliseum. There It lies. like Il
vanGuishcd monster, a tangled mass
| of iron Sirders ROW yellow ana rust
| grown. At one end on the Six ~
| third street side. stand It's two towers.
| which alone survived the fire. An apart
| mcnt house close 70 the north end of
| the Coliseum ruins lJoms up grimcd
| and blackened with smuka stains, while
| its broken window panes,' shattered by
| the heat from the great fire. add Il faint
| tint To the dccn color OF the desolarc
| scene. The gaunt, weather beaten seen
| cry of Pains fireworks Enclosure docs
| MT take away from the picture OF dcs-
| ciat!On and destruction. Neither does
| the low. implanted building called Tab
| ernacla No. ., In which Faith-curc
! Dowic talked 10 multitudcs during ;hc
! Worlds Fair season