The record-union., 1899-09-04
PURELY AMERICAN.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PAN
AMERICAN EXPOSITION.
Buildings to Be Bright and Beau
tifu1 as the PIumage Of
the Birds.
Especial Correspondence.)

those who visit the Queen City in the
year I30l with the expectation Of seeing
duplication of the White City, Of
Chicago will find a brilliant surprise
awaiting them.
This Exposition will be different from
any before constructed The acme of
classical architecture, with It's severe
and chilling lines, was reached at the
worlds Fair and the management Of
the Pan-American decided that it
would be the part of wisdom to break
away from beaten paths and do some
thing that had never been done before.
therefore the Pan-American Exposi-
ton will be thing of brilliancy and
bright colorS. Where at the Chicago
Exposition We're straight, severe clas-
slcal towers and pillars there will be
gllded domes and minarets and mosaics
in ALI of the colors of the rainbow and
the buildings instead of being a daz-
ziing white will be as bright and beau
tlful as is the plumage of the hurnming
bird. The ensemble will be one of
light and life, brilliancy and "go."
All this was decided upon few days
ago when the Advisory Board of Ar
| chitects gathered at Boston with their
plans and there met Director of Works
Carlton and Directors Birge and
Sprague of the Special Committee on
| Construction.
| 1t was believed that something unioue
and beautiful would be submitted at
| the meeting, for the architects are
among the most famous and skillful in
the world and they had been told that
the PanAmerican must be more beau
tiful than had been any other and that
/ 1t must be absolutely unique
| When the drawings were uncovered
the Director of Works and the members
of the Construction Committee agreed
that the instructions had been more
than carried out The plans showed
| the % principal buildings had been
handled in manner absolutely unique,
the style of architecture following
closely that adopted in the construction
of the Ponce De Leon Hotel at st.
Augustine, Florida: a building which
many competent judges believe to be
the most beautiful structure on this
continent. The buildings were all of
one story with the exception of the
Electrical Tower and nearly all We're
| topped by great domes and minarets;
painted in the most beautiful colors
|
also an unprecedented showing of mag
nlncent fountains. water cascades, flo
raj decorations and other ornamental
features which will give life and beau
ty which the American people so love
ana which was lacking at the previous
| expositions.
| George K. Birge, of the Committee.
on his return to Buffalo. said that he
| oelleved that the completed exposition
would be the most beautiful in history
and that it would have lasting effect
on American architecture as the STYLE
ADOPTED was particularly suited to the
climate and the people of the land
According to Mr.. Birge, the buildings
which will attract the greatest atten-
t1on will be the Electric Tower. the
Government Building and the Temple
or Music. This latter building will
have seating capacity of 1000, but by
an ingenious arrangement it can be
enlarged to seat 10000 by opening
three ornamental wings. When so
great a seating capacity is not needed
the wings can be closed off without de-
tracing from the beauty of the struc-
ture in the slightest degree.
In view Of the fact that Buffalo is a.
factor in the fight for the Democratic
National Convention next year there
is a request that work be started upon
! this Music Temple without delay, so
that it may be used as a Convention
Hall in case the city succeeds in secur-
ing the great gathering.
| Ihe management realize that such
gathering would be of the greatest ben
eft both to the city and to the coming
Fair, and it is now understood that the
work on this structure will be hurried
forward with the idea of having it
ready for the convention in case that is
secured.
In the construction of the Temple of
Music Architect Esenwein was careful
TO make arrangements for emptying
the building with the utmost dispatch
and he has planned four gigantic stair
cases of the most beautiful architecture
These staircases will be placed, one on
either side and two on the front of the
building
All of the buildings will have the
clolster effect. The inner courts be-
ing decorated with masses of plants
and flowers and fountains and a mag
nificent triumphant arch will mark the
entrance to the grounds
As has been said before. the cleo
trical tower will be the feature of the
entire exposition. It will be enormous
in size, and the massive bronze figure
typifying electricity and the masses of
fountains and cascades beauti1ed by
cunningly hidden electric lights will
make a structure more beautiful than
any ever before conceived by man
There has been some unjust criticism
passed upon the mana cement of the com
| ing fair by those who failed to appreciate
the mass of detail work that had to
be disposed of before the real con-
Structive work could be started Many
wondered why the ground was not
broken and the real work started
| Their complaints will have lost force
soon, for it is now expected that within
the space of three weeks force of men
will be at work on the fence and in the
putting up of the service building, and
in even less time than that it is expected
/ that the glass will be on the ground
for the construction Of the mammoth
greenhouses and propag agating- houses,
in which the hundreds of thousands of
trees and shrubs and plants will be
! grown.
/ Rudolph Ulrich, who has been Sc
Department, has stated that it would
be far more satisfactory, and possibly
cheaper, for the exposition to grow all
of its own plants and shrubs and flow
ers, instead of placing itself at the