Evening star., 1901-01-12
THE RAINBOW CITY
Beautiful Color Scheme of the Coming
Pan-American Exposition.
BUILDINGS PRACTICALLY FINISHED
Electricity Will Be Utilized as
Never Before,
S PLENDID STATU A RY
PLENDID STA TU RY
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

BUFFALO, January 8. 1901.
The name Pan-American has caught the
popular fancy and Pan-American the splen-
did exposition at Buffalo is likely to re-
main until the end of the chapter. 1t is a
fitting circumstance that Buffalo should be
the site of this exposition, in view Of the
fact that it is now just about 100 years
since the first white settlers began 10 build
up the city now grown so great
Buffalo is proud of the progress that has
been made in the building of the rainbow
city, which now beauties its northern
boundary. Never before in the history of
eXpoSitions in either the new world or the
old has such remarkable work Of con-
structive character been done. Never be-
fore did six months show such wonder
full change in the appearance of tract of
land as has been worked-without the aid
of ma gic-in the $50 acres which comprise
the site of the Pan-American exposition.
Now that the principal buildings are prac-
tically constructed, and the whole great en-
terprise has been thus far run on schedule
time it can be seen that the confidence ex-
isting in the ability of the management to
open the gates on May l, upon completed
and perfectly embellshed creation, is jus
titled.
The financial prospects of the exposition
are all that could be desired. The adver-
tising it has received is already bringing
forth fruit and very large attendance is
now as certain as anything can be which
belongs to the future.
The recent test of the electric lights on
the machinery building has shown that the
great lighting scheme of the exposition
will be literally a brilliant success.
Brilliant Scene.
It has been said that the Pan-Amercan
exposition will be a rainbow city by day
,;ohf hn
true, it should prove one Of the most beau
tiful sights Of its kind ever created for the
delecta ton of the human vision.
Much has been written about the lllu-
nina tions of the exposition, but the public
Is scarcely aware Of the magnificence of
the scene which is to be created by the use
of incandescent lights In such generous pro-
fusion about the main court OF the EXPOSE
ton and the buildings Immediately ely s sur
rounding it. When one says that 20OOOO or
these lights are to be so used the figures look
large but they are nevertheless true NOR
does this include all the lights that are 10
be used in the general Illumination OF the
exposition for on the midway several con-
cessions will use as many as 2,0OO llghtS
each In the buildings and about the Dor
der of tn. grounds will be arc lights, While
incandescent lamps will also be USED by
many individual exhibitors. mus, the Hs-
rres ooU 600 will be considerably increased
The illumination of the electric tower is go
ing to be not only astonishing and novel,
but truly artistic. ,
f,om Mr. Karl Bitter, director of sculpture
the model of the gilded statue Of the God
dess of Light. which Is to surmount the
tower and bring its total height TO 3Ol rect
This statue by a famous sculptor. Herbert
Adams, Will be the finishing touch in
grand illumination covering an area OF
many acres. The tower itself is to be IL
Illuminated both from without and within,
oci, In of 1t will be full of
srarklins lights in various colors, while
nlnety-four searchlights placed beneath the
water of this great basin will shoot up
ward and cast their striking radiance upon
The cascades colonnades and other fea-
lures of this wonderful scene of the expo
sitiOn.
It is appropriate at this point to speak
also of the success of the great exposition
color scheme; for, happily, the color of the
buildings will be seen to greater advantage
at night than even under the rays Of the
midsummer sun. The lighting Of the ma
chinery building is found to bring out in
a wonderful measure the harmonious tints
and rich hues which the director of color.
Mr. Charles Y. Turner, N. A, has devised
for the decoration of that splendid struc
ture: and the towers, especially. with their
Spanish outlines and picturesque ornamen-
tation, appear at their very best under the
radiance produced by the electric fluid sent
from Niagara Falls.
Perhaps nothing has been more talked
about than the color scheme of the PAN
American. 1t was a daring thing to at
tempt to array in colors the extensive
buildings of this exposition. for scarcely
any precedent existed for such an under
taking; and to attempti it and fail would be
disastrous indeed. 1t was out Of the Ques-
ton to duplicate the white city at Chicago
Something absolutely new must be de-
yised for the Pan-American at Buffalo.
Happily the Spanish renaissance archi-
lecture furnished the hint for the solution
of this problem; and now that 1t has been
solved and the color scheme is seen to be
so we'll adapted to the purposes of exposi-
ton architecture it is realized that new
discovery has been made. With the build
ings arrayed in colors. which will. harmon
ize with the general scheme of the exposi-
ton, and please rather than offend artis-
become popular in, a degree scarcely hoped
for by those who planned its construction.
Rich and Harmonious.
The director of color, Mr.. Charles 7. Tur-
ner N. A. of New York city. studied the
requirements of the situation, and in his
studio in New York, by means of models.
carefully worked out the designs and draw
inps for the mural decoration. The experts
experimental with paint. and obtained an
article that may be used without fear that
1t will lose its staying qualities before the
exposition is over. The test already made
shows that the paint. after being once ap-
piled to the staff, is going to hold Its color
well.
The machinery building is fair sample
of the exposition buildings as q whole. It
10 typical In it Spanish renaissance arshi-