The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-05-17

One Way of Doing 1t Was by
Subordinating the Exhibit
Side to the Architec-
tural Side.
SOME USEFUL "scRAP HEAPS"

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Bunalo. May l6.-Is II possible for an ex-
position management TO supervise the ex-
nioits and their installation SO as to pro-
duee an attractive picture within its build
ings2
Up to the present 1t has been considered
impossible to harmonize Into an architec-
tural unit the discordant buildings which
make up g big exposition. Buffalo has
SHOWN. beyond peradventure. that such a
thing Is possible by doing 1t.
rms effect was obtained in Buffalo by
suoordinatins the exhibit side Of the expo
sltlon TO the architectural side. The State
ana Foreign buildings do not form a part
or the picture They are things apart
from the exposition. They do not occupy
4 space within what Architect Carrere calls
the coup d'oeiul." They are Pariahs. hud-
died together beyond the pale Of the Es-
pianade. the Plaza, the towers and bridges.
ana ,he propylaea. of the exposition's major
axis. The exposition picture. however, en-
braces the big Government building, over
wnich the exposition company had only an
ADVISORY control. This building has been
Drought into perfect harmony with the
horticulture, Graphic Arts and Mines build
ing' which occupies a position in the picture
symmetrical with the Government building.
r. de +. Townsend. Director Of Installa-
IONS makes the criticism on the Buffalo
exposition that the installation Of exhibits
was not carefully enough hemmed round
ny regulations. The only general regula-
tion was embraced in the circular sent to
persons making application for exhibit
space. 1t read:
"A drawing to the scale of one-fourth
lncn to the foot. showing the plan Of in
s'aliation intended by an exhibitor. must
Space" N
Differences of Opinion.
somewhat more detailed regulations re-
salains the designing and installation of
exnioits were adopted later as follows:
All designs must include a platform six inches
Al helahs. covering the entire floor area assigned,
a general cornice line. height Of ten feet from
inc moor. has been established. and designs will
De expected to conform to that requirement.
~ Is proposed that the general extreme height
line Shall be twenty feet from the floor. ana .ny
variation from this will need to have specisi an,
proval. Ap-
The color treatment Of the installation will need
10 De approved equally with the design.
All decoration Of every kind must be attract.
I've, ana any fabrics used must be Of freproof
material. ~
All ratings must terminate In bracket, or or
namental column.
II IN not allowable 10 close I'M aide. -, hoo,n.
completely. 1t is permitted to wall up a space
about one-half the lenghth Of any side from the
hoor to ceiling. Show cases. rails, etc., covering
10" VI sphce. are restricted to q HEIGHT OF
three feet six inches.
These regulations. had they been thor.
oughly understood ant carefully adhered
to. might have produced a much more at
tractive general pitcure.' says Mr.. Town
send. The reason they did not produce bet
ter results was, in great measure, because
OF their indeflniteness. For instance, the
general cornice line height mentioned In
the regulations. was variously understood by
designers Of booths. and resulted in a varia-
ton Of as much as ten feet in the height
OF exhibits. One designer took the cornice
line to be the lower end Of the cornice. An.
other took 1t to be the top Of the cornice.
Still another took It to mean the medisn
line OF the cornice. As q result, q glance
down the aisles Of the big buildings shows a
lack of uniformity that y detrimental to
the entire picturef'at -
Useful "Scrap Heaps.1
It did not require q great, prolonged, Der
sistent effort to produce the picture which
Buffalo has presented. The members Of the
Board OF Architects which planned this pic
ture. themselves. carried out Its details.
Each Of the big buildings. except the Cow
eminent building. was designed by Q MEM
Der OF the board.