The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-11
PUT ON MORE STEAM 1 |
Promoters Of City Hall Auditorium q
Plan Pushing Project With
Renewed Zeal.
Petitions Are. Being Circulated for
Presentation to the Henne-
pin Delegation.

Spurred to still more vigorous action
by the city councils dlsapproVaA idss
evening of the plans for a music hall ana
auditorium in the court Of the county ana
city building, the promoters OF that ploJ
ect kept the ball rolling to-day. Sigma
lures were being secured this morning
to: a petition circulated by members or
the Retailers association and the Real
Estate board, requesting the Hennepll
legislative delegation to give It's nearly
support to the Comstock BILL provldMG
for $50O,O00 of bonds for the installation
Of a public assembly hall and the com
pletion of the courthouse and city hall.
Among those who signed the petition was
| Alderman d. p. Jones, president OF the
| city council, who was absent from last
nights meeting. . ;.
| If the originators and suporpters OF the
scheme can show that the hall Would De
constructed without impairing the USE
fulness Of the big building or 1nconven, ,ea :,
| iencing city or county officials, the ch1et
objection to the movement would be
| overcome. f - .,. =
| Judge Daniel Fish, attorney for the
board Of courthouse and city hall COM
missioners, says there is no legal obJec-
ton to devoting a part Of the building 70
the purposes Of an assembly hall. IN a
communication to W. L. Harris, bearing
on that subject, he says that "the com
building may lawfully provide such ar
auditorium among the public conven1en.
ces contemplated by the statute undel
which they are acting" 1t should legally
be located in the city part of the struc'
ture, he admits, but he believes that tht
division line can be SO drawn as to IN
clude the entire central court in tn
5 deed to the city,
The Architectural Aspect
h,,s1S mo
= who has drawn rough plans for the pro
. posed hall, assures the promoters tina
= there is no ''vital architectural objectio
to the auditorium and that the phys1cs
conditions are favorable to the erection {
the hail." e. NJ -. ~.
He says: 'The connections with tn
: heating and lighting systems Of the builc
: ing can be made without serious difficult.
: The approaches and entrances to the ha
will be dignifed and creditable, and
>, sufficient funds are provided, an aud
It torium or assembly hall with seating cs
o pacity of $500 to 5000, which will be
n together satisfactory, can be constru
81 ted. ). " .-@ r.f
le With reference to the excluding Of lig
IS from the offices facing on the court in tt
3 basement and on the first floor of t
st building it should be remembered, sa
Ill Mr.. Long, that the main entrance to t.
% courthouse and city hall will practica
10 fill the entire FOurtn SLreeC enO OIL I
Ill proposed hall, and the stairways on t
s. Fifth street, Third avenue and -Four
TX avenue sides with the elevators and to1
II, rooms leave few offices which will ne
z accommodation in other parts of x t
building. H. -.
Mr.. Long believes that unless the bas
ment and first floors on two sides Of
court are used, the hall will only conf
I tably seat about $500 people. With
III additional space, from 5000 to 1900 p,
:, FL pie could be accommodated. I
} s>%<@: A. Other Views of the Plan
: Architect Harry W. Jones calls the p
magnificent one. For all the purpo
! of a central hall, he says, that a seat
capacity of $500 would easily accomr
, date all musical events or conventions
, average size, and that a larger hall Wo
, | be filled only on extra ordinary occasic
, He calls attention to the fact that the G
trail Music hall of Chicago met the
n quirements Of that city satisfactorily
D til the last few years, although it sea
A only $4,000 people. He sees no archit
tural objections to the hall which can
4 be easily overcome. -
4 On the other hand, G.. S. Sedgewick,
n chitect Of some Of the large Minenap
y churches, condemns the plan as impl
.. tical. L. S. Burlington believes that
- injury to the rest Of the building W.
. be greater than the advantages of
hall would warrant.