The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-19

and the Colonnade. He sent them
down to the Grand Basins edge. He
bordered the lagoons with grassy slopes
and trees. He placed a sunken garden
here, tree bordered walks on the sides
Of the Plaza of St. Louis, insisted upon
at the same time preserve the har-
mony of the whole. Millions of plants
have been placed in the main picture
twenty millions have been used In the
entire landscape-and tens of thou
sands of dollars spent In getting and
laying sod. but it has paid, If popular
approval is reclSoned as ample reward.
During the writer's stay at the fair. he
must have asked at least a hundred
persons what struck them most about
the architecture. With a unanimity
that was unexpected, they answered.
TT is simple and cool and refreshing"
The buildings, as well as their set
tings, carry out this idea. Building
after building, especially those on the
Plaza of st. Louis. present facades
showing inviting colonnades stretching
away seemingly to the waters edge.
The succession of columns, the shad-
owy spaces behind them, suggest to the
mind spots where respite may be gain
ed from the heat, and, unconsciously,
the buildings, bathed though they are
in sunlight their creaminess a glisten
ing WHITE III the strong LBuls actually
look cool. Thus, by the Illusion of cool
ness, Mr.. Masqueray has woven his
architectural picture-water, sculpture,
land, landscape and buildings-into
harmonious and appealing ensemble.
A Harmony of Architecture.
Taking the buildings alone, harmony
has been secured among them by MAX
ing them rich, yet not gaudy, and in
generally applying to them the modern
classic style of architecture. This was
by no means an easy task. There was
an. architect for this building, another
for that still another for some other
one. The Chief of Design had diplo
matically to suggest that d change here
or there would tend more for harmony,
that the slope of the ground made this
alteration necessary, or that because
the buildings could not be closer to-
gether than 800 feet owing to a regu-
lation of the fire insurance underwrit-
ers, "please permit me to respectfully
suggest that such and such a point
might perhaps be better treated this
way"
But while certain lines have been
preserved in the buildings, as, for in
stance. keeping the main cornices at
! an average hight of fifty feet, there is
pleasing diversity in them that not in
frequently calls forth comment. The
Transportation Buildings three impos-
ing arches, each sixty-four feet in d.
ameter, separated by massive phones
! and crowned by decorative sculpture,
framing a decorative shield, have COM
PEELED more than one countryman to
give vent to his admiration in such
fashion as did a son of the soil from
Egypt, Illinois: Say, Sary, amt them
the darndest geewalloping doorways
you ever SEEM"
The round towers fiankine these
arches and supporting round phones,
surrounded by decorative seated fig
ures, is also distinctive; while it's nu-
merous towers, finished by square
! domes, and its vestibule Vaulted with
! five domes. pick the Machinery Build
ing out from it's fellows.
So it is through the list. The Edu-
| cation Building is the acme of chaste
| and refined feeling. It expresses the
| idea of simplicity in architecture the
| Corinthian order running all around
| the buildings and forming coonnadeS
/ restful and inviting. Opposite, pyra-
! midal corners, crowned by groups typi-
! flying the wonders of electricity. mark
the Electricity Building; and the cor
ners have Graeco- Roman doors that are
happy adaptations of a door still seen
in Greece.
A Colossal Niche.
A colossal niche is one of the strik-
ing features of the entire Fair, as vel
as of the Manufactures building. II