Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-11
THE ST, LOUIS FAIR
A City of Magical Beauty and
Architecture.
ELECTRICAL DISPLAY
PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS AND SUR
ROUNDINGS.
Great Space Used to the Very Best Ad-
vantage-Distinctive
Charms.

Written for the Evening Star by Guy T. viskniskk
I'VE have King Cotton statue fifty feet
high" say the st. Louis exposition author
tiles to the world at large. land four miles
of saisles in the agricultural building, and
the largest area ever taken up by a similar
enterprise. and thlrty-five miles of road
ways. and the largest organ ever built. and
the widest boiler plate ever rolled, and
cheese Weighing two tons. and statue of
John Stewart in butter. and pavilion built
entirely of peanuts. Come and see Them
The people are coming by thousands. but
they are paying little heed to the pa pier
mache whale ninety-two feet long Hank
Monks famous stage COACH" and the other
picayune curiosties. They are rapt in too
much admiration of the magical architec-
t,ral picture that grows on them the longer
they stay at the fair. 1t is, perhaps, the
first time in the history of expostions that
the architectural side has so completely
dominated the minds OF exposition goers
You cannot sit on the Plaza of st. Louis of
an evening. one of the thousands of sight
seers. when the cascades are pouring their
ninety thousands of gallons of shimmerlng
water into the electrically glowing lagoon,
and the gondoliers are gracefully bending
to their oars and singing the songs of the
and again the popular verdict of the great
est shows greatest feature.
"A one-legged man from the interior of
Missouri, who confessed before the even
ing was over that he had never been out
of the state, bobbed up, and seating himself,
said:
stranger. 1 was told before I come to
this here show that Cairo on the Pike would
beat everything else all holler Maybe 1t
does, but these buildings and lights suit
me. I've been here all day, Just lookin at
these here buildings, and my wife and me
are goin' to look at 'em again all day to-
morrow. It's the prettiest sight we ever
see."
While the Missourian gazed raptly at the
brilliant picture before him three chairs
We're rolled up behind us by blue-clad
guides. The occupants-two men and a
Woman-were silent for a long time then
the elder man leaned over the side of the
chair. 80
Il have been travelling this world over a
good many years. he said impressvely
and 1 have been to every exposition be-
ginning with the Crystal Palace in London,
and seen elsewhere about everything worth
seeing, but I've never before gazed on such
a wonderful architectural and electrical
sight this
These are representative comments on the
one great dominant, differentiating feature
OF the fair They prove that the man who
is primarily responsible for 1t all has ac-
compliShed what he set out to do-to pro-
duce an architectural picture appealing to
all classes alike.
The Designer
When Mr.. e. L. Masqueray whose repu-
tat1on as a designer Is international, took
up the work, he found that nothing had
been determined on except that in a general
way the, main, buildings should be locate
on three avenues having the same axis.
With this knowledge in hand, ie went out
70 the site selected for the fair. He found
WOODED hills standing where several of the
buildings now are. valleys where roadways
ran. and a. crooked and erratic stream, call
ed the Des Peres, now dry as a bone now
with fourteen tsof rushing water wind
ing in and about the grounds But tower
Ing above everything else was the ridge on
which festival han and the colonnade and
terrace of states now stand
The architect must seize on the pivotal
point, as we'll as the general Mr. Mas
queray saw in the hill architectural victory
and straightway he planned to make it the
great focal point of the entire architectural
ptcture7-the eye center of the exposition
A hall for musical festivals was wanted
by the exposition. 1t should be the center
the axis Of the picture-a great dome-like
structure. But it could not fill the entire
ridge 1t would not be sufficient to tie the
different parts of the architectural feature
tremendously together. AS happy inspi-
ration, it occurred to Mr.. Masqueray to
place an ornate pavilion at either end of
the hill. equi-distant from festival hall
but WHY 10 we wait tHetH tHeIe! w nat
good will they serve?" asked the authori-
ties.
"Oh," said Mr.. Masqueray blandly, they
would serve excellent places for conces-
sion restaurants"
"Capital.' exclaimed the exposition au-
thorities Build them
Solved the Problem.
Still the axis was not complete; between
the hall and each pavilion there was a too
HI no wa
mounted until Mr. Masqueray got the idea
that right here was the proper place TO
call the worlds attention to the states and
territories embraced within the bounds of
the Louisiana purchase. He got down the
map and found that there were fourteen,
seven for each hiatus, and he was saved
If there had been thirteen or fifteen there
would have been no balance, and probably
no terrace of states.
He went to the authorities again.
Let US put up an imposing colonnade be-
tween festival hall and the east and west
pavilions," he said.
whats the use of that?" asked the au-
thorities.
LAS an architectural setting for a heroic
statue of each of the fourteen states and
territories in the purchase, he said The
whole worlds attention should surely be
called to them, and what more prominent
place than the focal point OF the tair
Mr. Masqueray got the colonnade ana
statues.
The Second Pivot.
The secondary axis, for the transverse
avenues, was evolved in a similar manner.
It is the Louisiana purchase monument,
which stands at the head of the Plaza or
St. Louis, facing festival hall, one thou
sand feet away across the stretch of water
known as the Grand Basin. This monu-
ment, designed by Mr.. Masqueray, is In
class all by itself. 1t Is not treated like
column but is a shaft, to carry decora-
tive figure and to serve as background
for the decorative motifs at the base. On
the north and the south sides an obelisk
supports a gigantic eagle. and bears an in
scription Of portions of the purchase treaty. |
At the foot of the north obelisk is a tribune, |
and at the other a group by Karl Bitter. |
depicting the signing of the treaty. On the |
west side is female figure. resting on a |
ships prov, and this motif is duplicated on |
the east side, these figures being categorical |
of the two great rivers of the Louisiana |
territory.
The two axes secured, Mr.. Masqueray en-
tered upon the task of binding them to the |
buildings along the avenues and keeping |
them from being things apart. A lagoon |