Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-15
Proposed Buildings at Wash
ington and New York
TOSURPASS ALL OTHERS
THE MOST ADVANCED AND COM
PREHENsIvE IMPROVEMENTS.
Exhibits at the ST. Louis Exposition OF
the Progress in Great Municipal
Undertakings in This Country.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
ST. LOUIS, October 6. 1904.
In the Pennsylvania railroad section OF
the transportation building, under the
charge of F. V. Casanave, formerly super
intendent of motive power on the Pennsyl-
vania system, will be found a model of the
monstrous great station that Is now being
built by that company in the center of the
city of New York. In the Baltimore ana
Ohio section, near by, Is model OF the pro-
posed union station now under construction
in Washington, for the Pennsylvania ana
Baltimore and Ohio companies. 1t will also
be used by all of the other railroads enter
ing Washington. These two models repre-
sent the most advanced and comprehensive
improvements in railway architecture, and
when completed will surpass all other rail-
way stations In the world. The Boston sta
ton now stands at the head of the list
for convenience of arrangement; that at
Bombay. India, is INTELLECTUALLY the most
beautiful building used for railway pur-
poses. and. for a small city, that at Albany
is considered about perfect.
Model Of the Washington Station.
The model of the union station at WASH
ington is unusually large, so large that WIS.,.
itors can walk about In it and examine the
ARRANGEMENT of the interior. Major ]. G.
Pangborn of the Baltimore and Ohio Com
pany, who supervised Its construction, in
sists that it Is the largest model ever made.
Daniel H. Burnham of Chicago is the archi-
tect, and designed the station as one of the
features of the great plan for identifying
the city of Washington, which is being
slowly carried out.
The late Senator Mcmillan of Michigan, a
broad minded, far-sighted business man.
and, unlike many of his colleagues, big
enough to comprehend the welfare of the
entire country instead of only his own state,
recognized that Washington might be made
the most beautiful city in the world, and to
make 1t such was the aim of his existence
and the guiding motive of his congressional
career You will remember that he or
ganiZed a commission consisting of Daniel
III. Burnham of Chicago, Charles F. McI<im
of New York and Fred Law Olmsted of
Boston to lay out a plan for a park system
and for the location of monuments and pub
lie buildings in the future. A. j. Cassatt
president of the Pennsylvania railroad
patriotic enough to change the location
of his railway station and spend S2OOOOO0
in digging tunnel In order that the plan of
this commission might be carried out And
when 1t is completed the appearance of the
capital of the country will not be defaced
by railway tracks. Its transportation ia
cilities will be centered in monumental
structure closely corresponding to the cap
itol and surrounded by similar grounds.
The tunnel passes under Capitol Hill.
nfty-sX feet below the surface of the
ground, and enters a station of pure white
granite. $40 feet long and 100 feet high
The entire cost of the Improvements Will be
Sl4OOOSO The general government con-
tributes about 100000 toward the expense
of abolishing grade crossings, making new
streets and building plaza in front of the
new station. The remainder of the cost is
shared by the Pennsylvania and Baltimore
and Ohio railroads. The plaza will be 1.OO0
feet long and 500 feet wide. and the focus OF
nine different streets radlatlng In all dlrec-
lions and reaching all parts or the city
These converging avenues have been ar
ranged so that large bodies of people, In
deed. whole army, can leave ana enter the
station without confusion or difficulty, and
there is adequate room for all public cere-
monials that may ever take place at the
gateway of the capital of the United States
The Proposed Station.
The new station will be located just north
of where the present Baltimore and Ohio
depot now stands and the architectural de-
sign Is In keeping with that of the Capitol
There are three entrances through arches
fifty feet in height. grander than any that
were ever known in Rome, and they lead
into vestibule and thence into the main
waiting ROOM which is to be 90 feet long,
100 feet wide and ninety feet high. 1t Is
lighted by windows 75 by 80 feet in size and
decorated with panels after the manner of
the Baths of Dlocletian. This, 1t Is said.
even imperial Rome. at the summit of her
glory possessed a hall of such proportions.
The portico and vestbules constitute a
continuous covered porch running around
the entire outside walls of the building. and
affording at every point protection from
rain and wind. No matter a. what point
one approaches the building he is at once
under cover. The porticos measure alto
gether 100 feet-nearly a quarter of
mile.
Around the main waiting
grouped dozen different apartments-a
dining room so by 100 feet in size and b
feet high, a waiting room for women So by
30 feet. n smoking room of similar dimen-
sIons. a lunch room, parcel room, telephone
and telegraph offices and a baggage lobby
30 feet wide and 5S feet high. There will be
room for invalids, an office for a resident
physician and a mortuary chapel for funeral
purposes, so located that hearse and car
riages can approach and leave the station
without coming in contact with the public.
There is a private entrance and exit for
the President with a suite of rooms ar
ranged that they may be utilized for
ceremonial receptions of distinguished
strangers
The upper floors of the station will contain
number of offices for the officials of the
road. and a dormtory capable of accommo-
dating 100 men. as 1t is the policy of the
company to induce as many of its employees
as possible to live in the station For their
profit and pleasure a library reading rooms
amusement rooms and baths Will be provid-
ed and commodious quarters for the rail-
N' - ahCH VI the 1OunS Men 8 Christian
Association. The kitchens will be on the
foot. Tor the sake of avoiding odors
Inc baggage room is arranged In novel
way, so that the passenger stands in n GAL
iery. on level with the waiting room and
can see his trunks checked and loaded on
automobile trucks. which carry them IN
the trains by Independent platforms de-
voted exclusively to the handling of bag
gage.
The train lobby will be 100 feet long and
100 feet wide. II far exceeds In size any
thing ever built for similar purpose
There viii be room for thirty-three tracks
or which thirteen are depressed twenty
feet below the level of the waiting room
and will be used for through trains while
twenty will be stubs" on the same level
with the waiting room, and be used for
trains that start and stop at Washington.
Five depressed tracks are to be used for
handling mails and baggage
Work has been going ON for more than a
year on the Washington station but II will
be at least three years before IL Is COM
pleted.
The New York Station.
The New York station of the Pennsylya-
mia railroad, which is illustrated by an
other model. will be the largest in the
world and was DESIGNED Inv McKt,c Hro.s