Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-14
NREC KING THE FAIR
Tearing Down the Exposition
Buildings.
BIG PROFIT EXPECTED
STRUCTURES COSTING MANY
THOUSANDS SOLD FOR A SONG.
Spectators Paid S45o,ooo for Every
thing Within the Grounds-Va-
riety of Articles on Sale.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.


Record Herald.
ST. LOUIS, June ID, 1905.
1t is almost as much of a job to get rid
of a big exposition as it is to create one.
and 1t is even more fun to watch the wreck
ers tear down a building than it is to see
the builders put one up. Destruction Is
more entertaining than creation In many
lines of activity. particularly to them who
destroy-as for instance, Admiral Togo.
There is a melancholy aspect to the ques-
ton pathos and a profound sense of re-
gret to see magnificent buildings torn to
pieces-seventeen millions of dollars worth
of architectural triumphs RACED from the
face of the earth. OF course the st. Louis
people had to get Chicago men to do it, the
same that pulled down the government
buildings at Chicago some years ago and
removed what the fire left of 1.-The white
city" They also destroyed the buildings OF
the Omaha and Buffalo expositons 1t took
them eighteen months to clear away the
ruins from Jackson Park, and nine months
each to demolish the Buffalo and Omaha
eXpoSitions. Here they have two years in
which to do the job, beginning with the lat
ter part of March, when the exposition Off
Gals moved out, and the wreckerS moved In
their force of twelve hundred experienced
men. They have complete fire department
and police organization, and very strict
about smoking around the grounds, because
they lost several hundred thousand dollars
al Chicago by the burning of the manufac-
lures and other buildings, which. they say,
were set on fire by the strikers.
Greatest Junk Shop on Earth.
People are allowed to go about the
grounds however, and there are a great
many visitors. Many of them come from
curiosity; many more are buyers in search
of bargains, and they sent to the trans
portation building, where is the biggest
junk shop you ever saw-a regular depart
ment store, in which the wreckers have
gathered and classified the articles which
have been taken from the interior of the
buildings, and other small portable mer-
chandise, all of which is for sale at triiing
prices. The catalogue of these articles con-
articles arranged alphabetically. The first
article on the list is aerial fire truck
the next fire-alarm boxes and the third the
ambulances that ran to the Emergency
Hospital, while the last items are woven
WIRE mattresses. wrenches and wrought
iron pipe.
Between these extremes is every portable
article that belonged to the exposition
company, taken from all the buildings oc-
cupied purchased by the wreckers, and the
prices at which they are sold are ridiculous
Paid $4,000 for Everything.
The wrecking company paid $3.50. 900 for
everything within the grounds, including
the housekeeping few OF the foreign
and state buildings. They paid 5000 for
the Ohio building, which cost $4,000, and
$3.50 for the Pennsylvania building. which
cost 100000. including all the furniture
carpets and other equipments. They paid
$500 for the German building which cost
over 100000 and were much disappointed
when they discovered that all of the beau
ufui decorations on the walls and ceiling
were painted on canvas and had been sent
back TO Germany. But there is said to be
more than 5000 worth of copper on the
roof and dome. SO that the contractors
Will probably come out even. They bought
most of the other state buildings also, for
nominal prices. few were sold to pri-
vate contractors. The French building was
given away to some educational institu-
ton and has already been removed from
the grounds. The British building was
presented to Washington University and
Will remain where 1t stands. The Brazil
building is still the most conspicuous OBJ
ject in that part of the grounds. but will
soon be torn down The japanese building
was sold to a Buffalo park association and
has been carried away.
The picturesque Chinese building was
presented by the commissioners of that
empire to President Francis of the expo
sition company. by command OF the
tude for the courtesies he had shown
Prince Pu-Iun. The friends of Gov.
Francis and the st. Louis newspapers have
had a great deal of fun with him on this
account-first, because the gift comes FROM
very fiirtatious old lady, and secondly,
because Mr.. Francis does not know what
on earth to do with the white elephant
she has bestowed upon him. He mas had
the building carefully taken down and the
pieces slowed away somewhere at
cost of several thousand collars, for he
does not know what on earth to do with
II. He will probably present 1t to the park
commissioners or somebody else, as soon a.
he can decently do SO. The Tyroiean Alps
building stays. The owners who got the
concession at the beginning OF the fair are
st. Louis people They have fixed 1t up and
will run it as summer garden this sea-
son on the same plan as during the fair,
The Museum Of Art.
The art gallery also rcmains-that is,
about one-half of it. which is fre-proof
and is to be permanent and put to the
same use as the corresponding building at
Chicago. 1t will be a museum and art
gallery, the chief attraction of the restored
park. and ultimately one of the chief
glories of the city. 1t will be the largest
Louis will recover from the exposition, ex-
cept the advertising their city has received
This is due to the forethought of Walter
b. Stevens. secretary of the exposition
company, who diverted everything he could
in that direction and secured the original
models of all the statuary. The nucleus
of the museum will be a collection of the
models OF 200 of the best statues and
groups of sculpture on the grounds, which
gave new impulse to artistic designing
in the United States and, stimulated our
native genius to greater extent than any
other event In our national history except
the Columbian exposition at Chicago.
All of these models are being restored
under the direction of Prof. Ives, director
of the art department.; Carl Bitter, director
OF sculpture, and Mr.. Zoinay. and are being
placed in the great central nave of the art
building. They represent an expenditure OF
$500. 600, which not only encouraged the de-
vail Of he tn, A ri hJ,t ~