The Democratic advocate., 1908-06-12
THE DENVER AUDITORIUM.
Seating of Delegates to the Democratic
Convention.


900, seating 1880 people, containing
probably the most perfect heating and
ventilating system of any public build
ing the world, Denver'S monster Audi
torium will throw open it's doors June
27 to welcome the long list of con-
ventions to be held in Denver this
summer.
The seating arrangements, decora-
tions and other arrangements for the
Democratic National Convention, which
will convene in the Auditorium July
Z, have been completed and accepted
by the national committee. The hall
will accommodate more than 10000
people and the first floor alone will
have 5000 regular seats. The Audi
torium is constructed so that the huge
stage is near the center of the build
ing. Being built on this plan, one
half of the structure can be used as
theater, the other half being en-
tirely shut off by the flies and wings
of the stage. On the occasion of a big
convention the stage scenery and
equipment can be elevated to a stor-
age roof and the entire building con-
verted into huge convention hall,
with balcony circling the whole
structure and large gallery at both
ends.
The building is 266 by 200 feet in
dimensions and is of the height of a
f1ve-story building. It's seating ca
pacity is larger than Madison Square
Garden in New York, which holds 12,-
900 people; the great Coliseum in
Chicago, where the Republican Conven-
ton is to be held in June, which holds
11,O11 people, or the Mormon Taber
nac1e in Salt Lake, which seats 10,-
900. There are "a exits, including 240
linear feet of exit space, and the build
ing can be emptied in two minutes.
In preparation for the convention
the rostrum and platform will be
erected at the west side of the Audi
torium, with the seats for the dele
gates and alternates extending along
the floor of the stage proper. Upon
the platform will be 445 seats, which
will be reserved for the members of
the national committee and for the
guests of honor. The number of seats
on the rostrum will be 101. Directly
in front of the chairman's platform
on the rostrum will be four seats
and tables for the noiseless telegram
ditional room for these news services
arranged in the basement.
Desks and seats for the newspaper
correspondents and special writer's
will be arranged in a half circle about
the rostrum in such a manner as to
give each writer an unobstructed view
of the speaker and within easy hear
ing distance. There will be 303 seats
in this section, each seat having a
space "a inches wide.
Seats for the delegates, in front of
the rostrum are arranged nearly in
the center of the building. The exact
number of seats is 1.005 and immedi-
ately behind this section are the seats
of the alternates, also 1,005 in number.
| One of the admirable features of the
arrangement of the building is the
plan for entrances and exits, "a in
number.
The front rows in the balcony and
gallery will be reserved for the families
of the delegates, alternates and the
convention officers. The sergeant-at
arms will have his desk and seat just
inside the section reserved for the
newspaper correspondents. The act
ual seating capacity of the balcony
will be 1926 and of the gallery 1889
This makes total of 1921 seats but
at least 600 more people can be ac-
commodated in an emergency. The
auditorium is constructed without
pillars or posts to obstruct the view
and the acoustic properties will be sc
perfect that speaker can be heard
from any part of the building.
The Auditorium will be fireproof
no wooden metal of any sort being
used in its construction, even the
sashes in the windows and the lath
being of iron.
Two 15-feet fans at one end of the
building send air between steam pipe
coils throughout the house. Each
coil contains 1,S00 feet of pipe. Mid
way in the Auditorium two fans 1C
feet in diameter will send the all
through the remainder of the house
An exhaust fan will draw the foul air
from below, where it lies on the floor
and expel it from the building. In
summertime heating apparatus is
turned into cooling plant by filling
the coils of pipe with cold water in
stead of steam. This system of ven
tilation, heating and cooling is said
to be the most perfect of any public
building in the world.