The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-10
WHERE DEMOCRATS
WILL Make HISTORY
CONTINUED from Page -

ulSHl hN ~ VNNuRANS AANoA .
whole city square in the Noun
Royal district. fronting on Hoffman
street, and bounded by Preston street
in the rear. At the two ends of n,
| block are Park and Linden avenues
both of which carry trolley line
connecting with the business CEN
] ter. Two squars distant is the main
station OF the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad and only little further,
tarely five minutes walk. is The
Union station. where passengers ar
rive on the other railroads enterin :
the city. Close at hand, within cas-
walking distance. is the citys largest
hotel
When the State spent $3.50. 900 for
this drill hall TO house Baltimor, :
famous regiment. the DANDY Fifth.
lag conventions We're in mind and
the building was situated and DE-
signed with reference 10 affOrdn.
such accommodations Exterior en-
bellishment was a secondary cOnsd
Grafton. The Fifth Regiment Arm
CRY Is surrounded by massive walls
c. gray granite. tWo stories high.
from which rise twelve steel trusscs
that carry the arched roof to a heigh,
CT 81 feet. II is lighted by windows
in the side walls and by sky-light
that runs the whole length of tn,
al,N of the roof. From the outside
the appearance Of the structure i.
TOT particularly impressive. probably
because the principal dimensions ar
lateral. and too extensive for the eye
to appreciate unless the beholdcr
could look down on the buildin-
from an elevation. The armory eN
lInds "il feet in width on Hoffman
and Preston streets and is oS4 feet
deep. The great drill hall inside,
whore the convention will assemble.
is 30oXa0O feet.
To adapt this building further to
convention purposes the State. ap-
r,opriatcd $@:..ooo. The create
part of this sum has been spent to
increase the seating capacity by put
ting in temporary balconies at the
two ends of the drill hall. Decora-
tlons. which include the cOnstruc-
i.on of a false ceiling to improve the
acoustic properties, cost 5000. Scv-
oral thousand dollars have been spent
IN the construction of the speakers
platform, on seats, and on remodel
ing the military company quarters al
The sides and ends of the building
for use as committee rooms.
As one enters the hall through
the main gateway on Hoffman street
the eye first is impressed by the mag
niticent distances and the seemingly
endless vistas of seats. Under the
hands of the decorators the place has
lost its military, unitarian look
transformed by the more than 4O,-
900 yards of bunting that hides the
roof beams. drapes the walls and
covers practically every foot OF the
interior except the windows and floor
spaces. The background is a sof, ef-
feet of cream, gold and white, which
makes an effective setting for the
rational colors displayed in count
less arrangements, and the insignia
and colors of the various States.
The seating arrangements here are
the result of long study on the archi-
tects part. aided by the practical eX-
perience of men verSed in the prac-
teal problems of great conventions
This hall will scat comfortably more
than $1,000 persons and those in
charge Of its preparation beliey" hey
have worked ont their problem so
that every member of this great au-
dience can command view ~ the
speakers stand and understand what
is being said. To bring this aHout
the location of the speaker plat
form was the matter of first import
ance.
In the Baltimore hall IL" Yak |
crs will stand well out toward tn"
middle of he auditorium. d.e'ily |
opposite the main central en- nee. !
between the ends of iall |
and about sixty feet, or NOR han
the distance. from f. rear
wall of the interior. This ror I'M,
The heart of the convention Is /
not large enough 10 perm icil |
pacing about on the oratpe RI. l
II measures about l. fr"r @ by
ten feet deep. II Is elevat.a ,"et
a bore the main floor.
Back of the ro,trum. h'e'
above il and communicative p. i
is another platform Of III" u"