Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-06-13
Great Auditorium is a Mass of Riot
GUS Color. Preparations
Are Completed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE HALL
Every Convenience Has Been Placed
for Delegatcs-How Seats Will Be
Arranged.

il candidate for president of the I'm
tied States will be nominated in q
huge national guard armory situated
in the residence section of Baltimore
When this city sent its representative
before the Democratic national com.
mittee to bring the national convent
on hall was one of the strongest adj
vantageS Baltimore had to offer. Since
that time, at the expense Of many
thousand dollars the hall has been
made to answer every requirement of
the delegates who assemble here on
June % and the throngs that gath
cr to watch their deliberations.
The Democratic national convention
will meet in the fifth regiment arm
Dry, which occupies nearly whole
city square in the Mount Royal dis
trict, fronting on Hoffman street, and
bounded by Preston street in the rear.
At the two ends Of the blocks are
Park and Linden avenues, both of
which carry trolley lines connecting
with the business center. Two
squares distant is the Union station,
where passengers arrive on the other
railroads entering the city. Close at
hand within easy walking distance, is
the city's largest hotel.
When the state spent S450,OO0 for
| this hall to house Baltimore's IA
nous regiment, the "Dandy Fifth"
big conventions were in mind and tn
building was situated and designed
with reference to affording such &C
| commodations. Exterior embellish-
mcnt was secondary consideration.
The Fifth regiment armory is sur
rounded by massive walls of grey
granite, two stories high, from which
rise twelve steel trusses that carry the
archcd roof to a height of IS feet. II
is lighted by windows in the side walls
and by skylight that runs the whole
length of the apex of the roof. From
the outside the appearance of the stru.
cture arc not particular impressive.
probably because the principal DEM
cnsons are lateral, and too expensive
for the eye to appreciate unless tn
bchoIdcr could look down on the build
ing from an elevation. The armory eH
tends 3Gi feet in width on Hoffman
and Preston streets and is 2S1 feet
deep The great drill hall inside where
the convention will assemble, is BOG
by 200 feet.
To adapt this building further t.
convention purposes TIL" state appro'
priatcd $4,000. The greater part Of
this sum has been spent to increase
the seating capacity by putting ir.
temporary balconies at the two ends
of the drill hall. Decorations which
include the construction of a false cell
ing to improve the acoustic properties
cost $1,000 Several thousand dollars
has been spent in the construction OF
the speakers platform, on seats ano
on rcmodeling the military compan!
quarters at the sides and ends of the
building for use as committee rooms
AS on enters the hall through tho
main gateway on Hoffman street the
eye first is impressed by the magni-
ficcnt distances and seemingly end
less vistas and SEATS. Under the
hands of the decorators the place has
lost its military, unitarian look, trans
formed by the more than 10000 yards
of bunting that hides the roof beam:
drapcs the walls and covers practic-
ally every foot of the interior except
the windows and floor spaces. The
background is soft effect of cream.
, cold and white, which makes an eff
fective sitting for the national col
ors displayed in countless Arrange
mcnts, and the insignia and colors o.
| the various states.
The seating arrangements here arc
| the result of long study on the ar
chitects' part. aided by practical ex-
perience of the men versed in the prac
tical problems of great conventions
This hall will seat comfortably morc
than $4,000 persons, and those in
charge of it's preparation believe they
have worked out their problem SO
that every member of this great aud
fence can command a view of thu
speakers stand and understand wha:
is being said. To bring this about
the location of the speakers platform
was matter of first Importance.
In the Baltimore hall the speaker
will stand we'll out toward the middle
of the auditorium, directly opposite
the main central entrance, midway be