The daily sentinel., 1912-06-03
REPUBl |CAN
MEETING
PLACE
$4,000 Spent to Get Great Coliseum
in Readiness for National Con-
vention.-To Seat 11,1SS-
Speakers Platform Seats
Nearly 1000 People.
IS MAGNIFICENTLY DECORATED
Associated Press.

aSsOClateu fGesS.
Chicago. June 3.-For the third
time since It's erection 3 years ago,
the doors of the Coliseum will be
thrown open June s for the accom-
modations of a Republican national
convention. In 1904 the republicans
nominated Theodore Roosevelt for
President in the building, and in
1908 under the same roof William II.
Taft was chosen as the party's stand
ard bearer.
The Coliseum is on Wabash ave-
nue. between Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets. less than a mile from the
center of Chicago's retail shopping
and hotel district and is accessible
from all parts of the city by elevated
roads and surface lines. The Coli
scum is 305 feet long, 170 feet
wide and 40 feet in height, built of
stone. brick steel and concrete and
is fire proof.
II stands on the site of the old
Libby prison, which was brought to
Chicago from Richmond. Va. in sec
tions and rebuilt the year of the
worlds fair by Charles F. Gunther
and used to exhibit a valuable col
lection of civil war relies. 1t is of
modern Romanesque combined with
the English Castellated type of archi-
lecture and cose $500. goo. 1t has
been the scene of many notable as
semblages. 1t has II large exits
and can be emptied in five minutes
in an emergency.
The subcommittee on arFa1Sse-
ments of the Republican National
committee under the directions of
Col Harry S. New mas expended $4O.-
600 preparing the building for this
years national convention of The
Republican party. The building has
Hiss seats, of which 1855 are on
the main floor and 5000 in the bal
cony.
The speakers platform is built
against the south wall of the struct-
ure, and extends across the entire
width of the building. 1t is IS feet
deep and contains /. 1892 seats. which
will be occupied by the chairman,
officers of the convention, members
of the national committee and dis
tinguished guests.
The seats back of the chairman's
table will be slightly elevated. di-
rectly beneath the chairman's table
Is space for four noiseless tele-
graph instruments, and their opera
tors. by which news of the conyen-
tons proceedings will be flashed to
the world On both sides and ex-
tending in a half circle around the
front of the platform are seats and
tables for 400 working newspaper
men and correspondents rom all parts
of the country.
Directly in front of these are the
seats for the .07S delegates ar
ranged by states. This space will be
inclosed by a railing and closely
guarded by large force of sergeants
alarms. Back of this are the seats
for the LOIS alternates enclosed by
a railing. On both sides and in the
rear of the space occupied by the
delegates and alternates are $500 ell
evated seats for visitors. At the north
end of the building a special band
stand will be erected. In the balcony
which extends around the four walls
of the building there will be 2,200
seats for visitors.
To avoid confusion in seating the
crowd each entrance will be placard-
ed showing the sections for which it
will be used and each ticket will bear
The letter of the entrance for which
it is intended. By this plan dele
gates and visitors will enter the door
nearest the seats assigned them
The platform. aisles and all omen
spaces will be covered with mating
10 insure the maximum of quiet
while the convention is in session.
Five hundred public telephones and
a large number of telegraph instru-
ments are being installed in various
parts of the building for the accom-
mediation of delegates and the pub
lie. Architect Arthur G. Brown has
arranged the seats in such a manner
that the chairman platform may be
seen from every section of the large
hall Sergeant-at-arms William F.
Stone will be assisted by force of
500 deputy ergeants-at-arms, door
keepers, Nshers and attendants A
special telephone system is being in
stalled which will enable Sergeant
alarms Stone, from his desk on the
platform, Immediately to communi-
cate with his assistants in any part of
the hall.
In the twn-story annex adjoining
the main building on the south, are
the offices of the republican nation
al committee private rooms for the
use of the chairman, secretaries and
sergeant-at-arms, quarters for the
com mittees on permanent organiza-
ton, credentials and resolutions, and