Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-11
BALTIMORE HALL
CAPACITY $4,000
Candidate for Presidency to Be
Named in Home of Famous
Dandy" Regiment.
BUILT AT COST OF $3.50, 900
Will BE Gorgeously Decorated for
Reception Of Democratic Rep
resentatives of Nation.

Baltimore, June 1l.-Ine Qemocratic
candidate for president OF the United
States will be nominated in a huge ma
tional guard armory situated in the
residence portion OF Baltimore. When
this city sent its representatives. before
the democratic national committee to
bring the national convention here the
possession Of an ideal convention hall
was one OF the strongest advantages
Baltimore had TO offer. Since that time,
at the expense Of many thousand dol
lars the hall has been made TO answer
every requirement Of the delegates who
assemble here June Is and the throngs
that gather to watch their delibera-
tons.
The democratic national convention
will meet in the Fifth Regiment arm
DRY, which occupies nearly a 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 block are Park
and Linden avenues, both OF which
carry trolley lines connecting with
the business center. Two squares dis
tant is the main road of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad and only little fur
Their, barely five minutes walk, is the
Union station, where passengers ar
rive on the other railroads entering
the city. Close at hand, within easy
walking distance, is the city's largest
/ hotel.
LARGE STATE EXPENDITURE.
When the state spent $45O,000 for
this drill hall to house Baltimore's ia
nous regiment, the Dandy Fifth" big
| conventions were in mind and the
building was situated and designed
with reference - affcrding such &C
cOmmodations. Exterior establishment
was a secondary consideration. The
Fifth Regiment armory is surrounded
by massive walls of grey granite, two
stories high, from which rise IL steel
trusses that carry the arched roof to
a height Of So feet 1t is lighted
by windows in the side walls and by
a sky-light that runs the whole length
of the apex of TIE roof. From the
outside the appearance Of the struc
ture is not particularly impressive
probably because the principal dimen
sions are lateral, and too extensive fol
the eye to appreciate unless the behold
er could look down on the building
from an elevation. The armory ex
tends 364 feet in width on HOFFMAN
and Preston streets and is 2S4 fee
deep. The great drill hall inside, whGgG
the convention will assemble, is go
by 200 feet
ELABORATE DECORATIONS.
To adapt this building further Il
convention purposes the state apprc
priated $4,000. The greater part o
this sum has been spent to increas
the seating capacity by putting in ten
porary balconies at the two ends o
the drill hall. Decorations, which in
clude the construction of a false Cei
ing to improve the acoustic properties
cost $1,000. Several thousands of dollar
have been spent in the construction G
the speakers platform, on seats, an
on remodeling the military compan
building for use as committee rooms
, AS one enters the hall through tn
main gateway on Hoffman street tn
eye first is impressed by the magnif
cent distances and the seemingly enc
> less vistas of seats. Under the hand
OF the decorators the place has los
its military, unitarian look, trans
Il - ~, n q
of bunting that hides the roof beams
: Grapes the walls and covers pract
2 cally every foot of the interior exceI
: the windows and floor spaces. Tn
: background is a soft effect of cream
2 gold and white. which makes an effe
? tive setting for the national colors di
? played in countless arrangements, an
the insignia and colors of the variou
states
VIEW FOR ALL.
y The seating arrangements here al
the result of long study on the arch
tects part, aided by the practical e
perience of men versed in the practic;
problems Of great conventions Tn
hall will seat comfortably more tina
5000 persons and those in charge
its preparation believe they have wor
ed out their problem so that ever
member Of this great audience ca
command a view of the speakers stan
and understand what is being sal
To bring this about the location
4, the speakers platform was the matte
Of first Importance
= In the Baltimore hall the speaker
;, will stand well out toward the midd
u Of the auditorium, directly opposi
rs the main central entrance. midway b
II tween the ends of the hall and abot
N 90 feet. or more than one-third the di
N lance, from the rear wall Of the int