The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-24

T T. '
 committee said that he had ascertained | that the Elyton Land company would contribute S250 towards paying for such | a pamphlet.
 Offered to Make Exhibit 1 Tn October 1883 the Louisville and Nash I vile railroad offered to Birmingham it's | exhibit of farm products, etc. which then was at Louisville The offer was con l dtioned upon suitable building being | erected in which to house it. | President NanHoose hurriedly called a meeting of the board to consider the ! matter. At this meeting there was much discussion, which finally resulted in a canvass being taken of the members present to see how much money could be secured to begin the building. The can vass produced pledges amounting to S330. A committee to canvass the city for funds l was appointed as follows: William Ser
 nie, pr. H. M. Caldwell, D. M. Drennen 1 and Major A. Moore.
 | This committee immediately began | active opera tons to secure the money and at called meeting on October IS. 1883, | two days later. reported subscriptions | amounting to S1200. They also reported 1 that they had seen the mayor and alder men and secured permission to erect the l structure in Capitol park at>the head of l Twentieth street, the adermatic board reserving the right to designate the To- | cation of the building.
 l motion was made that committee of 1 three be appointed to solicit subscriptions l and exhibits from the other roads enter I ing Birmingham. A. O. Lane offered a I substitute that the original committee be | requested to attend to that duty The l substitute was carried, and the committee was given full power to complete all
 arrangements for the erection of the building
 l
 Subscribed But Not Collected The next meeting of the Board of Trade was on the call of the president on November 6, 1Ss3 At this meeting the committee of arrangements reported that $1429 had been collected but that s20S0 had been subscribed to the building fund. Architect Wheelock submitted plans for building. The plans called for an ex-
 penditure of $3220 for the center building
 and $263S for each of the two wings, un-
 painted. The center building was to be 64x64 feet and the two wings measured i each 40x1O0 feet
 , The plans precipitated lively discus
 sion and finally they were turned back
 to MT. Wheeock with instructions to
 draw up new plans which could be work : , ed with an expenditure of not exceeding
 $25OO.
 The old ledger contains the minutes of
 three other meetings of the Board of Trade. At the first of these the necessary
 funds to provide for the construction of
 the building was secured by each member
 of the Board giving his note on the First
 National Bank for a pro rata share of
 the cost of the structure. There is- no
 record of whether or not the building
 was constructed and as to how the public generally accepted the exposition.
 At the present time the question of an : auditorium of Birmingham Is hanging fire. The people have voted on a bond , issue of $2o0,OOO with which to construct 5 1t and since that time numerous citizens [ have expressed the opinion that this amount is much too small to provide fol an adequate structure. one commensurate \ with the needs of Birmingham, and pur- | chase the necessary ground on which tt
 build 1t.
 It is not doubted that slOo,0Oo additiona
 could be secured by popular subscriptions and the land be secured fin this manner : : but it has been pointed out that much < better way would be to increase the sizt ' of the bond issue.
 t Present Facilities : Birmingham now has adequate hote facilities to care for the conventions o the larger size, and the Chamber o , Commerce is extending it's energies t, s this end that Birmingham become th'
 convention city of the south. With al
 auditorium this work would become mucl
 
 T will be started on a building with a seat { ing capacity of 5000 to 10000 in the fall O this year.
 But there is lesson to be learned iron the past In 1883 the makers of Birming ham. many of them are alive today, at r tempted to secure by popular subscrip ton sufficient funds to erect an expo sition building. They Jailed to secur enough money from the public. but within
 their own organization the money wa
 raised.
 l The members of the Board of Trade hat faith in Birmingham. Even though the! s were bit chary about spending mor' 1 than s250o for an exposition building r probably on the grounds that the city { size did not justify 1t, they had faith Il the city's future.
 Now there is doubt that an auditorium
 with seating capacity of 5000 will b
 large enough for the needs of the city V Then the Board of Trade was fearfu B that building seating about 15oc was tot s large
 With an auditorium. the present hote . facilities and the Chamber of Commerce :, together with the Business Mems leagu . and the Board of Trade working logein ns :, in hoarmony for Birmingham, this cit, Il should within three or four years becom z known the nation over for itB hoSpltalit. Al -A -lu -I-