Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-30
COLISEUM LEADS
WITH CONVENTIONS
Place of G.. o. p. Meeting Has
History Rich in Political
Interest

Coliseum, where the Republican Ma
uonal Convention of 1915 will be held
beginning June Z. has a history rich
in political interest. More national
political conventions have been held
in it than in any other building in the
United States.
Three Republican national conven-
ions have been held within its walls
and il was there also that the Pro-
sressive party, in 1912, held its first
national convention and nominated
Col Theodore Roosevelt for president.
The Republicans nominated their
presidential ticket in the Chicago Coli
scum in 1904. 1908 and 1912.
The building was designed as a
model convention hall but later adapt
ed to broader uses. 1t was built by
Charles f. Gunther and several busi-
ness associates on the site of the old
Libby Prison War Museum. at Wabash
avenue and Fifteenth street, less than
a mile from the hotel and retail shop
ping district.
The castellated walls of the old war
prison were used for the Wabash ave-
nue. side of the structure. 1t was
built of stone, brick, steel and glass
and was finished in 1900. The build
ing is 40S feet long, 10 feet wide, and
10 feet high and cost nearly ST.
100000. II has n wide balcony ex-
tending around three or the walls and
IS we'll lighted and ventilated.
Build Additional Balconies
For this years convention two ad-
ditional balconies with seats for 732
persons have been built between the
main floor and the regular balcony
This gives a total seating capacity of
II, 400 of which 9,400 seats are on
he main floor and 5000 in the bal
comics. The crowds VIII enter through
four main doors on the Wabash ave-
nue. side. There are % exits. There
will be 100 doorkeepers and 100 ushers
in addition to a large special detail of
police to handle the great crowds
fhe seating arrangement will follow
the general plan OF former conVen-
tions although several changes have
been made which ii is believed will
add to the comfort and convenience of
the delegates and visitors.
The speakers platform, twenty
feet long and forty feet wide, is at
the south end of the building. 1t
will provide seats for the officers of
the convention and members of the
Republican National committee Sus-
pended over the stand is a specially
designed sounding board. It consists
of an inverted concaved pyramid built
Of wood with the apex over the head
of the presiding officer. 1t is de-
signed to throw the voice through the
speakers stand is a raised platform
with 1000 seats for the use of presi-
dental candidates and other distin-
guished guests. on either side of the
speakers platform, extending the en-
tire width of the building is a press
section, containing 55S seats for work
ing newspaper men.
Thousands OF Seats
In front of the speakers stand are
}. &c fnN ha 1a1a tAG Nd
back of these is the space set aside
for the seating of the alternates. The
section reserved for delegates and al
ternated is enclosed with a heavy rail.
The rest of the main floor and all the
balconies will be used for seats to
accommodate the crowds of visitors.
Adjoining the coliseum on the
south is an annex three stories high,
17O feet deep and with a frontage of
about 100 feet on Wabash avenue. 1t
is connected with the main building
by several broad entrances.
In the basement of the annex, at the
south end of the main building and
near the speakers stand, is the tele-
graph and telephone room where
scores of special wires have been in
stalled for the use of the news gath
ering associations and newspapers in
sending stories of the convention to
every section of the country. In the
basement of the main building is
completely equipped temporary hos
pital in charge of 25 of Chicagos
Heading physicians and surgeons who
have volunteered their services for the
occasion.
The upper floors of the annex have
been fitted up with the administrative
rooms of the officers of the conven-
ton. Here are the private offices of
the chairman, secretary, treasurer and
IN
'vention postoffice for the prompt dis
tribution of mail to the officials and
delegates is in this section. There is
a large meeting room for the Repub-
lican National Committee and numer-
Gus rooms for use of the committees
of the convention.
In the decoration of the convention
hall the managers departed from the
long established practice of practical
~ relying exclusively on flags and
bunting to obtain the desired artistic
effect This year the scheme of in
terror ornamentation is more elabor-
ate and artistic than ever before, ac-
cording to experts. The plan was de-
signed by r. c. Hall. superintendent of
the Coliseum and julius Floto an
architect White and gold dominate
the color scheme while American
flags, shields and bunting are used to
complete the working out of the deco
rative plan.
Eight thousand yards of white cloth,
1000 yards of gold cloth, 5000 yards
of red, white and blue bunting and
$50 American flags and shields were
used in the interior urnamentation of
the convention hall. The bare brick
walls and steel girders which support
the roof are concealed by 26 panels
of white cloth, each 25x50 feet. Each
panel is decorated with a deep fiounce
of gold cloth. Hanging from the
roof in the center under the large
glass Ventilators are large bars of gold
cloth which add to the artistic effect
without obstructing light and air. The
balconies are tastefully festooned with
red, white and blue bunting caught
every 10 feet with punches of small
American flags and shields.
On the wall back of the speakers
stand i3 hung a large oil portrait of
Abraham Lincoln which has been in
six Republican national conventions
since it was painted in 1864. 1t was
loaned to the convention by It's owner,
George Prince of New York.
The officers of the convention are:
Temporary chairman-Senator War
rem G. Harding. Ohio.
Temporary ecretary-Lafayette B.
Gleason, New York.