Evening journal., 1916-06-14
ST. LOUIS coliseum
WILL SEAT 10000
Democratic Convention is
First One to be
Held There
WAS INITIATED
BY BILL TAFT

ST. LOUIS. June 1.-THE Demo-
cratic national convention is the first
political convention to be held in the
st. Louis Coliseum. The first public
meeting in this building was in the
presidential campaign of 1908, when
William II. Taft. Republican nominee.
spoke there. At that time the Coli
scum was not completed Fifteen
thousand persons crowded into the
structure for this opening
The Coliseum was built in 1907
1908 at a cost OF 1886 600 AS ar
ranged for the Democratic national
convention it will seat approximately
10000 persons. This seating capacity
is obtained as follows:
On the platform are 512 seats In
the section for daily newspaper corre-
spondents and press associations are
472 seats.
Sections set apart for the editors Of
Democratic weekly papers in Mis-
souri, and Illinois will accommodate
23S more persons.
Seats will be provided for 1.O7S dele
gates and the same number of alter
mates. though there may be some
slight change in these figures in case
some States send extra delegates with
a fractional vote.
In the boxes are seating accommo-
dations for 546. in the area balcony
2,494 and in the balcony 3.400
This makes a total of 9S13. Extra
seats placed wherever possible
throughout the building bring the to-
tai seating capacity to about 10000
The building is so designed that
here is room on the arena floor only
or the delegates, alternates and the
Tally and weekly newspaper men
The Coliseum is an octagon. consider
ably narrowed at one end bv a dag
onal side wall. The greatest length of
the building is from north to south. and
its nauowest dimension from east 10
west has been rallied of for the plat.
form and press sections. The platform
IS forty feet wide. and Immediately
back of tn speakers stand and the
tables for telers and clerks a platform
extension rises TO the rear Of the upper
balcony. This extension contains seats
for 5l2 persons. These seats were dis.
tributed by the national committee
and the members Of the committee and
their immediate parties are to occupy
most of them.
Around the arena floor on three sides
are the hoXes. which are reserved foi
specially invited guests, party leaders
IF prominence, diplomats, etc
That part Of the public which is no
fortunate enough to have platform o.
box seats is to he accommodated on tn
arena balcony. which rises immediatel,
from the boxes. and in the balcony
which corresponds 10 the second CALLER
in most public halls
1rbn total nttp,bor 81 .oaf- avoifo I,1
for the public therefore is 5s94, and tn
distribution Of part of these is allotte
to the st. Louis committee. which raise
tho 100000 convention fund.
On the west side of the Coliseum
back Of the speakers platforms. ar
the work room for the press associa
tions and the telegraph companies
AS this space. as originally planned
proved too narrow to accommodate
the press associations an eight foo
passageway through this section wa
abandoned, and by order of the mayo
an alley in the rear Of the Coliseum
was vacated and covered with an avn
! ing. This serves as a passageway
passageway under the platform
leads from the press sections on tn
arena floor to the work and telegraph
rooms in the rear.
On the north side of the building
the Washington avenue side-is
large emergency hospital. on th'
south side are the rooms Of tn
Democratic national committee, AM
on the castor jefferson avenue -
side is the room of the sergeant-at
arms and the convention postoffice.
The decorations of the Coliseum
were designed by Edward c. Dillmar
of St. Louis. In order to obtain a
much daylight as possible, the wall
of the Coliseum have been painte
white. To get the full benefit of thi
reflection it was necessary to axclud
decorations from the walls Th
decorations. accordingly. have beel
placed around the front of the balloon
and boxes and on the supporting
columns that run around the build
ing.
Plaster relief medallions of Wash
ington Jefferson, Jackson. Clevelan
and Wilson. each by 8. are place
on the supporting columns clea
around the building and each medal
lion is surrounded by American flags
The columns are covered with bunt
ing and the boxes are hung with tn
national colors. To improve tn
light reflection 5000 yards of whit
muslin cover the ceiling, except for
strip down the center, which is hun
IN the national colors. Altogether 30
900 yards of bunting we're used in tn
decoration of the convention hall an