The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-22

 smaller centers throughout the district. especially at important street intersec- tions and at groups of public buildings where majority of the citizens can daily take advantage of them.
 CIVIC CENTER MEMORIAL
 Since the world war, the idea of the civic center memorial was proposed in Birmingham and the movement has re- ceived hearty encouragement.
 Prom the Atlantic to the Pacific, the return of the boys from Europe Drought on strong agittion for suitable memo rals to their struggles. Proposed plans call for auditoriums, libraries, hospitals art museums community houses, monu- ments, tablets, parks, paved roads and tree planting
 "Richmond, Va, is planning a Sl,0o0.oN memorial auditorium. Mobile is talking of a $159,o00 memorial library. Johnstown Pa, is planning $l00,OO0 community house. Chicago IS proposing an honor roH memorial on the lake front. Port Chester, N Y., is to have 40-acre park as memorial. Philadelphia is to have an art museum as d climax to her new parkway. Chattanooga is proposing a s4oo.0oo audi toriunl Los Angeles is building $l0,0O0,coe civic center Countless other cities arc to have other memorials, fitting and appro- priate.
 Birmingham has been talking some years about an auditorium. (Bonds nave been authorized for such a building to cost s5ocoo0, in connection with new ,0Go city hall, and the constitutional amendment to be voted upon on Decem- Der 29. if ratified, will make provision for funds through an increase of tax rate' which may be used to pay the interest on these bonds and make it possible for the city to float thcm)
 'iBirmingham city's offices have out growa the present building. The c1ty library is cramped for space. An art inu- scum is needed in Birmingham, if th's city is to be the educational center of the south The Jefferson county court house is inadequate for present needs.
 NEW BUILDINGS NECESSARY
 Being young in years, Birmingham has not yet developed civic center Having outgrown the present facilities new buildings must be erected, and that very shortly
 What could be more appropriate than having one civic center, as a me- morial to our boys? What we need IS a memorial monument to the boys in blue and khaki who gave their lVes, a useful monument to those other boys and men who stayed in this district and turned out coal, steel, iron, shrarnel
  and an educational, political and recre- ational monument for all time for those who are and will be the citizens of the Birmingham district who will carry on through the years to come
 .sThe government has offered to pay half the cost of building for .voca- tional training, if the city will raise the other half. That makes five build 1 ings, all of which are needed now, and can be placed together as start to- ward logical things. Had this plan been in existence at the time the post office was being planned, the postoffice might have been located in this group, 1 too. AS it is now, although the post office as a building is going to be ex- l cellent, it has no setting, and no chance 1 for one which would allow it to be seen to the best advantage.
 .As for a civic center at Woodrow
 Wilson park" Mir. Anderson says, Tt
 may be said that the plan is fitted to
 the main axis of the city Of Birming- ham (Twentieth street., the vista along | this axis being terminated at Eighth avenue by the Tower of Progress.
 which is the feature of the entire com ! position. This occupies the center or 1 the court of honor, and is flanked on | the right by the courthouse, on the leff | by the city hall. and these two build 1 ings are connected behind this tower i by a colonnade, where space is pro- vided for thousands of individual me- morial tablets, and sufficient space is available over these tablets for a mo- safe or tile treatment of maps. depict | ing the battlefields of Europe on which | our boys fought. These maps would 1 be worked out in colors, and would be l imperishable.
 AUDITORIUM SEATING 5000
 "At right angles to this group, facing each other across the 1erk, will be the auditorium, seating 5000 people, and a 7, smaller hall seating 1900, with ban {, ouet hall in addition; the art museum, i with galleries provided for the proper 1 showing of paintings, sculpture and the various handicrafts; the public library sufficiently large for city of 750,00O people. which Birmingham will have in- side of g years; the art school where will be trained those who will have the honor of making Birmingham the most l beautiful city in the south, and the vo- cational training school, where disabled | soldiers and sailors could be trained along such lines as they wished. Ir the center of the park would be a large flag pole, floating the flag of freedom
 .aThe memorial tower would be 45t feet high and on top would be a beacon l searchlight which could be seen from East Lake to Bessemer
 ai .eThe architecture of the building,
 would be the classic monumental style N and they would be planned for future T exyansion of city and county offices Because of the shape of the auditorium in case of panic 1t could be emptiec In so seconds, as doors are provided along both front and back the entir' length of the building.
 "Behind the city hall and the court house may be located the city ans county jails. hidden from view by th Ia