The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-14
San Francisco Auditorium Model of Its Kind and Offer Valuable Suggestions for Handling Big Convention
Description of Great Structure Will Be Read With Interest Here Where Auditorium Is Now Live Topic
By HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau The Ape Herald
 BOO Davidson Building.

Washington, November IS. Especial. )-There is one audi torium in the United States which should be studied by any municipality preparing to con- struct an auditorium of it's own. It is the Exposition Memorial auditorium in San Francisco, wherein was held the national democratic convention i'll June and July this year.
 It is probably too spacious for the purposes of cities smaller than San Francisco, or less able, in a financial sense, to attempt it's exact duplica- tion. Nevertheless, it is distinctly a model which can be followed with ob- vious advantage. And as all growing cities build important structures with an eye 70 the future, it is not unrea- sonable to presume that Birmingham would profit by constructing within it's limits, building practically as large, and serviceable, as that which is the . PlluC OI DdII T IdllClSCO.
 The Exposition Memorial auditorium occupies the entire block. bounded by Grove, Larkin, Hayes and Polk streets, forming part of the civic center with the city hall and other monumental public buildings groupd around an im- pressive area. This civic center group is located at a central point in the city, easily accessible from all sections and directly adjacent to Market street, the wide thoroughfare leading to the gate ways of the city--the ferry and steam ship terminals on the water front.
 The building was built In 1914 and with equipment cost $1,25O,0O0. The lot on which the auditorium is built was provided by the city at an additional expense of $701000
 The auditorium has Il halls, each with a seating capacity of from 400 to 10000 people. In addition to the eleven halls there are 19 rooms suitable for committee meetings or meetings of small convention sections, each of the nineteen rooms seating from 30 to 125 people. By system of rolling parti- --tions the four large halls on the third --and fourth floors may be converted into a maximum of 14 halls. each with "a minimum seating capacity of 250 people. With the rolling partitions in use it would be possible to hold in the eac hwith an attendance of from 250 to from 250 to 10000. and 19 committee or -ventions. each with an attendancse of section meetings, each with an atten- dance of from 30 to 125.
 The building has an exterior appear -ance expressing it's purpose and suited to it's position in this group of impor- -tant public buildings. The front is of California granite with a large triple entrance feature, with elaborate carved -stone decoration and an ornamental ,marquise over the entrance: The cen stral portion of the building has an oc- -ta gonal tile-covered dome with an or -namental lantern at the apex. The sys- item of the octagonal dome, while not new in theory, has probably never be- fore been carried out on such a large scale and its architectural features were carefully studied with a wooden model. The roof load is carried on eight sloping trusses which carry the load direct to the eight supporting col- umns. The outward thrusts of these trusses are taken up by the great oc- tagon diaphragm at the perimeter of Y the dome's base, composed of eight z built-up trusses, IA feet in depth and 80 ! feet long. Provision is made for ex- i. terior decorative lighting. particularly < in the main arched entrance feature and on the roof
 [ EXTERIOR APPEARANCE
 !. The building is four stories high, the i. central portion containing large au- ditorium extending through the four stories. This auditorium has a main z floor 190x190 feet at the street level. Wide corridors surround it on all sides, except at the rear where there are en- frances directly to the street. Above the main auditorium floor there is a large balcony around three sides, ex- ]; tending over the corridors and other rooms on the ground floor. The pro- 5ection of the balcony is cared for by