Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-26
United States To !.
Have Reproduction
OF Masterpiece

Nashville, Tenn. Sept. 26.-Within
a year h United States will have the
only exact-to-the-inc reproduction
of the Athenian Parthenon, the So!
called Parthenon at Regensburg be-
ing merely an adaptation of the great
conceived and built by Phidias, the
sculptor, I%ctinus. the architect. and
Pericles, the statesman, is being re-
constructed here In a more enduring
form than was the original.
When T~ennessee'ss centennial was
celebrated by: an international EXPOSE
tionStwenty-fours years agosathe direc-
tors Of the fetet built in temporary.
forn1ssa replica of the Pafthenon. It.
was used toulouse the art. exhibit Of
that exposition.
Nashville people considered it a
partial qualification OF their ambition
t. ns dStb their /. city as 'tpe Athens Of
Little Money Needed.
This temporary structure, erected
hastily and with a comparatively
small amount of money, left much to
be desired in the execution of the
delicate ornamentation and the great
number Of statues which" had to- be
reconstructed from the Inadequate
drawings then In existence. Yet, the
general effect Of the cream-colored
staff structure with brilliant. colors in,
t~he#frieze and:gables SO oYershadow-
ed All the other buildings thatEwhen.
the ~@expositton was ove the people,
demanded its preservation and it be-
came a shrine to the residents and
visitors. ~.
Three years ago.. disintegration had
Progressed to such an extent that the
building had tofbe closed .t
It was finally decided to erect q per-
manents. replica of the Athenian5stem-
pie, using the method known; as the
Mosaic Surface concrete developed
by John early of washington, D. c.,
whoSwas %intrusted with that part Of
the. work. M 9. NE
the red background Of the metopes
and gables, the blue of the triglyps
as agreed. upon by the majority Of
authorities on Greek architecture. To
merely apply pigments to the surface
of these cement casts would have in
VOWED the SAME periodical expense
of renewing the colors as it would
have on marble, which it had been de-
cided not to use.
About that time George Julian FOL
nay, sculptor, was making experi-
ments in the production OLA durable
Ematerial% other than the costly stone
and bronze, realizing that not Until
the sculptor's work can be successful
ly reproduced in less expensiyeN3ye yet
durable materials will sculpture be
Ecomesa truly democratic act.
Secured Stone.
He secured ajsynthetic stone, which
not only poured" but could be made
Of any color. Zolnay was commission
ed by the Nashville park board to re-
construct that figure Of the great tenn
pie and then to reproduce them In
this artificial stone. s.
Whether the original Rarthenon
had an open roof or whether there
was some structural arrangement
with side lights masked by the cor
nice has never been determined. The
Nashville P%arthenon will have q fiat
sky-light following the slope of the
1 roof and so arranged as to obtain the
best possible light within. where an
art museum will be located eventual
".
Probably the exterior Of the build
ing will be completed by the autumn
OF 1922.
Erected in Centennial park the
Parthenon of the new world will at
ford to Americans an opportunity of
viewing in exact replica at one place
what would require months Of travel
to find in the museums and elsewhere
in Europe.