Evening star., 1932-04-10
Memorial Shooters HH AHaudr Is Utmost Ready Cfu Ddin
Crmy Of May Construction Has Been Going for Ten Years, and the Beautiful
Nurah Memorial iuAvs
Organ and Museum TO Be Few Of the Outstanding Features

The sculptured head, which is COM
poSite study of the Houdon bust and the
Williams portrait, is AZ feet high, and
the medallion itself is feet across.
This splendid baS-relief was modelled by
Gail Sherman who in private life is Mrs.
Harvey Wiley Corbett, wife of the archi-
tect of the building. The sculpturing
was done by G. Fred Coles after the
stone was placed in the pediment. The
sculptured head of Washington predomi-
mates the space above the portico, as,
indeed, it should, and no other attempt
is made at ornamentation except a
chaSte Greek border design around the
outer edges of the pediment.
From the majestic portico, which Is
the entrance to the second floor of the
building, one enters the George Wash
ington Memorial Hall, which has niche
in the back for heroic statue of Wash
ington. The hall, with its ornamental
plaster ceiling and marble tile floors is
100 feet long, 66 feet wide and Al feet
high In the memorial hall there are
eight tall Corinthian columns of polished
green New Hampshire granite, each of
which are 40 feet high, Az feet in diam
eter, and weigh IS tons. The capitals on
these columns are the largest polished
capitals of any kind of rock in the world
These imposing columns stand like giant
sentinels On the north and south sides
of the hall. On the stone walls behind
the columns will be murals depicting
scenes in the life of Washington.
The Replica Lodge, also on the second
floor, is an exact reproduction of the old
room in Alexandria where WaShington'S
lodge met after his death. Next to the
Replica Lodge is a larger room for the
use of symbolic or blue lodges. On the
north side of Memorial Hall is an audi
torium for various other Masonic pur-
poses.
DIRECTLY under Memorial Hall, in the
center of the first floor, there is an
ornamental assembly room fianked by
eight Doric columns of New Hampshire
granite. Each sturdy column-2O feet
high, feet in diameter, and weighing
20 tons-rests directly beneath its cor
responding column in the Memorial Hall
above, thus supporting the great weight
Of the tower. The combined weight Of
the eight columns above and the eight
below is $50 tons.
In the front corridor of the first floor
there are two elevators which connect all
floors of the building. Because of the
Setbacks in the tower the elevators start
their ascent approximately so feet apart,
in beveled shafts, and they reach the
summit side by side. In addition to the
elevators there is a spiral stairway made
of three contrasting marbleS-green Car
diff, pink Tennessee and variegated st.
Genevieve-which also lead to the tower.
The rooms for administration, Offices and
service on the first floor have a total
area of $4,000 square feet.
Back of the assembly hall, on the first
floor, is the large semi-circular amphi-
theater, two stories high, which will seat
1900 people. Instead of balconies. the
seats are arranged in tiers. One can see
and hear from any position in the room
Much study has been given to the
architectural detail of the auditorium.
which cost approximately SITS 900. High
on the wall above the stage is the Wash
ington coat-of-arms modelled in plaster
by Louis Ludwig. The canopied ceiling
of ornamental plaster is designed like a
great open lace fan. A soft glow of hid
den colored lights penetrates the LACY
open spaces in the design and further
enhances its beauty, while directly be-
meath the dome there is row of red,