Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-03-05

Besides the presidential stands. there were
stands cross the Avenue in Lafayette Park. in
front Of Riggs Bank, at the north side Of the
Treasury Building and also along the part OF
the east side of the Treasury which faces down
Pennsylvania avenue, in the park space be-
tween Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets on the
south side of the Avenue. in front of the Dis
trict Building. and in front Of the parks at
the National Theater and the old Southern
Railroad Building
Prices per seat ranged from 81 in the Court
Of Honor on the White House side and in
Lafayette Park to 81 in front of the Southern
Railroad Building. All stands were covered
except those in which seats sold for 81.
Work on the stands which started January
30. was slowed down by labor troubles. Con-
tractors paid carpenters only So day while
the union scale was $11. Union officials pro-
tested. but construction was not interrupted
for any length Of time.
The stands were estimated to cost between
$50 900 and $50, 900. as compared with the $44.-
600 paid for erection of stands for the Hoover
Inauguration. Especial care was exercised to
build them strongly enough to obviate the
danger of accident. Several hundred workmen
were employed on the project
D EVENUE received from the sale of tickets
~ to reviewing stands was the inaugural Com
mittee's chief source of money. but it was not
until 1901 that this method Of financing the
Inauguration was thought of.
John B. Larner chairman Of the subcom-
mittee in charge of parks and reviewing stands.
In that year. reports:
1.-THE committee recommended the adoption
Of entirely new plan for providing for tho
seating Of citizens desiring to witness the in
augural parade. Prior thereto it had been the
custom to lease the privilege Of erecting all
stands with the exception of the Presidents
reviewing stand, which was built and decorated
at the expense of the Inaugural Committee.
The plan suggested, however, applied only to
the erection Of the Lafayette reviewing stand.
which was built under the supervision and con-
troll Of this committee
"The idea was that the profit to be derived
from the sale of seats upon the Lafayette re-
viewing stand and that derived from the sale
of privileges to erect other stands to be located
on reservations on Pennsylvania avenue. would
pay all the expenses of this committee, in
GLIDING the cost of the erection of the Presi-
dents reviewing stand. The outcome of this
plan. which was vigorously opposed by some
members of this committee because of the risk
attending such an undertaking. justified the
course adopted.
1.-THE total receipts in 1901 from all sources
were $15,793 and the expenditures $15.922.77:
thus the receipts not only paid for the erection
of the Presidents stand and the Lafayette
stand but came within q few dollars of paying
for the entire cost of the Court of Honor.
which at that time was erected by this COM
mittee and introduced as novelty"
During recent years. the Coolidge inaugural
in 1925 saw the smallest number of seats pro-
vided in official stands. In that year there was
but one stand and that had capacity of 1000
persons The crowd which viewed this in
augural from the streets. from buildings. VIM
dows and from housetops was large and en-
thusiastic, however.
From the point of view of crowds, the Hard
ing inaugural was the smallest in 20 years.