Evening star., 1945-11-18
BY John Clagett Proctor


old Pension ONCE Building in Judiciary
Square was completed in 1885, ano
when its great size was referred to about
as We refer to the hugeness of the pres
ent Pentagon Building Of course, there
is nothing particularly venerable about
this conspicuous building. since to many
the date of its erection seems but yes
terday.
Work upon this structure was begun
In the autumn of 1882, when ground
was first broken, and by March, 1888
nearly all of the foundations were in
and the bricklaying begun. Because
Congress had urged haste in erecting
the building in order to save rent Gen.
Montgomery c. Meigs, the supervising
architect, speeded up the work con-
siderably and to such an extent that the
inaugural ball of Cleveland and Hend-
rickS was held there on the evening of
March 4, 1885, and the clerks began to
move in on June 15, following.
Seven Inaugural Balls
To the visitor, the most interesting
thing about the Pension Ofice-which
We continue to call it, though it has
not been occupied by this bureau since
1926-is the fact that seven inaugural
balls were held there-Cleveland, 1885
and 1898; Harrison, 1889; Mckinley. 1897
and 1901; Roosevelt, 1905, and Taft,
1909.
To the writer's way of thinking the
most elaborate, perfect and successful
OF these was that held in honor of Presi-
dent Cleveland and Vice President
Hendricks ON the evening of March 4,
1885. Indeed, this was the first time the
Democrats had elected President since
James Buchanan went into the White
House in 1857, or after an interrnission
of "a years, and they surely celebrated
the occasion as it had never been done
before, and quite likely has never been
since. The ball, of course was only
climax to a notable event and a grand
celebration and if there was any en-
thuslasm lacking at that time it was not
noticeable to the old timers who still re-
Ter to it today as the best ever.
Naturally, it is impossible for one to
remember all the details of an event of
this character for so years, and so the
writer has called to his assistance The
Star of March S, 1885, which gives an
extended account of the first inaugural
ball held in this building. It is too
lengthy and full of detail to give here
In full, but it will, at least in part, bear
repeating. 1t says:
THE new Pension Building, where
the inaugural ball was held in a blaze
of light last night, and the homes in the
immediate vicinity were Illuminated
and decorated while hundreds of car
riages filled the thoroughfares. and the
scene was perfect carnival of anina-
ton, which was made all the more daz-
zling by the glare of the electric light
that almost turned the night into day.
Upon entering the huge ballroom,
with its nearly 10000 square feet of
floor space, it was difficult to refrain
from calculations of surprise at the
beauty OF the picture. The eight man.
moth pillars, 25 feet in circumference,
were each covered with white cloth and
then entwined with a chain of ever
greens and trimmed with palm leaves
and pennants and FACES of bright colors.
giving a majestic grandeur to the
scene"
1900 in Attendance
1t seems that every inaugural ball
held in this building was the best, and
so, in 1889 when Harrison and Morton
came into extreme prominence, we find
the reporter saying, There never was a
ball like it before" but the chances are
that it was no better, if quite as good
as the one held in 1885. Continuing,
The Star of March says: THE ILL
timed rain gave somewhat bedraggled
aspect to the parade of the day, but
whatever that lacked was more than
made up by the brilliance of the scene
In the vast court of the Pension Build.
Ing last night. 1t was estimated that
at the height of the festivities there
were fully $4,000 people in the hall.
Crowds were waiting to get admittance
when the doors were opened at 8
o'clock" ..
The ball was wineless. The only
thing that had even slight suggestion
about it of antiprohibition views was
the Roman punch served with the
supper.
Gen. William T. Sherman, William r.
Cody (Buffalo Bib and Frederick
Douglas were included among those who
attracted unusual attention.
In 1888 Mr.. Cleveland began a return
engagement Of four years and brought
along as his running mate Adlai E.
Stevenson.
Veterans Administration
The next inaugural ball to take place
IN the Pension Once Building was that
given In the honor OF William Mckinley
and Garrett A. Hobart, March 4, 1897.
Upon this occasion the scribe in telling
of the ball, the following day, went be-
vond the wall of the old building and
The confines Of the Capital City, and
even included all past social events in
The Western Hemisphere, as being mere
ordinary affairs compared to this not
lble gathering. This is the introduction
10 his story:
1T Is not exaggerating to say that
never In the history OF the New World,
never during the 122 years OF independ-
.nce Of America, has there been such q
social gathering on American soil rs