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| THE TRANSPORTATION BUILDING - This structure was
remarkable in the group of greater buildings through the fact that it was
painted with various colors, mainly red while the other enclosures were
white. The angels which are seen on the facades were cut in linen, and
glued to the exterior, and the decoration generally was in geometrical
lines, with something of an Oriental expression and effect. This bizarre
appearance was creditably relieved by the commanding beauty of the Golden
Door, which is seen at the center, and is further illustrated and
described in this volume. The style of the Transportation Building was
called Romanesque, and it was erected by Adler & Sullivan, the architects
of the Auditorium and the Schiller Theatre in Chicago, where the same
peculiarities of beautiful increasing arches and subtending straight lines
may be studied. Broad as was the area of the structure, it counted but
eighteen acres, annex and all, and was but fourth among the great
edifices. The trains of cars and the locomotives stood on tracks that ran
into the annex from the rear, and made a display that was distinctively
American, and very flattering to national pride. The arrangement of this
department was made with a view to history, and over two thousand feet of
track were used in a single exhibit showing the evolution of the
locomotive. The Chief of Transportation was Willard A. Smith. Dimensions:
two hundred and fifty-six by six hundred and ninety feet; annex, four
hundred and twenty-five by nine hundred feet. Cupola: one hundred and
sixty-six feet high, and reached by an exhibit of eight elevators. The
statuary to be seen at the side of the building was the work of John J.
Boyle, of Philadelphia, and represented four modes of transportation -
air, water, electricity and land. Cost of all, $370,000. |
