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| MANUFACTURES BUILDING FROM NORTH END OF WOODED
ISLAND - The Greatest Building that ever Was looms over the still
waters of the lagoon, and seems to extend to the lion-fountain at the
obelisk. Thus viewed, the height of the stupendous edifice dwindles
into length, and the original ideas of the architects remain. For it
is to be known that this fabric was at first intended to be rather a
gallery than a house. Vast inner courts were to hold the Leather
Building and the Music Hall. The Hall of Arches, which made a
mountain on the lake front, was a huge addendum, demanded by
California, and otherwise compelled by growing demands on the
Exposition. Two ordinarily large houses stand at the end - first the
Guard and Fire Station, and at the left near the tents, the Army
Hospital. They offer a contrast, and will effectively present to the
mind the proportions of the main building. There was little or no
statuary on these facades. The pylons and pavilions were well
supplied with flag-staves, and, on approaching, gave impressions of
their height, which was ninety-seven feet at the lowest. It cost
$1,700,000 to finish this work. The architect was Mr. George B.
Post, of New York. Not only was this the wonder of the world, and
the central object of the Fair, but its interior revealed a variety
of splendor not heretofore attained by the people of the nations. |
