PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS

Page 68 – MACHINERY HALL

MACHINERY HALL.—One of the most elaborate structures of the Columbian Exposition, Machinery Hall, or the Palace of Mechanic Art as it was termed officially, fully justified by its general effect the attention paid to ornamental details. The genius who achieved the lesser thing so well did not fail in the greater. Located at the south of the Grand Plaza and fronting to the east on the south canal, the vast dimensions of the building, eight hundred and fifty feet long by five hundred in breadth, appeared to great advantage, and viewed from the basin or the Manufactures Building, the charms of both facades appealed to the eye at once. The total cost was something over $1,200,000. The style that of the Renaissance, of the most famous cities of Spain, promoted greatly the architectural effects sought and, while its order might not be as strictly defined as was possible in other buildings, there was no question as to its capabilities. The main entrance on the north bore six large figures, each carrying a shield on which were engraved the names of prominent inventors, and above these and between the high towers were placed five more figures, each thirteen feet high. In the center stood Science and beside her were the elements, Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Surmounting each tower, both on the north and east, was a winged Victory, apparently just alighting from flight and bearing the laurel wreath. The graceful classic columns, the open beauty of the surrounding loggia and the taste maintained in the adornments everywhere combined in making the great edifice one of the Fair’s great architectural triumphs.

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