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Show I FINE ARTS BUILDING, ST. LOUIS S i&i v jv i xv jv x v xv x Jx xf fx VJx x xjx Jx Jx ' The Louisiana Purchase Exposition In St. Louis in 190S will be the first In the world's history in which hills enter Into the composition of the main exposition "picture." The natural topography of the site prompted this radical departure. The main "picture" "pic-ture" of the exposition (the great spectacle to be made by the big exhibit buildings, by water and by sculptures) is to be located entirely within Forest For-est Park, the second largest public park in the United States. The use of half of this park, the unfinished portion, por-tion, was granted to the exposition company by the city of St. Louis as an exposition site. This part of the park is hilly. It contains a large level tract of about 400 acres, which formerly supplied space for golf links and a race track. From this level the ground rises on a slope of about 60 degrees to an average aver-age height of 60 feet. The main exhibit ex-hibit buildings, the big towers, the lagoons, la-goons, basins, canals and statuary groups occupy the lower level. The art gallery and its by-buildings (the architectural chef d'oeuvre of the exposition, ex-position, designed by Cass Gilbert), the United States government building, build-ing, designed by J. Knox Taylor, are to be built on the elevated tract In the treatment of the intervening slope the commission of architects had scope for originality. The difference differ-ence of elevation constituted the chief problem with which they had to contend. con-tend. Hanging gardens and a series of magnificent cascades fill in this portion of the picture. The main picture of the exposition is roughly in the shape of a gigantic fan, the ribs of which are the avenues of the exposition. At the apex of this radiant composition stands the art building on an eminence. Three great cascades that issue from the sides of three hills in the form of a crescent are to course down the hillsides and to empty into a , grand basin. The water effects, radiating from these three great cascades, offer a mile of continuous water .circuit. ' 7T plANorTHEART BUILDING FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION. The main entrance to the exposition is to be on the side toward the city where the exposition site abuts the finished portion of the Forest Park. A monumental entrance of magmn--cent proportions and design, the work of Chief Architect Taylor, wil. be located lo-cated here. The two exhibit buildings immediately within this great porta will be crowned ,by towers 400 feet high, which will form a. part of the picture of the monumental entrance. The grandest residence street in St Louis, Lindell boulevard, will lead directly to the monumental portaL The main exposition picture covers over two-thirds of a square mile. The avenue in which lies the Grand Basm ta 600 feet wide. The other avenues are 300 feet wide. From the main entrance en-trance to the apex of the radiant picture pic-ture the distance is over three-fourths of a mile. The buildings are on the same heroic scale. . The art building is to be a fire-proof permanent structure, and for that Reason Rea-son cannot be as ornate as the show buildings of staff which 'rm the "Bt of the main picture. To el minate a discordant note which mig M ente r in intanosition of a subdued bu d- ins with more ornate exhibit Buildings Build-ings the summit o, the hill whence the cascade torrents gush will be "owned by a magnificent colonade or , peristyle which will close the mam picture and exclude from the grand view the more subdued main art galleries gal-leries The colonnade will be terminated termin-ated at either end by the pavilions of the building. |