the city of domes-第3章

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The　General　Arrangement



The　general　arrangement　of　the　Exposition　presented　no　great　difficulties。　The　lay　of　the　land　helped。　Interest；　of　course；　had　to　center　in　the　palaces　and　the　Festival　Hall；　with　their　opportunities　for　architectural　display。　They　naturally　took　the　middle　ground。　And；　of　course；　they　had　to　be　near　the　State　buildings　and　the　foreign　pavilions。　The　amusement　concessions；　it　was　felt；　ought　to　be　in　a　district　by　themselves；　at　one　end。　Equally　sequestered　should　be　the　livestock　exhibit　and　the　aviation　field　and　the　race　track；　which　were　properly　placed　at　the　opposite　end。　There　would　undoubtedly　be　many　visitors　concerned　chiefly；　if　not　wholly；　with　the　central　buildings。　If　they　chose；　they　could　visit　this　section　without　going　near　the　other　sections；　carrying　away　in　their　minds　memories　of　a　city　ideal　in　outline　and　in　coloring。



Construction



As　soon　as　the　plans　were　decided　on；　the　architects　divided　the　work　and　separated。　Those　who　had　come　from　a　distance　went　home　and　in　a　few　months　submitted　their　designs　in　detail。　A　few　months　later　they　returned　to　San　Francisco　and　the　meetings　of　the　architectural　board　were　resumed。　Soon　the　modifications　were　made　and　the　practical　construction　was　ready　to　begin。　Incidentally　there　were　compromises　and　heartburnings。　But　limitations　of　funds　had　to　be　considered。　Finally　came　the　question　of　the　tower；　giving　what　the　architects　called　〃the　big　accent。〃　There　were　those　who　favored　the　north　side　for　the　location。　Others　favored　the　south　side。　After　considerable　discussion　the　south　side　was　chosen。　At　one　of　the　meetings；　Thomas　Hastings　did　quick　work　with　his　pencil；　outlining　his　idea　of　what　the　tower　should　be。　Later；　he　submitted　an　elaborate　plan。　It　was　rejected。　A　second　plan　was　rejected；　too。　The　third　was　accepted。　It　cost　five　hundred　thousand　dollars。

Designs　for　two　magnificent　gateways；　to　be　erected　at　the　approaches　to　the　Court　of　the　Ages　and　the　Court　of　the　Four　Seasons　were　considered。　They　had　to　be　given　up　to　save　expense。



Clearing　The　Land



The　task　of　clearing　the　land　was　finished　in　a　few　months。　In　addition　to　the　government　reserve；　the　Exposition　had　seventy…six　city　blocks。　They　represented　two　hundred　parcels　of　land；　with　175　owners；　and　contained　four　hundred　dwellings；　barns　and　improvements。　Most　of　the　buildings　were　torn　down。　A　few　were　used　elsewhere。　Precautions　were　taken　to　re…enforce　with　piles　the　foundations　of　the　buildings　and　of　the　heavy　exhibits。

The　director　of　works　became　responsible　for　the　purchase　of　all　the　lumber　to　be　used　in　building。　It　was　bought　wholesale；　shipped　from　the　sawmills　and　delivered　to　the　sites。　So　there　was　a　big　saving　here；　through　the　buying　in　bulk　and　through　reduced　cost　in　handling　and　hauling。　The　first　contracts　given　out　were　for　the　construction　of　the　palaces。　An　estimate　was　made　of　the　exact　number　of　feet　available　for　exhibits　and　charts　were　prepared　to　keep　a　close　record　on　the　progress　of　the　work。　Incidentally；　other　means　of　watching　progress　consisted　of　the　amounts　paid　out　each　month。　During　the　earlier　months　the　expenditures　went　on　at　the　rate　of　a　million　a　month。　Every　three　weeks　a　contract　for　a　building　would　be　given　out。　The　same　contractors　figured　on　each　building。　From　the　start　it　was　understood　that　the　work　should　be　done　by　union　men。　The　chief　exceptions　were　the　Chinese　and　the　Japanese。　The　exhibitors　had　the　privilege　of　bringing　their　own　men。　In　all　about　five　thousand　men　were　employed；　working　either　eight　or　nine　hours　a　day。　During　the　progress　of　the　work　there　were　few　labor　troubles。

One　wise　feature　of　the　planning　lay　in　the　economy　of　space。　It　succeeded　in　reaching　a　compactness　that　made　for　convenience　without　leading　to　overcrowding。　Great　as　this　Exposition　was　to　be；　in　its　range　worthy　to　be　included　among　the　expositions　of　the　first　class；　it　should　not　weary　the　visitors　by　making　them　walk　long　distances　from　point　to　point。　In　spite　of　its　magnitude；　it　should　have　a　kind　of　intimacy。



Choice　of　Material



There　were　certain　dangers　that　the　builders　of　the　Exposition　had　to　face。　One　of　the　most　serious　was　that　buildings　erected　for　temporary　use　only　might　look　tawdry。　It　was；　of　course；　impracticable　to　use　stone。　The　cost　would　have　been　prohibitive；　and　plaster　might　have　made　the　gorgeous　palaces　hardly　more　than　cheap　mockeries。

Under　the　circumstances　it　was　felt　that　some　new　material　must　be　devised　to　meet　the　requirements。　Already　Paul　E。　Denneville　had　been　successful　in　working　with　material　made　in　imitation　of　Travertine　marble；　used　in　many　of　the　ancient　buildings　of　Rome；　very　beautiful　in　texture　and　peculiarly　suited　to　the　kind　of　building　that　needed　color。　He　it　was　who　had　used　the　material　in　the　Pennsylvania　Station；　New　York；　in　the　upper　part　of　the　walls。　After　a　good　deal　of　experimenting　Denneville　had　found　that　for　his　purpose　gypsum　rock　was　most　serviceable。　On　being　ground　and　colored　it　could　be　used　as　a　plaster　and　made　to　seem　in　texture　so　close　to　Travertine　marble　as　to　be　almost　indistinguishable。　The　results　perfectly　justified　his　faith。　As　the　palaces　rose　from　the　ground；　making　a　magnificent　walled　city；　they　looked　solid　and　they　looked　old　and　they　had　distinct　character。　Moreover；　through　having　the　color　in　the　texture；　they　would　not　show　broken　and　ragged　surfaces。



The　Color　Scheme



For　the　color…effects　it　was　felt　that　just　the　right　man　must　be　found　or　the　result　would　be　disastrous。　The　choice　fell　on　Jules　Guerin；　long　accepted　as　one　of　the　finest　colorists　among　the　painters　of　his　time。　He　followed　the　guidance　of　the　natural　conditions　surrounding　the　Exposition；　the　hues　of　the　sky　and　the　bay；　of　the　mountains；　varying　from　deep　green　to　tawny　yellow；　and　of　the　morning　and　evening　light。　And　he　worked；　too；　with　an　eye　on　those　effects　of　illumination　that　should　make　the　scene　fairyland　by　night；　utilizing　even　the　tones　of　the　fog。



The　Planting



There　was　no　difficulty　in　finding　a　man　best　suited　to　plan　the　garden　that　was　to　serve　as　the　Exposition's　setting。　For　many　years　John　McLaren　had　been　known　as　one　of　the　most　distinguished　horticulturists　in　this　part　of　the　world。　As　superintendent　of　Golden　Gate　Park　he　had　given　fine　service。　Moreover；　he　was　familiar　with　the　conditions　and　understood　the　resources　and　the　possibilities。　Of　course　a　California　exposition　had　to　maintain　California's　reputation　for　natural　beauty。　It　must　be　placed　in　on　ideal　garden；　representing　the　marvelous　endowment　of　the　State　in　trees　and　shrubs　and　plants　and　flowers　and　showing　what　the　climate　could　do　even　with　alien　growths。

The　first　step　that　McLaren　took　was　to　consult　the　architects。　They　explained　to　him　the　court　plan　that　they　had　agreed　on　and　they　gave　him　the　dimensions　of　their　buildings。　Against　walls　sixty　feet　high　he　planned　to　place　trees　that　should　reach　nearly　to　the　top。　For　his　purpose　he　found　four　kinds　of　trees　most　serviceable：　the　eucalyptus；　the　cypress；　the　acacia　and　the　spruce。　In　his　search　for　what　he　wanted　he　did　not　confine　himself　to　California。　A　good　many　trees　he　brought　down　from　Oregon。　Some　of　his　best　specimens　of　Italian　cypress　he　secured　in　Santa　Barbara；　in　Monterey　and　in　San　Jose。　He　also　drew　largely　on　Golden　Gate　Park　and　on　the　Presidio。　In　all　he　used　about　thirty　thousand　trees；　more　than　two…thirds　eucalyptus　and　acacia。



Preparing　the　Landscape



Two　years　before　the　Exposition　was　to　open　McLaren　built　six　greenhouses　in　the　Presidia　and　a　huge　lath　house。　There　he　assembled　his　shrubs；　his　plants；　and　his　bulbs。　In　all　he　must　have　used　nearly　a　million　bulbs。　From　Holland　he　imported　seventy　thousand　rhododendrons。　　From　Japan　he　brought　two　thousand　azaleas。　In　Brazil　he　secured　some　wonderful　specimens　of　the　cineraria。　He　even　sent　to　Africa　for　the　agrapanthus；　that　grew　close　to　the　Nile。　Among　native　flowers　he　collected　six　thousand　pansies；　ten　thousand　veronicas　and　five　thousand　junipers；　to　mention　only；　a　few　among　the　multitude　a　flowers　that　he　intended　to　u