THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.

The Fine Arts Building isa noble specimen of
classic Grecian architecture. Its area is 500 by
320 feet, divided within by nave and transepts 100
feet wide and 70 feet high, at the intersection of
which isa dome 60 feet in diameter. The top of
the dome is 125 feet above the ground, and is sur-
mounted by a colossal statue representing a Winged
Victory. The building is beautifully located in the
northern part of the park, the south front facing
the lagoon, from which it is separated by beautiful
terraces, ornamented with balustrades. A huge
flight of steps leads from the main entrance down to
the water’s edge. The north front faces a wide lawn
and a group of State buildings. The grounds about
it are richly ornamented with groups of statues and
other artistic works.

The great development in late years of electrical
science calls for a large building in which to dis-
play one of the most novel and brilliant of all the
exhibits in the fair. The Electrical Building, 345
feet wide and 690 feet long, has its south front on
the great Quadrangle, its north front on the lagoon,
its east front toward the Manufacturers’ Building,
and its west front toward the Hall of Mines and
Mining. Its plan comprises a longitudinal nave
115 feet wide and 114 feet high, with a central tran-
sept of the same dimensions. These have a pitched

 

MRS, POTTER PALMER,
PRESIDENT OF WOMAN'S NATIONAL COMMISSION.

roof. The remainder of the building, filling the
external angles of the nave and transept, is 62 feet
high with a flat roof. The outer walls are composed

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of a continuous series of Corinthian pilasters resting
upon a stylobate, and supporting a massive entabla-
ture. At the centre of the north side is a pavilion
flanked by two towers 195 feet high. At its centre
is a huge semicircular window, above which, ro2 feet
from the ground, is an open gallery commanding a
splendid view of the lake and park. At the south
side is a vast niche 78 feet wide and 103 feet high,
its opening framed by a semicircular arch. In the
centre of this niche, upon a lofty pedestal, is a
colossal statue of Franklin. The east and west cen-
tral pavilions are composed of towers 168 feet high.
At each of the four corners of the building is a
pavilion with a tower 169 feet high. The building
also bears 54 lofty masts, from which banners are
displayed by day and electric lamps at night.

The Fisheries Building consists of a large central
structure with two smaller polygonal buildings con-
nected with it on either end by arcades. The total
length is 1,100 feet, and the width 200 feet. In the
central portion are the general fisheries exhibit ; in
one of the polygonal buildings the angling exhibit,
and in the other the aquaria. The external archi-
tecture is Spanish Romanesque. The ingenuity of
the architect has designed after fishes and other sea
forms all the capitals, medallions, brackets, cornices,
and other ornamental details. The aquaria contains
about 140,000 gallons of water, 40,000 of it being
salt. They consist of a series of ten tanks, with
glass fronts to afford an easy view of their contents.

The Woman’s Building, which was fittingly
designed by a woman, is architecturally one of the
most attractive. It is encompassed by luxuriant
shrubbery and beds of flowers with a background of
stately forest trees, and faces the great lagoon.
Between the building and the lagoon are two terraces
ornamented with balustrades and crossed by splendid
flights of steps. The principal fagade of the build-
ing is 388 feet long and the depth of the building is
199 feet. The architecture is Italian renaissance.
The main grouping consists of a centre pavilion,
flanked at each end by corner pavilions, connected
in the first story by open arcades in the curtains,
forming a shaded promenade, extending the whole
length of the building. The structure throughout is
two stories high, with a total elevation of 60 feet.
At the centre is a fine rotunda, 65 by 70 feet,
crowned with a richiy ornamented skylight. The
building contains a model hospital, a model kinder-