Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)
In the entrance is a tiled lobby, with the information bureau. Beyond is
the "Garden Room," so styled because of its exquisite furnishings and
abundance of cut flowers. To the left is a reception room, done in
massive Danish decoration, with Danish woods and Danish furniture. A
handsome cabinet of mahogany and hammered silver is its most striking
piece. Other rooms also contain wonderful antique furniture. An assembly
room with a raised dais, and mural decorations suggestive of Danish
industry and commerce, is in the northeast corner. The building contains
a number of paintings by Danish masters that are of great interest and
value.
Funds for this pavilion were contributed by Danish residents of
California. The Danish Government supplied the furnishings. No
commercial displays are in the building.
France.--The Pavilion of France is a replica of the eighteenth-century
home of the Prince de Salm, at Paris, now and for more than a century
the Palace of the Legion of Honor. (p. 157.) The original building, in
the soberer mode of the French Renaissance, was of Caen stone, the
effect of which has been reproduced in the present construction. The
erection of this pavilion marks a record in work of such magnitude. On
the outbreak of the war, all thought of participating in the Exposition
was dropped; but later the American ambassador, Mr. Herrick, succeeded
in persuading the French Government to reconsider its decision. The
plans were cabled from Paris, at a cost of $10,000, and the structure
was completed in sixty days.
More notable than the building itself, or its priceless contents, is the
fact that these are here. That, in the midst of war and its demands,
France should still find time for the ideal, and for this beautiful
tribute to the long-standing friendship between the two countries, is a
demonstration of French spirit and of French culture that will not
escape the attention of any thoughtful American. For France herself, as
it has well been said, her appearance here means as much as a victory on
the battlefield.
The French Pavilion is a dignified and impressive structure, as those
who recall the Legion of Honor Palace in Paris will understand. The
entrance to the court is a triumphal arch flanked by double rows of
Ionic columns on either side, with figures of Fame as spandrels. The
arch is connected by lateral peristyles with the wings of the pavilion,
the attics of which are adorned with has reliefs. Ionic colonnades
extend along the sides of the court to the principal front of the
building, which is decorated with six Corinthian columns, forming a
portico for the main entrance. The portal opens on a stage, above which
a great central hall, flanked by lesser halls, extends back through the
palace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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