Machinery Hall and the Administration Building

The northern portal of the Palace of Mechanic Arts (aka Machinery Hall) rises behind the Columbian Fountain. The Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns were its architects. "While less than one third the size of the Manufactures building, this edifice, apart from its annex, has more than double the dimensions of the national capitol." -- The Book of the Fair, chap. 12. "The company of heroic figures that seemed to assemble at each portal gave force and interest to those needfully accentuated points, and the great Corinthian loggias were the largest and most ornate of all those which fronted on the Court of Honor." -- The Dream City

Administration Building

Above the Ionic colonnade of the second stage, the upper promenade on the Administration Building supported eight angelic groups that trumpeted the victory of peace. Between them are the gas-torches which made the flamboyant lights at night surrounding the base of the golden dome.

 


This structure nobly sustained the expectations of the public, and held a sovereign position among all the wonders of the Fair. It was designed by Richard M. Hunt, of New York, and, besides serving as headquarters for the chief officers of the Exposition, its spacious rotunda offered a favorite meeting place for friends, and was thronged early and late by admirers of the beautiful and impressive in architecture.

 

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