Festival Hall
festivalhall.jpg
Approximate size: 9.75" x 3.75" x .75"
Price: $20.00

History of Festival Hall:

The Festival Hall and Central Cascades and the Colonnade of States were the beautiful crowning jewels of the Fair. The exterior was a masterpiece of architecture designed by Cass Gilbert of New York. The chief designer of the Exposition, E. L Masqueray, also of New York, created the water cascades, sculptures, massive colonnades, and the interior architecture. The ornate, gilded dome was a perfect hemisphere that was 200 feet in diameter and 200 feet high. Huge sculptures, columns, arches, and a massive water feature surrounded the building.

The Hall contained an auditorium featuring a large stage, the largest pipe organ in the world, and seating for 3,500. Musical programs featuring hundreds of voices were performed from time to time during the fair. Daily concerts were played on the pipe organ.

On each side of Festival Hall was the crescent-shaped arcades known as the Colonnade of States. The massive columns were fifty feet high with each arch honoring a state or territory obtained by the Louisiana Purchase. The arcade featured 14 large, allegorical female statues that held tokens representing the 14 states that came from the Louisiana Purchase.

In front of Festival Hall, forty-five gallons of water a minute flowed into the Grand Basin creating the Central Cascades. The cascade started out 45 feet wide and widened to 150 feet at its base and was flanked by two smaller cascades descending from the East and West Pavilions. Featuring beautiful fountains, waterfalls, and sculptures, this water cascade required a massive pumping system.

Words cannot adequately describe the beauty and majesty of this central building and setting of the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis.