THE ART PALACE.

     GRECIAN-IONIC in style, this building is a pure type of the most refined classic architecture. The building is oblong and is 500 by 320 feet, intersected north, east, south and west by a great nave and transept 100 feet wide and 70 feet high, at the intersection of which is a great dome 60 feet in diameter. The building is 125 feet to the top of the dome, which is surmounted by a colossal statue of the type of famous figures of winged victory. The transept has a clear space through the center of 60 feet, being lighted entirely from above.

     On either side are galleries 20 feet wide, and 24 feet above the floor. The collections of the sculpture are displayed on the main floor of the nave and transept, and on the walls of both the ground floor and of the galleries are ample areas for displaying the paintings and sculptured panels in relief. The corners made by the crossing of the nave and transept are filled with small picture galleries.

     Around the entire building are galleries 40 feet wide, forming a continuous promenade around the classic structure. Between the promenade and the naves are the smaller rooms devoted to private collections of paintings and the collections of the various art schools. On either side of the main building are several one-storied annexes, divided into large and small galleries. These annexes are 120 by 200 feet wide.

     The main building is entered by four great portals, richly ornamented with architectural sculpture, and approached by broad flights of steps. The walls of the loggia of the colonnades are highly decorated with mural paintings, illustrating the history and progress of the arts. The frieze of the exterior walls and the pediments of the principal entrances are ornamented with sculptures and portraits in bas-relief of the masters of ancient art.

     The general tone or color is light gray stone.

     The construction, although of a temporary character, is necessarily fire-proof. The main walls are of solid brick, covered with "staff," architecturally ornamented, while the roof, floors and galleries are of iron.

     All light is supplied through glass sky-lights in iron frames.

     The building is located beautifully in the northern portion of the Park, with the south front facing the Lagoon. It is separated from the Lagoon by beautiful terraces, ornamented with balustrades, with an immense flight of steps leading down from the main portal to the Lagoon, where there is a landing for boats. The north front faces the wide lawn and the group of State buildings. The immediate neighborhood of the building is ornamented with groups of statues, replica ornaments of classic art, such as the Choriagic monument, the "Cave of the Winds," and other beautiful examples of Grecian art. The ornamentation also includes statues of heroic and life-size proportions.

     This building cost between $500,000 and $600,000.

     The ART PALACE was planned in the World's Fair Construction Department under the eye of Supervising Architect D. H. BURNHAM, and the details worked out by Chief Designer P. B. ATWOOD; the annex is substantially, in its facade at least, the outline plan left by the late consulting architect GEORGE W. ROOT.