Festival Hall, designed for the many conventions and musical festivals of the Exposition period, is of typically French architecture of the modern school. The building is not unpleasing, but there is little about it to hold the interest. Robert Farquhar was the architect.
Sculpture. All the sculpture on Festival Hall is the work of Sherry E. Fry. The figures are well suited to their purpose, from the slender "Torch-Bearer," surmounting the minor domes, to the heavy reclining figures on the pylons at the main entrance. Most of the statues are too roughly finished to have more than a decorative interest, but the two groups flanking the main stairway are worthy of study. These two "Flower Girls," one on either side, have a beautiful flowing grace. But quite the most appealing things here are the two minor figures before the pedestals on which the Flower Girls stand. Before the one at the north is a captivating boy Pan with a lizard. Half hidden in the shrubbery at the other side is the sitting figure of a girl, attractively immature and charming in line.
Palace of Horticulture
The Palace of Horticulture is characterized by that combination of Eastern and Western architectural motives which is so noticeable throughout the buildings. The dome is Byzantine, while the rest of the building is of Renaissance, or modern, French architecture. The dome considered alone is an almost perfect bit of design, beautifully proportioned and finely simple. The rest of the building is in general over-decorated, the portals especially being heavily loaded down with meaningless ornament. Apologists for the building say that the profuse ornateness rightly suggests the richness of California's horticulture. Perhaps the best view of the dome is from the east end of the Avenue of the Nations, near the Denmark building, because from there one can see it unobstructed, escaping the disturbing effect of the portals and their spires. The Palace of Horticulture was designed by Bakewell and Brown of San Francisco.
Sculpture. All of the sculpture here is purely decorative. The frieze at the base of each spire, consisting of heavy female figures modeled in pairs, is by E. L. Boutier. The ornamental Caryatides of the porches are by John Bateman.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Palace has been more admired, probably, than any other architectural unit at the Exposition. The reasons are not far to seek. The architect has used those classic forms which for ages have been recognized as best suited to monumental structures, and yet he has used them with originality. The building is classically noble, but without classic austerity or coldness. It is at once beautiful in form, rich in decorative detail, and satisfyingly warm in color. Moreover, it has the finest setting of all the Exposition buildings. The bigness of conception, the boldness with which the largest architectural elements have been handled, the perfect arrangement of architecture, planting, and reflecting waters-all these combine to create the most compelling picture on the grounds.
The arrangement of the building is deceptive. As one looks at it across the lagoon, it seems like a single unit, so well does the planting tie it together, though there are really four unconnected structures: the rotunda, two detached peristyles at the sides, and the art gallery proper at the back.
Architecture
The style of architecture is Classic, freely treated. The rotunda is Roman. The peristyle is more Greek in feeling, in the simplicity of general form, with splendidly modeled capitals, full strong columns, and dignified cornice. The curved facade of the main building, facing the rotunda and peristyle, is very original in its arrangement of classic architectural motives and masses of foliage, with a Pompeian pergola on top.