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 Copyright: McCabe 1876, S. 319 |
Fairmount Park, covering an area of 1,100 hectares and situated to the north of the city, was the obvious choice for an exhibition site. No larger recreational area close to an urban centre could be found anywhere in the US. 175 hectares on two plateaux overlooking Schuylkill River and divided by a small ravine were remodelled for the exhibition and surrounded by a large fence. Hermann Josef Schwarzmann, 27 year-old landscape architect and Fairmount Park’s chief planner, who had already proven himself in the designing of the park and the zoo, a first in the US, took on the responsibility for the preparation of the site. Schwarzmann designed a diversified, hilly terrain, which, like an English park, was fitted with trees, artificial lakes and flowerbeds. The park was accessible by a nine kilometre long steam-driven narrow-gauge railway, which could be taken for a price of five cents. The park could be reached by steamboat, coach or train. The main entrance was right by the Pennsylvania Railroad station.
Unlike what had been the case at all previous world exhibitions, Schwarzmann proposed not to construct a central exhibition building for the Centennial Exhibition, but instead to distribute the exhibits across several pavilions and buildings according to theme and country. This concept has governed world exhibitions until today. The two most important and largest buildings were the Engine Hall and the long building for industrial products called Main Hall. These made up the site’s south-easterly main axis; between them lay the parade ground for the opening ceremony. In the north-east, several smaller pavilions with exhibits from the food-stuffs industry were grouped around the Agriculture Hall. Finally, in the north-west, most of the US states’ pavilions were placed like pearls on a chain.
| Year: 1876 | City: Philadelphia | Country: USA |
| Duration: 10th May - 10th November 1876 | ||
