Palace of Horticulture
The Dome and East Entrance

The huge dome, constructed almost entirely of glass, upon a framework of
steel, is the prominent feature of the Palace of Horticulture. It is
French Renaissance, influenced by Byzantine, and its proportions (it is
one hundred and fifty-two feet in diameter and one hundred and
eighty-two feet high) are almost perfect. The spires and porticos, the
colonnades and entrances are replete with rococo decorations. There are
garlands of girls used in the friezes at the base of the minarets,
caryatides repeated in the vestibules, and everywhere a wealth of
ornamentation suggestive of a bountiful harvest. The brilliancy of
design is heightened by the color scheme of green and ivory used upon
the lattice work and travertine material. Messrs. Bakewell and Brown of
San Francisco are the architects.



Palace of Horticulture
Dome and Spires by Night

At night, when the powerful searchlights within the dome are played upon
the translucent glass, the effect is magical, the reflections weirdly
changing in color and shape. The rich details of the decorations are
softened in the night light. The slender shafts of the obelisks
accentuate the vast proportions of the dome. Even the rare color
combinations, which add so much to the appearance of the Palace of
Horticulture by day, are scarcely dimmed beneath the artificial