B08_Attachment_07_Historic_Structure_Report-1976.pdf

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PERRY'S VICTORY AND

INTERNATIONAL PEACE MEMORIAL

MEMORIAL COLUMN AND PLAZAS I

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NATIONAL MONUMENT I OHIO

United States.Department of the Interior I National Park Service

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Historic Structure Report

Memo.rial Column and Plazas

Administrative and Architectural

Data

Perry's Victory and International

Peace Memorial

Ohio

DAL TON-DAL TON-LITTLE-NEWPORT

June 4, 1976

HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION

DENVER SERVICE CENTER

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Illustrations Illustration Acknowledgements Authority

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE

MEMORIAL AND ITS CONSTRUCTION

ARCHITECTURAL DATA

Architectural Data Sununary and Consolidated Construction Cost Estimate'

Chapter 1. Column Foundation

Chapter 2. Column Shaft

Chapter 3. Column Capital (Observation Gallery) and Penthouse

Chapter 4. Bronze Lantern

Chapter 5. Upper Plaza and Granite Steps

Chapter 6. Lower Plaza

Chapter 7. Upper Plaza Walls and Planting Boxes

Chapter 8. Memorial Rotunda

Chapter 9. Elevator

Chapter 10. Heating and Dehumidification System

Chapter 11. Plumbing Systems

Chapter 12. Electrical Systems

BIBLIOGRAPHY (in Volume II)

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APPENDIXES (in Volume II)

A: PLANS, ELEVATION, AND SECTION OF THE COLUMN

AND PLAZAS

B: UPPER PLAZA AND LOWER PLAZA PLANS AND SECTIONS

C: LETTER OF JOSEPH H. FREEDLANDER, ARCHITECT,

APRIL 26, 1938.

D: ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

E: HERRON TESTING LABORATORIES, INC. REPORT AND

ADDENDUM

F: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY REPORT

G: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ELEVATOR INFORMATION

H: HIGH VOLTAGE MAINTENANCE CORPORATION REPORT

J: WESTERN RESERVE LIGHTNING ROD COMPANY REPORT

NOTE: AFTER THE FIRST DRAFT OF THIS REPORT WAS REVIEWED,

TWO OF THE APPENDIXES WERE COMBINED, THEREBY

ELIMINATING APPENDIX I.

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Number

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Title

Location Plan A Location Plan B Location Plan C Perry's Victory and International Peace

Memorial at Put-In-Bay Memorial Column and Plazas

Repaired Coffer Dam Ring-Shaped Foundation Progress of Construction 8/15/13 Progress,of Construction 9/15/13 Legs for Boom Seats Scars Remaining on Inner Surf ace Setting 6th, 7th, 8th Courses Construction Crew 9/15/13 Column Exterior 7/14 Facing Stones 7-8/14 Completed Structure Pile Driver Underside of Plaza Bird's Eye View 12&1/14-15 Scaffold for Lantern Lantern Completed Column 1915-20 The Memorial Column

Top of Column Foundation (SE) Bottom of Column Foundation (SE) Top of Column Foundation (NW) Top of Column Foundation (NE) Calculation Sheet for Pressure

Diagram of Column Shaft Detail of Major Crack (SW) Overview of Lower Part with Major Crack Typical Detail of Efflorescence Overview of West Side with Minor Cracks Exterior of Sliding West Door to Column View of North Swinging Doors to Column Typical Stair Run Uppermost Stair Run View of Tread and Riser (Good Condition) View of Tread and Riser (Deterioration) Underside of Stair Underside of Upper Elevator Landing

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Number

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Title

Typical View Down Column Shaft Typical Stair Run with Handrails Elevator Machine Platform Top of Elevator Steel Diagrammatic Column Shaft Cracks Detail. Major Crack in Column Shaft Detail Major Crack in Column Shaft Typical Efflorescence in Shaft Efflorescence in·Shaft Spalled Brick at Column Brace Detail of Typical Crack in Brick Column Shaft S. Quadrant Major Crack Overview of Column Shaft S. Quadrant Major Crack Brick Crack N. Quadrant Level 5 Brick Crack N. Quadrant Level 7 Entrance Stair from Platform Entrance Stair to Elevator Landing Exit Stair from Platform Exit Stair from Elevator Landing Existing Wall Condition at Exit Stair General View of Lower Elevator Landing Glazed Tile in Lower Elevator Landing General View Lower Elevator Landing Foot of Exit Stair from Column Shaft Top of the Entrance Stair 2" x 4" Beam of Temporary Platform

Underside of Temporary Platform Temporary Structure from Above Temporary Structure from Below

Observation Gallery & Penthouse Observation Gallery Parapet Walls· Observation Gallery Parapet Walls Observation Gallery Floor Observation Gallery Drain Detail Exterior NE Corner of Penthouse Interior of Penthouse Penthouse Cornice Sealant Failure NE Corner of Penthouse View of Penthouse Roof from Lantern Detail of Vault Lights Detail of Sealant Failure Penthouse Detail of Sealant Failure Penthouse Intersection of Penthouse Wall and Door Detail of Joint Sealant NE Corner of Upper Elevator Landing NW Corner of Upper Elevator Landing

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Number

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Title

North Wall of Upper Elevator Landing Bronze Doors from Observation Gallery South Wall of Upper Elevator Landing Ship Ladder in Upper Elevator Landing Bronze Lantern View Down from Lantern Glass Dome Detail at Top of Lantern Detail at Foot of Lantern Crack in Lantern Bronze Connection of Lantern to Penthouse Skylight from Inside Lantern Access Hole from Inside Lantern Detail of Skylight Gutters Detail of Steel Bracing in Lantern Detail of Skylight Glass & Steel Frame Detail of Skylight Top Access Hole

North Side of Upper Plaza South Side of Upper Plaza West Side of Upper Plaza East Side of Upper Plaza Detail of Upper Plaza Granite Paver Detail of Upper Plaza Sandstone Paver Upper Plaza Reinforcing Steel Underside of Upper Plaza Slab

·Typical Spalled Concrete Column Standing Water in Basement Space Stalactites at Upper Plaza Slab Stalactites at Upper Plaza Beams Calculation for Upper Plaza Slab Calculation for Upper Plaza Beams Calculation for Upper Plaza Beams Calculation for Upper Plaza Columns Detail of Beam Patch Detail of Granite Steps Joint General View of Stepped Beams Double Beam on E-W Center Line Efflorescence at Shaft Foundation Typical Beam Deterioration Outer Wall Beam Deterioration Typical Beam with Crack Typical Beam with Spall Condition Below Upper Plaza Pavers Deterioration of Upper Plaza Pavers Paver Joint Condition at Base of Column Upper Plaza Drain Sketch of Existing Upper Plaza Paving

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Number

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATION

Title

Sketch of Existing Upper Plaza Construction Sketch of Upper Plaza Waterproofing Sketch of Upper Plaza Expansion Joints Concrete Ramp at North Entrance Stain on Granite Paver East Side of Upper Plaza Detail at Granite Steps of Pavers Granite Steps at West End View Along Granite Steps Looking West View Along Granite Steps Looking East Underside of Granite Steps Sketch of Granite Steps

North Edge of Lower Plaza Lower Plaza Sandstone Paving East End of Granite Steps Lower Plaza of Inclined Pavers Granite Curb on Concrete Beam Sandstone Paver at Granite Curb Sketch of Original Construction of Lower Plaza Sketch of Existing Construction of Lower Plaza Sketch of Repaired Construction of Lower Plaza

Typical Mortar Joints in Retaining Walls Typical Mortar Joints in Retaining Walls SE Corner of Retaining Wall SW Corner of Retaining Wall West Retaining Wall Upper Plaza West Retaining Wall Upper Plaza NW Corner of Retaining Wall NE Corner of Retaining Wall South Retaining Wall SE Corner of Retaining Wall Exposed Concrete Wall on East Sid~ East Wall of Upper Plaza East Side of Upper Plaza Typical Corner of Planting Box Underside of Planting Box Slab Underside of Planting Box Sketch of Planting Box Repair

Sketch of .Section through Memorial Rotunda General View NE Corner of Rotunda General View SE Corner of Rotunda General View SW Corner of Rotunda General View NW Corner of Rotunda Stained Limestone in Rotunda Decorative Marble Inlaid Floor

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Number

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Bronze Plaque West Entrance Bronze Plaque South Entrance North Door Frame North Entry Door General View of Rotunda Chandelier Detail View of Rotunda Chandelier

Elevator Machine Platform Underside of Elevator Machine Platform Elevator Machine Platform Elevator Cab

Air Supply Duct in Column Shaft Air Return Duct in Column 'Shaft Air Supply Duct at Lower Elevator Landing Return Air Fan and Duct Temperature and Humidity Sensor Humidity and Temperature Controllers Dehumidification Pi.ping Kathabar Unit Air Supply Fan and Duct Arrangement Close-up of Air Supply Fan Boiler Condensate Receiver and Return Pump Kathene Solution Tank Kathene Tank and Regenerating Unit Piping Kathene Solution Leak Steam Pipe Next to Regenerating Unit Fuel Oil Storage Tanks Fuel Oil Storage Tanks and Fill Lin~s Basement Space Near.North Wall Induced Draft Fan f qr Boiler Flue Pipe and Hangers at Column Shaft Base Piping Entering Column Shaft Base

Plumbing Near Septic Tank Plumbing Serving Toilet Rooms Basement Area Behind Toilet Rooms Fill and Vent Terminals of Fuel Oil Tanks Floor Drain Serving Upper Plaza Interior Rainwater Conductor

Distribution System One Line Diagrams One Line Diagram Legend

I Lateral Pole Arrangement of SW of Memorial Ohio Edison Electric Meter

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Number Title

221 Incoming Service Wall Mounted Pothead 222 Incoming Service Oil c·ircuit Breaker 223 Main Oil Circuit Breaker 224 Main Oil Circuit Breaker 225 Main Oil Circuit Breaker 226 High Voltage Overhead Exposed Bus Bars 227 Typical Transformer Top 228 Main Transformer Bank 229 Main 120/208 V 3-Phase Panelboard 230 Floodlighting Panelboard and Contactors 231 Main 120/208 V Panelboard 232 Floodlighting Panelboard 233 100 AMP 3-Pole Lighting Contactors 234 Mechanical Room Panelboard 235 Lower Elevator Landing Panel 236 Lower Elevator Landing Panel 237 Elevator Disconnect Switch 238 Elevator Control Panelboard 239 Lantern Lighting Panel 240 Lantern Lighting Panel 241 Low Voltage Feeder Runs in Basement 242 Low Voltage Feeder Cables 243 Lighting Points at Top of Lantern Hatch 244 Groundirig of Lantern Base 245 Grounding "Down" Conductors 246 Typical Lighting Bus 247 Bronze Lantern 248 Typical Bank of Floodligpt Panel 249 NE Bank of Floodlights 250 NW Bank of Floodlights 251 South Bank of Floodlights 252 Floodlighting Compared Specifications 253 .Lighting Distribution H.I.D.

254 H.I.D. Luminaire Calculations 255 H.I.D. Luminaire Calculations 256 H.I.D. Luminaire Calculations 257 Typical Bronze Lamp Holder 258 · Lower Elevator Landing 259 Lower Elevator Landing 260 Existing Elevator Cab 261 Coast Guard Navigational Light

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ILLUSTRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateful acknowledgement to the following sources for permission to reproduce the pictures listed below:

6-21, 110, Archives of the National Park Service (Herbster Collec tion, c. 1913-1920)1 93, 103, National Park Service, 19751 4-5, purchased at the Visitor Information Center, 1975.

All other pictures, Dalton•Dalton•Little•Newport, 1975.

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AUTHORITY

This report is being prepared under the auspices of the Denver

Service Center of the National Park Service~ United States

Department of the Interior, in accordance with Work Directive

No. 4-0048-75-0.2.

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Statement of Significance

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STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

September 10, 1813, a United States fleet under the command of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sailed from Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie and decisively defeated a British squad ron under Captain Robert H. Barclay. The action. had far-reaching effects on the War of 1812 and the future of the United States:

it gave the Americans control of Lake Erie, enabling General William Henry Harrison's troops to sail from Put-in-Bay in October and defeat the British at the Battle of the, Thames, resulting in the capture of Detroit.·

These successes enabled the United States to hold the Old North west ·upon the conclusion of peace by the Treaty of Ghent in 1814.

Just three years later, the Rush-Bagot Agreement was signed, lim iting the number of warships to be retained on the Great Lakes.

It was the first step toward permanent disarmament of the 4,000-mile boundary between the United States and Canada.

The park and its great Doric column thus not only commemorate the great naval victory~ they also memorialize the principle of main taining peace among nations by arbitration and disarmament, a principle long symbolized by the unfortified boundary between two great North American neighbors.

The Memorial Columnl, culminating a commemorative effort begun ' nearly a century before, was built 1912-15 during centennial activities honoring the naval victory and the principle of peace.

The events leading to construction of the column and the actual construction are historically significant, and the column itself is an historic structure.

Rising 352 feet above Lake Erie, the granite memorial is the most massive Doric column ever built, a shaft second in size only to the Washington Monument. The observation gallery at the top affords a spectacular view of the battle scene, the international boundary line and Put-in-Bay, as well as the shorelines of Ohio, Michigan and Canada.

. lThe Memorial Plazas were completed in 1924-26 as an integral part of the design.

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Administrative Data

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I PROJECT IDENTIFICATION

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

I The project provides for the structural, architectural, and mechanical investigation of the Memorial Column and Plazas, Structure No. 2, within the grounds of the Perry's Victory and

I International Peace Memorial, Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The purpose of the report is to provide information valuable to the preservation at standard of this structure.

I The Memorial Column stands on a narrow isthmus separating the east and west portions of South Bass Island in Lake Erie, Put-in Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio. It is located near the center I of the 25.64 acres of Memorial grounds.l

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ORDER OF SIGNIFICANCE AND PROPOSED LEVEL OF TREATMENT

The Memorial Column is shown on the List of Classified Structures as a structure of the first order of significance and preserva-tion/limited restoration is proposed as the appropriate level of treatment. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is · included on the National Register of Historic Places.

I ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT WORK

Since its construction and later

I Service, weather damage and lack due to insufficient funding have tion of the structures.

acquisition by the National Park of proper maintenance and repair resulted in extensive deteriora-

I Treatment must be directed toward preservation of the column, plazas, the heating-dehumidification system, and the bronze plaques throughout the column; restoration of the incised letter-

1 ing in the rotunda; and partial restoration of the lantern, lan tern floodlights, ground floodlights, elevator, and other interior items such as handrails. ·

I PROPOSED USE, OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

use of the structure is and will continue to be two-fold: visual I and functional.

I I I _I lsee Location Plans "A," "B," and "C" (Illustrations 1, 2, and

3) and views of the Memorial Column in Illustrations 4 and 5.

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The Memorial Column provides an impressive effect. Since its con- . struction, it has remained a striking monument to Perry's victory and to continuing international peace along the undefended border between the United States and Canada. The 352-foot column provides visitors arriving by boat or plane with a spectacular approach.

It has been used continually as an aid for navigation.

The Memorial Column not only presents an· imposing scene from a distance, but it also serves a number of necessary functions in carrying out the interpretive mission for which it was constructed.

From the observation gallery near the top of the Column, visitors may view the site of the Battle of Lake Erie, the historic harbor of Put-in-Bay and other geographic points of interest in the.vicin ity of .South Bass Island. The elevator within the ColUmn provides safe movement of persons between the observation gallery and the base of the Column.

The many plaques, both cast and incised, the historical displays, a~d other audio and visual aids which have been adapted to the memorial rotunda and the lower elevator landing give the visitor further information. The enclosed nature of the rotunda, elevator landings, elevator, and observation gallery furnish areas where personal contacts on a one to one basis can be effected by the Memorial staff.

The plazas at the base of the Column are the scene of more formal interpretive programs during the summer months. The space under the upper plaza includes public restrooms and houses the tempera ture-humidity control equipment.

It is required for the operation and management of the structure that:

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The structure be preserved in, and where necessary be restored to, its structural and functional state as when acquired.

Information be obtained and funds allotted for the maintenance of the structure in a preserved condition at standard.

All treatment required be carried out in compliance with both legal requirements and National Park Service policies for the preservation 9f historic structures.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

There are no documents which pertain specifically and only to the Memorial Column. The Statement for Management of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial delineates, among others, the following objectives:

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Establish control which will insure that all develop ment in the area be visually and ecologically compatible with the unique setting and design of the Memorial Column.

Develop an active program of maintenance and preventive maintenance to insure that the Memorial Column and ter races, seawalls, grounds, and related resources are properly and economically maintained to meet established standards.

The Interpretive Prospectus for the area calls for the continuing use of the Memorial Column as the center of park visitor activities.

Revision of the 1965 Master Plan and the 1970 Interpretive Prospec tus are contemplated in Fiscal Year 1977.

SPECIAL USE PERMITS

United States Coast Guard

Issued in 1953 and renewed periodically, automatically renewable until 1995. Allows permitee to operate navigation lights on the penthouse~ maintain lights, conduit from penthouse to base of column and underground cable to Park boundary.

Villaqe of Put-in-Bay

Issued for period July 1, 1972 - July 1, 1977. Allows permitee to maintain 2" underground water line which runs from Park bound ary to the column, between the north seawall and Ohio Highway 357.

Ohio Edison Company

Issued for period June 30, 1970 - June 30, 1990. Allows permitee to maintain a 3-wire underground electric cable from the Park boundary to the column. The cable runs alongside the 2" water line, above.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

June 2, 1936

Public Law 631 authorized establishment of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.National Monument, to be administered by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior.

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July 6, 1936

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Monument by Proclamation.

February 2, 1960

An additional 6.6 acres at the northeast side of the Monument were donated to the United States by private citizens.

October 26, 1972

This Act redesignated the area Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, authorized the purchase of not more than four

'additional acres of land with appropriated funds, and authorized the appropriation of $370,000 for acquisition of this land.

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MICHIGAN

Toledo

OHIO

ILLUSTRATION 1. Location Plan A.

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Lake Erie-

Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial

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~Gllbraltar s Island

Ohio Stat. :\I Ill Univ Ext ·11-·BO: rt p1.1.t-i 0 ::s "d I-' Ill ::s Ill Peace Memorial

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PARK

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PUT-IN-BAY

EXIST. WALL

MEMORIAL COLUMN

& PLAZAS

EXIST. WALL

SHORE LINE(TYP.)

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ILLUSTRATION 3. Location Plan C. I

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ILLUSTRATION 5 . Memorial column and plazas .

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ILLUSTRATION 4 . Perry ' s Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-in Bay .

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Historical Background of the Memorial and Its Construction

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE MEMORIAL AND ITS CONSTRUCTION!

:south Bass Island is one of a group of islands lying at the western end of Lake Erie. It is divided by an isthmus into two parts. The isthmus has been selected by the Inter-State Board as the site of the Perry Memorial, and a tract of about fourteen acres ••• has been purchased to provide a reservation about the Memorial.

"Enclosed between South Bass and the adjoining Gibraltar Island is a sheet of water known as Put-in-Bay, where Commodore Perry's squadron lay before the battle and to which it returned with the captured British ships. From the high bluffs of Gibraltar Island a look-out was kept for the opposing fleet, and when sighted,

· battle was joined about eight miles to the northwestward. After the victory, troops under command of General William Henry Harrison were brought in Perry's ships to South Bass Island, where they were drilled and whence they took their departure for the Battle of the Thames and the capture of Detroit. The site of the monument is, therefore, a center of great historic interest.

"South Bass and adjacent islands are much frequented by summer visitors, and the village of Put-in-Bay adjoining the site of the Memorial is the centre of such traffic. 11 2

Early efforts to establish a monument to Perry's victory of September 10, 1813 were scattered and uncoordinated, with numer-,, ous designs and locations proposed and plaques, markers and -', · statues erected at various places around Lake Erie. Interest gradually focused on Middle Bass, South Bass and Gibraltar Islands. By 1852 the first organized movement started, propos ing Gibraltar Island as a site, it being in the vicinity of the American fleet's starting point and of the burial place of the U.S. and British officers killed in the battle. The location was also pushed by property owners on the island.

lThis s~atement is based on Alfred Mongin's exhaustive and profusely illustrated study, A Construction History of The Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, National Park Service, typescript, August Io, 1961. 392 pages, including 79 photos, maps and drawings.

· 2pro~ram of a Competition For The Selection of An Architect

To Desi n and Su ervise Construction Of The Perr Memorial At Pu - n- io, issue y T e Inter-S ate Boar o Perry s Victory Commissioners, October 11, 1911.

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The momentum died, to be succeeded by creation in 1858 of the Perry Monument Association, which included governors, military and naval officers and other prominent men from various states, local personages, and representatives from cities bordering Lake Erie. Interest again centered on Gibraltar Island. In 1864 Jay Cooke, .a nationally known financier, acquired Gibraltar Island and erected a monument. His brother Henry was part owner of the Sandusky Register which continued to promote Gibraltar.

After the Civil War, however, enthusiasm grew for a memorial at Put-in-Bay village, coinciding with South Bass Island's growing importance as a resort. The September 10 battle anniversary ri valed Labor Day as a popular holiday. The burial site in the vil lage park of the officers killed in the battle gave added weight.

The Register called for erection of a hollow column, in 1867 the Perry Monumental Association was formed, and fund raising started. Twelve Congressional bills were introduced to create a monument--without success--between 1890 and 1903.

With the approach of the 1913 centennial, a Perry's Victory Cen tennial Commission was established in 1908, largely through the efforts of Webster P. Huntington, a journalist and promotional genius from Columbus. Huntington would continue as executive officer of commissions creating and administering the Memorial for thirty years.

At Put-in-Bay September 10, 1910, the Interstate Board of Perry's Vi9tory Centennial Commissioners was formed, adding to the. Ohio group commissioners from the States of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and New York.3

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A monument design by Cleveland architect and civil engineer John Eisenmann was presented and unanimously adopted at this first meeting. It proposed the isthmus as the site, and included "prac tical" elements such as an aquarium, lighthouse beacons, naval and weather observatories, and a wireless station as well as items such as fountains.and viewing balconies. The design was later used (by Webster P. Huntington who "discovered" Eisenmann) in lobbying efforts before state legislatures to gain appropriations.

Two distinct objectives were formulated by the Interstate Board:

the centennial observance in 1913, and erection of a suitable memorial. Three U.S. Commissioners were added to the Board by Public Law 463, March 3, 1911, which also provided for a $250,000

3Minnesota subsequently joined the Board.

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Federal appropriation conditional on a requirement by President Taft that the Board consult with the newly formed National Com mission of Fine Arts on the memorial design. By now a physical memorial was the central idea of the Centennial celebration.

September 11, 1911, Frank Miles Day, a nationally known architect from Philadelphia was retained by the Board as Professional Adviser for selection by competition of a design and architect for the Perry Memorial. Day was a past president of the American Institute of Architects, former chairman of its Committee on Com petitions, and had served as a juror on competitions for several Federal buildings.

Day recommended the National Commission of Fine Arts as the jury of award. Assistant Secretary of the Commission was Arno B.

Cammerer, later to become Director of the National Park Service.

The Commission consisted of prominent architects, painters, sculptors and a landscape architect (see Extract of Program Of a Competition on pp.13-18). On September 25, Day met informally with members of the Commission in New York and obtained their agree- -ment to act as jury. Their action was historic: this was to be the first architectural competi~ion judged by the Commission.

The program for the competition prepared by Day was revised by him and the Building Committee October 11 and publication autho rized. At this meeting the Board also provided that designs already made public could still be submitted. On October 16 a news release, shown below, was authorized. Following the news release is an extract from the program.

"The Building Committee of the Perry Memorial announces a competi tion for the selection of an architect for the Memorial which will be erected at Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island, Lake Erie, near the place where Perry's victorious action was fought-. The Memorial will commemorate not only the victory but the subject of one hundred years of peace between the United States and Great Britain.

"It will consist of a lofty shaft with a museum of historic relics at its base standing in a reservation of fourteen acres. $600,000 will be expended upon the construction of the commemoration shaft and museum. The reservation will be designed as a suitable setting for the Memorial.

"The program, which conforms to the principles approved by the American Institut~ of Architects, has been so drawn under the direction of the.Committee and Mr. Frank Miles Day, adviser to the Committee, that the problem presented is a most attractive one. Competitors will have the fullest scope for their artistic

-12-imagination. The prize of the competition will be the appoint ment as architect to design and superintend the construction of the Memorial. There are also to be three premiums for the authors of the designs placed next to the winner.

"The Building Committee will be advised in making its awards by a jury of well known experts.

"Architects desiring a copy of the program which sets forth the conditions of participation should make application to Mr. Webster P. Huntington, Secretary to the Building Committee, Federal Build ing, Cleveland, Ohio."

,EXTRACT

P R 0 G R A M 0 F A C 0 M P E T I T I 0 N

FOR THE SELECTION OF AN ARCHITECT TO DESIGN

AND SUPERVISE THE CONSTRUCTION OF

THE PERRY MEMORIAL AT

PUT-IN-BAY, OHIO

The Memorial

The erection of the Perry Memorial constitutes an important part of the celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the War of 1812-15. It is intended to commemorate the victory of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and the officers and men under his command at the Battle of Lake Erie, and as a memorial to the hundred years of peace between Great Britain and the United States.

The Commissioners

Commissioners representing the United States and the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Kentucky and Minnesota, acting under authority of Congress and the Legislatures of the several States, have united themselves in an organization bearing title 'The Inter-State Board of Perry's Victory Centennial Commissioners,' hereinafter called 'The Inter-State Board.'

Appropriations which will be expended under the authority of the Inter-State Board have been made as follows: The United States, $250,0001 the State of Ohio, $83,0001 the State of · Pennsylva~ia, $75,0001 and the State of Minnesota, $50,000. It

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I is confidently expected that each of the other States which have appointed Commissioners will make an appropriation at the next session of their Legislatures. Other States may perhaps join in the movement.

, The Building Committee

The Inter-State Board has appointed a Building Committee consisting of

George H. Worthington, Cleveland, Ohio, Chairman1 Colonel Henry Watterson, Louisville, Ky.1 Lieutenant-General Nelson A. Miles, Washington, D. c.

The Building Committ~e has appointed Webster P. Huntington, Federal Building, Cleveland, Ohio, as its secretary, and it has appointed Frank Miles Day, Past President of the American Insti tute of Architects, to advise it in the preparation of this program and in the conduct of the competition. The Inter-State Board having delegated to the Building Committee full authority to establish for it and in its name a competition for the selec tion of an architect to design and supervise the construction of the Perry Memorial, and to recommend a design and architect to the Inter-State Board, the Building Committee, by virtue of that authority, establishes the competition herein described.

The Competition

The competition will be open to applicants of established reputation. Applications, .to receive consideration, must be addressed to the Building Committee of the Perry Memorial, care Webster P. Huntington, Secretary, Federal Building, Cleveland, Ohio, and they must be received not later than November 14th, i911. The Building Committee, having considered such applica tions, will reply to all, notifying those whom they deem quali fied to enter the competition. As the winner of the competition will be appointed the architect of the Memorial, the Building Committee will select those who are to take part in it with the greatest care, and will include among them only architects in whose ability and integrity they have absolute confidence and to any one of whom they are willing to entrust the work.

This program constitutes an agreement between the Inter-State Board on the one hand and each participant in the competition and the appointed architect, severally, on the other, to the terms of which agreement each architect submitting a design gives.

assent by such submission.

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Communications regarding the competition should be addressed to Frank Miles Day, 925 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. They must be in writing and they may be anonymous.

The Prize and the Premiums

The prize of the competition will be the commission to de sign and supervise the construction of the Memorial. This prize will be awarded in the manner and upon the terms hereinafter set forth. Three premiums of respectively $1250.00, $1000.00, and $750.00, will be awarded in the manner hereinafter set forth.

No competitor, other than those who may be awarded the prize and premiums, will receive any remuneration for taking part in the competition.

The Site

South Bass I's land· is one of a group of islands lying at the western end of Lake Erie. It is divided by an isthmus into two· parts. The isthmus has been selected by the Inter-State Board as the site of the Perry Memorial, and a tract of about fourteen acres has been purchased to provide a reservation about the Memorial.

Enclosed between South Bass and the adjoining Gibraltar Island is a sheet of water known as Put-in-Bay, where Commodore Perry's squadron lay before the battle and to which it returned with the captured British ships. From the high bluffs of Gibraltar Island a look-out was kept for the opposing fleet, and when sighted, battle was joined about eight miles to the-north westward. After the victory, troops under command of General William Henry Harrison were brought in Perry's ships to South Bass Island, where they were drilled and whence they took their departure for the Battle of the Thames and the capture of Detroit.

The site of the monument is, therefore, a center of great historic interest.

South Bass and adjacent islands are much frequented by sum mer visitors, and the village of Put-in-Bay adjoining the site of the Memorial is the centre of such traffic. ·

_A large part of the site is marsh, but at its northern end the land is perhaps six feet above the mean water level.

The variation of the water level is about four feet. The whole area of the reservation is underlaid by firm rock at no great

·depth. For the purposes of this competition, the following assumptions are made: First, that ·solid rock underlies the'site

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I in a plane five feet below the mean water level; second, that the roads shown on the survey line in a plane four feet above mean water level; third, that the site is treeless.

The Problem

·-As the Committee desires to receive a well studied general scheme and not a design perfected in detail, and as it wishes to leave to each competitor entire freedom to work out his ideas, it avoids giving detailed instructions as to the location or planning of the several buildings.

The Memorial will consist primarily of a shaft* of consider able height, bearing, as an aid to navigation, if the designer wishes to include it, a light of the first order. The shaft must have a stairway, an elevator and a convenient outlook for the public from a high level.

There is also to be a Museum of Historic Relics, which should be a hall of fine proporti.ons and of a floor area of not less than three thousand square feet and not more than five thousand square feet. Suitable provision should be made for lavatories and janitor's services, and for an office for the curator.

The Shaft and the Museum may be grouped, combined or sepa rated in whatever way may appear best to the competitor.

The remains of a number of officers and sailors, both of the British and American fleets, are interred on the island. They will be reinterred within the walls of the Memorial. The com petitor may suggest, either in his design or in the written des cription, such special.memorial to them as he may deem fit.

It is intended that the reservation shall afford a suit able setting for the Memorial, but this does not mean that the whole area must be treated in a formal manner. A curving road runs along the western or bay shore. Its line may be changed, and it may be widened, but no part of the reservation or of the road may be shown as extending further into the bay or the lake than the present shore line. The bay and lake must be so connected as to provide for the convenient passage of boats of the life saving service. The earth excavated from such connec tion and any extensions of it may, if desired, be utilized in raising the level of the site, but competitors who desire to

*The word shaft is not used in a technical sense and it is not t~ be taken as indicating a desired type of design.

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It is important that adequate circulation should be provided within the buildings and in the reservation generally.

The Inter-State Board has limited the.Building Committee to an expenditure of six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) upon the construction of the Memorial, not including the improve ment of the reservation.

For the purposes of this competition, it is assumed that the expenditure upon the improvement of the grounds will be confined to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), and competitors are advised to design such improvement with due regard to the economy thus indicated.

The Advisory Commission

The Commission of the Fine Arts appointed by the President of the United States in accordance with an Act of Congress, and consisting of Daniel H. Burnham, Chairman, Daniel c. French, Thomas Hastings, Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles Moore, Cass 'Gilbert, and ·Francis D. Millet, will advise the Building Commit tee as to the making of awards. The Commission will select one design as being the most satisfactory solution of the problem submitted.and will recommend to the Building Committee that its author be appointed as architect.. The Commission will name, in order of merit, three other designs as worthy of the three premiums.

Awards

On receiving the report of ~he Commission of the Fine Arts, .the Building Committee will carefully examine the designs sub mitted and will recommend to the Executive Committee of the Inter state Board an award of the prize and premi~s.

The Architect

The selection of an architect as herein provided constitutes an engagement to design and supervise the construction of the Perry Memorial under the conditions set forth in the statement of the American Institute of Architects, entitled "Professional Practice of Architects and Schedule of Proper Minimum Charges," a copy of which is hereto attached, save only that his payment for the services mentioned in the first paragraph thereof shall

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I I I I be as there stated, six per cent (6%), and not a higher charge as mentioned for monuments, etc., in the second paragraph.

Although it is expected that the prize drawings will afford a basis for the design of the completed work, yet it is to be understood that the Committee may, after making the award, deter mine upon the inclusion in the Memorial of features not named in this program, and may for this or other reasons require that the problem be restudied by the architect. , Approved and signed by the Building Committee, October 11th, 1911.

Witness:

WEBSTER P. HUNTINGTON,

Secretary

GEORGE H. WORTHINGTON, Chairman

HENRY WATTERSON

NELSON A. MILES

Approved on behalf of the Inter-State Board of the Perry's Victory Centennial Commissioners, October 11th, 1911.

Witness:

GEORGE H. WORTHINGTON,

President-General

WEBSTER P. HUNTINGTON,

Secretary-General

This program has received· the approval of the American Institute of Architects, through its Standing Committee on Competitions, R. Clipston Sturgis, Acting Chairman.

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Eighty-two archi te.cts from 19 cities, including 42 from New York, were admitted to the competition; 54 designs were received. All 52 federal and state commissioners of the Inter-State Board were invited to view the designs, which were hung in the new National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. The designs were judged by the Commission of Fine Arts, January 25 and 26, 1912, and it selected the design by Joseph Henry Freedlander and Alexander Duncan Seymour, Associated Architects, New York City. The Com mission~s choice was unanimously endorsed by the Building and Executive Committees.

Freedlander and Seymour, graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, respectively, also attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts in· Paris: Freedlander was one of the first three Americans to receive its Diplome i~ architecture.

~oth native New Yorkers, they continued to practice there inde pendently following the end of their association in 1917. Freed lander had already established his reputation, both in executed buildings and in competitions. His role as architect for the Perry Memorial would continue until the dedication of July 31, 1931.

The winning design consisted of a long elevated plaza running northeast-southwest, with the column in the middle, and monumental steps down to the shore of Put-in-Bay. At the southwest end of the plaza was to be placed a symbolic sculpture group and colon ~ade; at the northwest end, a museum.· 'However, in the constructed Memorial these elements were omitted and a much smaller plaza provided.·

The parcels comprising the 14-acre isthmus site were assembled and purchased by the State of Ohio between July 1911 and May 1912, and ceded by the State to the United States in May, 1913.

The architects completed rough working drawings for estimating by March 11, and visited the site May 12, 1912. By this point Frank Miles Day, Freedlander and the Commission of Fine Arts were agreed: the column was the central motif. Freedlander's design facilitated this "separability" of segments.

The Pennsylvania appropriation of $60,000 approved at this time was conditional on transfer of the Memorial and site to the Unit~d States, thus assuring eventual Federal co~trol.

Specifications .were ready by May 20, 1912 and included the following: ·

Foundations - to bedrock.

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. . '4 . Exterior Stone - light granite, pink cast to counteract bluish effect from sky reflection~ tooled vertically to yield brilliant texture.

Walls - concrete backing behind granite, finished with Tight colored face brick.

Rotunda - limestone walls and domed ceiling, granite steps, marble floor.

Stairs, Rotunda to Lower Elevator Lobby - granite, with white tile walls, ceiling and wainscot of upper landing.

Interior of Column Shaft - light colored face brick.

Walls of Lower and Upper Elevator Landings - cement finish.

Floors of Lower and Upper Elevator Landings - red quarry tile.

Stairs in Column Shaft - reinforced concrete, steel pipe rails.

Entrance Doors, Handrails, Elevator Enclosures, Light Fixtures, Window Grilles (Penthouse) - bronze.

Elevator - Otis Elevator Company.

The architects obtained and presented to the Building Committee on June 4, 1912, four "estimates", or bids for construction of the column only ranging from $329,851 to $427,000. The bids did not include the electrical installation or the bronze lantern, which were handled later under separate contracts. On the same day the Building and Executive Committees voted to award a contract to the low bidder, J. c. Robinson and Son of New York City. The Executive Committee also approved the tombola, or isthmus site, and stipulated that .title to the Memorial be eventually conveyed to the United States.

Freedlander and Seymour engaged the service of the following consultants:

Sprague and Henwood, Scranton, Pennsylvania -Soil borings Judson and Wagar, Sandusky, Ohio - Site survey Boller, Hodge and Baird, New York City - Structural Engineers Pattison Brothers, New York City - Electrical Engineers

4The Milford Pink granite actually selected is still quarried at Milford, Massachusetts.

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Site investigations_ revealed that·the dolomite bedrock ran irregu larly from 10 to 20 feet below lake level, not the even five feet below lake level stated in the competition program. Also, the isthmus between bay and lake was found to be 100 feet narrower than originally given. These discrepancies caused a delay in the preparation of the architects' drawings, including a substantial narrowing of the plaza. A large additional payment would also be due the contractor for extended concrete foundations.

The revised plans included all electrical units in the column, since the museum which had been designed to contain them would not be built urider this contract. As stated by· the Executive Committee on September 9, 1912: "This column has been officially declared by the Inter-State Board as the Perry Memorial, and the plaza and adjunct buildings are accessories thereto."

The contract was awarded to J. c. Robinson and Son and announced at the town park in Pu~-in-Bay the next day, September 10, the battle anniversary. - Freedlander and Seymour, however, prepared plans and specifications and obtained estimates for the complete ambitious original scheme - as modifed by borings and survey data -hoping it.could one day be carried out. Dimensions were:-

Total length of the memorial plaza 758'-0" Total width of the memorial plaza 458'-8" Plaza 12'-0" above mean high water

Museum:5

Length 85'-0" Width 65'-8" Height above Terrace 43'-10"

Colonnade:6

Length 95'-6" Width 44'-8" Height above Terrace 35'-11"

Column:

Height 317'-3" Base 45'-0" diameter

5To be on Terraces 3'-0" above main plaza.

6To be on Terraces 3'-0" above main plaza.

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Neck 35'-6" diameter Thickness of wall at base 9'-3" Thickness of wall at neck 4'-0" Width of abacus 47'-0" square

Bronze Tripod on top of Column:

Height 22'-10" Diameter at widest portion 17'-4" Weight approximately 8 tons

The site was cleared June 24 - September 18 under'a separate contract between the Inter-State Board and John H. Feick of Sandusky, Ohio. Robinson promptly started moving in equipment, building a dock, railroad, electric power plant and storehouse, installing a winch, setting up a derrick, and filling the marsh.

Young Roy Robinson, the partner in charge, remarked sardonically that "conditions on this island are much the same as those which confronted Robinson Crusoe."

This work and excavation and installation of the sheet piling, or cof,ferdam, for the column foundation were completed December 24, 1912. After inspection, the structural engineer Henry W.

, Hodge recommended that the rock bed be roughly stepped off to avoid a steep incline. Robinson was then anxious to start placing concrete immediately, but was refused permission by the architects due to approaching severe weather.

Spring 1913 found the contractor removing accumulated water and mud and repairing the cofferdam. By late June the concrete cyl inder foundation, about 9-1/2 feet thick, had been poured approxi mately 22 feet above bedrock to the future upper plaza level, and the first course of granite started.

Work was slowed by the July 4 cornerstone-laying ceremonies and the battle centennial ceremonies of September 10 and 11. Through out the summer the work was also somewhat impeded by the half million visitors attracted by promotional and commemorative events and fund-raising activities. However, the latter certainly bene fited from the attraction furnished by the partially built column itself, which comprised the sixth granite course and a partially completed rotunda by ea~ly September.

Of special historic preservation interest was the appearance of the brig Niagara to which Perry transferred during the battle. Raised from the lake bottom where she had been scuttled a century before, the ship was reconstructed and during the summer sailed to Lake Erie cities with an escorting fleet.

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;·To accommodate the tourist activity, South Bass Island promoters "./ proposed an electric railway across the reservation. Architect

Freedlander vigorously objected to this inappropriate scheme, and it was dropped. ·

'In his opening address at the centennial ceremonies on September 10, 1913, President-General Worthington said significantly:

"We are dedicating today the uncompleted Perry Memorial, but we contemplate its ultimate building in accordance with the original design, including the proposed historical museum and the beautiful colonnade intended to represent the spirit of human progress toward international peace."

The Master of Ceremonies was Governor Cox of Ohio; the featured speaker was former President William Howard Taft, who had-been named an honorary vice-president of the Ohio Commissioners in 1909, during his Presidency of the United .states. The principal Canadian. representative was J. A. MacDonald, editor of the Toronto Globe. All speakers stressed peace among the United States, Britain and Canada as, the keynote and meaning of the Memorial.

This spirit was in marked contrast to the chauvinistic and belli cose fervor of the early efforts to create a memorial in the 1850~ and 1860s.

The next day a casket containing the remains of the three American and three British officers killed in the battle was conveyed to the column and placed in a crypt deep below the rotunda floor.

Their final resting place was later noted by a bronze marker .• Services wer~ conducted by the Bishop of Rhode Island and the Venerable Arch-Deacon and Rector of St. Paul's Church, Toronto.

This reinternment ceremony actually constituted the first act of dedication of the Memorial column to its avowed purpose.

Following are the names of key personnel involved with the column project:

Otto G. Herbster - The leading photographer of Put-in-Bay, Herbster's photos7 for J. c. Robinson and Son were official records of construction progress, on which certifications for payment to the contracter were made by the architects' representative.

7An extensive collection of Herbster's construction photos exists in the records of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial and some…