The Pavilion of Greece started life as the unfinished building of the German Kali (Potash) Syndicate, abandoned when the war began. The Exposition bought it, completed it to suit the Greek commissioner-general, and sold it to the Greek government. It had a Doric portico, and a broad stairway descended to a sunken garden.
Its main hall, 60 by 82 feet, held about 180 casts arranged in historical order, from the Lion Gate of Mycenae, mounted outside, through the Parthenon sculptures to the Roman conquest. There were also more than 550 large photographs and exhibits of currants, Hymettus honey, wines, lace, and rugs woven by Macedonian refugees. The casts arrived on the 'Jason'. On July 14 thousands gathered around the sunken garden for a Panathenaic dance.
At a glance
- About 7,600 sq ft of floor; main hall 60 by 82 feet.
- Dedicated June 9, 1915; formal public opening July 14.
- Originally the German Potash Syndicate's building.
Afterward
The casts were given to San Francisco on King Constantine Day, December 2, 1915, and were housed in the Palace of Fine Arts; the photographs went to the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh. The building's fate is not recorded.
Where it stood
Pavilion of Greece stood at about 37.79885 N, 122.45281 W on today's map. The whole fairground over the city →
Sources
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. I (1921), p. 228 (Potash Syndicate building)
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. III (1921), ch. XXXV, pp. 206-208
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. III (1921), ch. XLIV, pp. 243-247
- Official Guide of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915), p. 47