THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 5

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

AN INTERESTING, PROPOSAL. By Tel«gra»liS-Pres3 iseociation-Oopyileht. ■ : ;(Reo;; September 9, 8.40; p.m.) v ( '.":•.";'■' London, I ,September 9. ■. Lorcl Plymouth, who was Commissioner' of';. Works in .the Balfour Administration, has ..made,an, interesting suggestion 1 for the preservation of the Crystal Palace as a memorial to King Edward. The Crystal. Palace Company is in liquidation; as the result of heavy financial losses, and there is some danger 'of : the 'building being sold to bo broken up; v : .:. - ', '..'; •'■;■..' Lord, Plymouth's idea is'that the Palace should ; be'- transformed into a huge Imperial .Club, the funds .to- be provided by the enrolment of 750,000 life members, who would each subscribe a ': . .'.■'..• He proposes that the Palace should be' made tt.centre, for Imperial sports, for technical' education, and for British and colonial art and industrial es- • hibitions./ i; Each oversea.i Dominion would be allotted a permanent pavilion. 'The profits of 'the enterprise would go to the King Edward Hospital Fund.

The Crystal Palace, a hugo structure of iron .and. glass, 1608 feet long, and 175 high, with north and south transepts, and many side oourts, was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, and erected in Hvdo Park for the great exhibition of 1851. After the exhibition oloscd it was purchased by a company and re-erected' at Sydenham, near London,.' whoro it has since been used, for popular, entertainments, exhibitions, etc. The 'cost of reerection and purchase of grounds was nearly ten times greater than was estimated, and, instead of ,£150,000 mentioned in the prospectus, nearly ,£1,500,000 was eventually spent. .The cost of maintenance and repairs has. also run at about .£IO,OOO, instead of .£SOOO estimated. The company has been.losing money for many years. The property was recently valued at ,£595,800.