Russia-Mother in all ages was famous for chopped huts. And it doesn't matter whether they were princely houses, boyar estates or tiny peasant huts, they were considered a symbol of the country. As it turned out, in overseas countries such construction was held in high esteem. In the United States of America, for example, there were craftsmen who built a 7-story building from solid logs with still preserved bark with an area of about 2 thousand square meters. "squares", thereby breaking all existing records. So what prompted American architects to build such a large-scale building, and what about it now?
Strange as it may sound, it was not Russian architects who broke the record for building the largest log structure in the world, but American ones. And this happened not from an overabundance of wood or in order to amuse their ambitions, but on the contrary, the economic crisis forced the authorities of some cities to take cardinal steps to attract investments, innovative ideas and buyers who are ready to pay for products that they do not have.
History reference: at the turn of the 20th century, the city of Portland, Oregon, was a major economic center with a flourishing grain economy and the largest flour milling industry, which has no analogues in the whole country, the timber industry and the rapidly growing maritime port. His lumber complex has become the most sought after on the Pacific coast due to the vast Oregon forest, predominantly Douglas fir, western hemlock, red cedar and maple with large leaves. But the economic crisis has not spared this resource-rich region either.
In an attempt to stimulate the economy, some of Portland's wealthiest and most powerful business leaders have decided hold an international fair, which, subsequently, once again emphasized the unsurpassed greatness and power region. Thanks to their efforts, the Lewis and Clark Centenary Exhibition was organized in 1905, which lasted four months. During this time, the city was visited by more than 1.6 million people from 21 countries.
It was within the framework of the grandiose fair that a giant pavilion was built - The Forestry Building Portland. Dozens of buildings adorned with architectural delights (domes, arched doorways, red roofs, collections of marble statues, and much more) towered over the exhibition grounds. Most of all, France has gone to great lengths, allocating huge sums for its exhibits, and the pavilion, which is an exact copy of the living room of King Louis XIV.
But the most indelible impression was left by the "Forestry Building" - a gigantic structure with an area of almost 2 thousand square meters. "squares" and a height of a 7-storey building (22 meters). The main highlight of the construction was the huge logs with bark, which served as the basis for the construction of the pavilion. Most of the centuries-old trees were bought by American businessman and philanthropist Simon Benson and brought from the District of Columbia (Oregon). They were delivered so carefully that the bark was completely preserved on the trunks.
According to the authors of Novate.ru, columns of 54 massive unpeeled Douglas fir logs were used for the interior decoration of the forestry pavilion, with the diameter of each trunk was at least 1.8 m. This log structure supported a cross-shaped passage, illuminated by skylights, which gave the impression that a giant room without roofs.
It is worth mentioning that in the exhibition pavilion not only samples of forestry products were presented, but visitors could see an exciting taxidermy exposition in it (exhibition of stuffed animals) from local representatives of the fauna, as well as exhibits demonstrating the rich natural resources of Oregon, artifacts and colorful photographs from the life and life of indigenous Americans.
Notable: It was not in vain that the organizers of the exhibition tried so hard during the construction of the Forestry Building, they tried to break the record, and they really succeeded. After official measurements, the building was recognized as the largest building in the world, built from solid logs with bark. True, the Guinness Book of Records did not exist then, so this is not documented.
Unfortunately, the further fate of such a remarkable hut was not as rosy as expected. After the expo ended, the massive pavilion The Forestry Building was purchased by the city of Portland for use as an event and fair space, but failed. A huge array of wood, which did not have time to qualitatively prepare for construction (drying and impregnation technology was not sustained), was subjected not only to weather and climate influences.
Frequent fires that occurred in the district became the main threat to the building, it was especially damaged in 1914. and in 1940 Thanks to the coordinated actions of the fire services, tragic consequences were avoided, but the restoration of the authorities did not was going to invest money, while they did not give permission to dismantle the facility to save especially valuable rocks trees. For many years, the building was only destroyed and was in disrepair.
Finally, in the 1950s, the Chamber of Commerce raised enough money to start repairing the crumbling structure. In addition to the restoration of elements deformed from moisture and fires, the expositions were restored and expanded. Even an old logging train appeared on the territory of the exhibition pavilion, which has already become a rarity equipment used in the harvesting and processing of wood. Very quickly, the "Forestry Building" became a favorite place for excursions of local schoolchildren. Citizens also visited there, and guests from other cities came to see the historical values of the region with their own eyes.
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Such an idyll lasted until August 17, 1964, on that ill-fated night there was a short circuit of the old wiring, and The Forestry Building burned to the ground. "The flame was almost ten stories high, - an eyewitness shared his impressions. – The fire illuminated the sky for many kilometers, the surroundings were in an orange glow. The heat was so strong that the windows burst with a crack, and fragments flew out. Ashes the size of large snowflakes littered the ground within a radius of one and a half kilometers from the structure. It was surreal, exciting, and at the same time very sad sight.”.
After the fire, the public, along with representatives of the forest industry, organized the Western Institute of Forestry to fill the void. A new, more fire-resistant building was built in Washington Park, designed by Oregon architect John Storrs. In 1971 after construction was completed, it was still called the "Forestry Building", but in 1986 was renamed the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum to "to reflect the centre's renewed focus on global forestry".
You can learn the history of your native land not only in museums, but also in bookstores. Like in China, for example, where the surreal spiral staircase became the original link between history, achievements and literature.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/151121/61246/