Chicago from 1871-1893 Is the Focus of This Lecture
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Chicago from 1871-1893 is the focus of this lecture. [19 Nov 2013 - abridged in part from the course Perspectives on the Evolution of Structures which introduces the principles of Structural Art and the lecture Root, Khan, and the Rise of the Skyscraper (Chicago). A lecture based in part on David Billington’s Princeton course and by scholarship from B. Schafer on Chicago. Carl Condit’s work on Chicago history and Daniel Hoffman’s books on Root provide the most important sources for this work. Also Leslie’s recent work on Chicago has become an important source. Significant new notes and themes have been added to this version after new reading in 2013] [24 Feb 2014, added Sullivan in for the Perspectives course version of this lecture, added more signposts etc. w.r.t to what the students need and some active exercises.] image: http://www.richard- seaman.com/USA/Cities/Chicago/Landmarks/index.ht ml Chicago today demonstrates the allure and power of the skyscraper, and here on these very same blocks is where the skyscraper was born. image: 7-33 chicago fire ruins_150dpi.jpg, replaced with same picture from wikimedia commons 2013 Here we see the result of the great Chicago fire of 1871, shown from corner of Dearborn and Monroe Streets. This is the most obvious social condition to give birth to the skyscraper, but other forces were at work too. Social conditions in Chicago were unique in 1871. Of course the fire destroyed the CBD. The CBD is unique being hemmed in by the Lakes and the railroads. The city was growing quickly and railroads in particular utilized Chicago as both an E-W and N-S nexus industry had become so important that rebuilding was financially possible and highly desirable. Lots of non-Chicago money saw development possibilities in Chicago, particularly the wealthy in the East. Add to this the creation of safe elevators, a huge demand for tightly quartered commercial space - including a strong desire for more white collar office workers and the constraints are set for a new style of commercial office building - a style that would only be fully realized once masonry traditions were fully shed in favor of lighter, stronger, metal towers. [Note it would take 10 years of stops an starts after the fire before things would really catch hold in taller building construction, at first the rebuilding proceeded in any which way you can fashion and the economy allowed little finance. But by 1880 larger buildings started to be completed ] images: William Le Baron Jenney (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jenney.jpg) Daniel Burnham (image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel-burnham.jpg 1893) John Wellborn Root (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnWRoot.png <1891)Adler Dankmar Adler (iamge from http://www.germanculture.com.ua/july/july3.htm needs to be replaced with pub domain image) Louis Sullivan (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_Sullivan_circa_1895.jpg 1895) Architecture hails the first Chicago School - which is (as quoted) credited with the “invention and mastery of steel framing and with the … modern office building” (Condit 1952 p 8). From an architectural standpoint prior to the Chicago school 19th century architecture had failed to create any new styles and was left repeating the past (Condit 1952 p2). In 1897 Steffens would remark that if high buildings were to respond to the insatiable demands of the real estate market, the architect was obliged to call in the services of another expert “some one who understands the laws of metals. The engineer was the man. The architect seeing him spinning his suspension bridges, recognized that his was the knowledge wanted.” (Hoffman 1973). Indeed the role of the engineer is more complex than just calling on the engineer - Of the great men of the Chicago School Jenney, Root, and Adler were all trained as engineers! We will focus on Root today, for reasons I will explain - but briefly let us say hello to these men Major Jenney - Trained as an engineer. Burnham, Root, and Sullivan all worked in his office. Credited with the first skeletal const., post 1893 = neoclassic Burnham - Business leader of one of the most successful firms of the day, lead 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, involved in numerous firsts Root - Trained as an engineer, designer of several buildings of note - his full story to be told today Adler - Partner who brought in Sullivan. Competitor to Burnham and Root. Kept Sullivan productive. Engineer for their buildings? at some level yes Sullivan - Forceful, cranky architect who held on to the Chicago School aesthetic long after others embraced neo-classical, Tragic.. Frank Lloyd Wright would be trained under him for a spell.. So we have in this crew the beginnings of architecture and building structural engineers - at this point in a melange, but attacking the same problem. [This leaves out Holabird and Roche, another prominent firm, but not quite over the mark for what we are trying to do here Root's son Root Jr. would work with the Holabird firm years later doing art deco primarily] images: William Le Baron Jenney (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jenney.jpg) Daniel Burnham (image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel-burnham.jpg 1893) John Wellborn Root (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnWRoot.png <1891)Adler Dankmar Adler (iamge from http://www.germanculture.com.ua/july/july3.htm needs to be replaced with pub domain image) Louis Sullivan (image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_Sullivan_circa_1895.jpg 1895) Architecture hails the first Chicago School - which is (as quoted) credited with the “invention and mastery of steel framing and with the … modern office building” (Condit 1952 p 8). From an architectural standpoint prior to the Chicago school 19th century architecture had failed to create any new styles and was left repeating the past (Condit 1952 p2). In 1897 Steffens would remark that if high buildings were to respond to the insatiable demands of the real estate market, the architect was obliged to call in the services of another expert “some one who understands the laws of metals. The engineer was the man. The architect seeing him spinning his suspension bridges, recognized that his was the knowledge wanted.” (Hoffman 1973). Indeed the role of the engineer is more complex than just calling on the engineer - Of the great men of the Chicago School Jenney, Root, and Adler were all trained as engineers! We will focus on Root today, for reasons I will explain - but briefly let us say hello to these men Major Jenney - Trained as an engineer. Burnham, Root, and Sullivan all worked in his office. Credited with the first skeletal const., post 1893 = neoclassic Burnham - Business leader of one of the most successful firms of the day, lead 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, involved in numerous firsts Root - Trained as an engineer, designer of several buildings of note - his full story to be told today Adler - Partner who brought in Sullivan. Competitor to Burnham and Root. Kept Sullivan productive. Engineer for their buildings? at some level yes Sullivan - Forceful, cranky architect who held on to the Chicago School aesthetic long after others embraced neo-classical, Tragic.. Frank Lloyd Wright would be trained under him for a spell.. So we have in this crew the beginnings of architecture and building structural engineers - at this point in a melange, but attacking the same problem. [This leaves out Holabird and Roche, another prominent firm, but not quite over the mark for what we are trying to do here Root's son Root Jr. would work with the Holabird firm years later doing art deco primarily] image: Hoffman 1973 on Root book, inset cover We choose Root (January 10, 1850 – January 15, 1891) to tell our story for a number of reasons -trained as an engineer, practiced as an architect - an early powerful synthesis -wrote forcefully about what he was trying to achieve in structure and/vs. architecture -created lasting buildings in a distinctive style -developed unique engineering solutions to challenges of the day (foundations, steel framing) -had the decency to die before neoclassical swallowed up all the remaining energy in architecture [some bon mots from Condit's 1952 Birth of a Skyscraper p71, Root insists on a fully functional approach to structural art "simplicity, directness, moderation" p75, [here in these Chicago buildings and in this time] "arbitrary dicta of sel-constituted architectural prophets should have no voice" (Root quote) p102, Condit says "Root's creative powers in structural engineering matched those of the artist-designer" image: from Hoffmann on root\grand central sta 1869- 1871 - destroyed1.jpg We now trace Root’s influences to understand how he came to be an innovator. Root’s first job was as an architect’s superintendent for the construction of the great iron train shed for grand central sta. in NY, he was 21. The shed was modeled after Paddington Station and featured a forceful display of iron structure in the United States (since demolished). Root was born in Georgia, but due to the Civil War his family shipped him off to an acquaintance in Liverpool where he would have experienced, full on, the power of the railroad in working class Liverpool and the explosion of light utilitarian structures. His education was decidely British to this point, but he returned to the US for college. Root went to NYU and received a degree in civil engineering – no architecture programs even existed in the US! c:\ben\teaching\2003b fall perspectives\lecture\hoffmann on root\grand central sta 1869-1871 - destroyed2.jpg While working on the great train shed he communicated with an older architect in NY P.