Acknowledgments

Yuri Nakazawa compiled the research for this exhibition. We thank the following people for their invaluable assistance: Alfred Alschuler, Jr., Jane Clarke, Marion Despres, Joan Draper, Peter Ha back, Herbert Hacker, Trudy Hansen, Ruth Kamen, Robert Kincaid, Richard Marcus, John Moore, Rex Moser, Hazel Robinson and Janet Ruggles.

Program

Exhibition January 22 through May 31, 1981 in the corridor gallery near the cafeteria, The Art Institute of

Free Lectures February 5 and 12, 1981 in Columbus Drive Auditorium of the Art Institute, 6:00 P.M. Robert Bruegmann and C. William Westfall will discuss, respectively, "The Temple, The Tower, and the Metropolis of the Twenties," and "Shaping a City: Alfred S.Alschuler and Chicago Architecture, 1900-1930."

A project of the Burnham Library of Architecture The Art Institute of Chicago

Funded by the Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Museum Education Department

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-70798

©The Art Institute of Chicago, 1981

Designed by Michael Glass, Chicago, Illinois This is the first in what we hope will become a series of mini- exhibits on aspects of local architecture that have been over- shadowed by past studies of the more famous Chicago School buildings and their architects, Daniel Burnham, , and Frank Lloyd Wright. One such architect who deserves rec- ognition is Alfred S. Alschuler (1876-1940) . Alschuler was a native Chicagoan who attended the Armour Institute of Technology and the School of the Art Institute be- fore joining Dankmar Adler's architectural practice in 1900. From then until 1907, when Alschuler started out in his own practice, he worked with Adler and Samuel Atwater Treat. From 1907-22, Alschuler specialized in commercial and indus- trial architecture. Some of his early examples are the John R. Thompson Building at 350 North Clark (1912), the Cunard Build- ing at 140 North Dearborn (1916; demolished], and the John Sexton Building, 500 North Orleans (1916; addition 1919). It is evident that .he was capable of handling a project such as the London Guarantee and Accident Company Building, but we do not know why he, specifically, was chosen for this job instead of the prestigious office builders Graham, Anderson, Probst and White (the successors to D. H. Burnham and Com- pany) or Holabird and Roche. It is likely that Alschuler was an associate and perhaps, a neighbor of John S. Miller who, in 1909, put together the parcels of land that form the site of the London Guarantee Building at 360 North Michigan Avenue. (Alschuler and Miller's son were both on the Winnetka Plan Commission in 1921.) This site has important historic associations and phys- ical characteristics. First, it was the site of , one of the log-built frontier outposts established by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, burnt during the War of 1812, and rebuilt in 1816. A marble tablet commemorating this structure was placed, in 1881, on one of the post-fire commercial buildings erected here in 1872- The Hoyt Grocery Block. The second historic event occurred in 1920- the opening of the Michigan Avenue Bridge designed by Edward H. Bennett. It was the construction of this double- leveled bascule bridge with its connections to upper and lower Wacker Drive, all part of Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago (1909), that made the real estate adjoining the river ripe for development. The by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White was being completed in 1921. The Chicago Tribune held a competition, in 1922, to design its nearby office building, and all Chicago looked forward to this area becoming a tangible expression of this city's new aspiration to become the Paris of the Prairie. This image, and the classical detailing of the bridge, doubtless had some influence on the choice of limestone classicism for the London Guarantee Building; an ornate classicism that was distinctly different and more elab- orate than the typically stark Chicago School buildings that were constructed before this, even by Alschuler himself. The site's physical qualities were equally compelling. The double- leveled Wacker Drive required design coordination and detail differentiation for the service and pedestrian levels. The prop- erty line was irregular, causing the main facade to be concave. Moreover, the Fort Dearborn Corporation, the building corpora- tion consisting of London Guarantee executives who were in- vesting in this for their company's American headquarters, could not obtain the Keough property, causing Alschuler to design a courtyard space around it on Michigan Avenue. This space is clearly shown as a gap in both the presentation model and rendering of the accepted design drawn by Frank O. Tupper-White, an English designer who worked for Alschuler. Three-dimensional models and perspective drawings are the techniques that architects use to present or sell the building to a client. The building corporation finally obtained a 198-year lease to the property, and Alschuler designed a low structure to fill in the space, yet retain the courtyard effect. Work was begun on the foundations of this twenty-one story in January, 1922, when the working drawings were approved and copies distributed to the contractors for their construction.The cornerstone ceremony was held on December 3, 1922, with officials of the Army, State, City, the London Guarantee and Accident Company, and the Chicago Historical Society in attendance. The ceremonies included a military escort of fifty-five men from Fort Sheridan, the same number of soldiers who evacuated Fort Dearborn in 1812 to be mas- sacred at Eighteenth Street and Calumet Avenue. Speeches by Thomas Condon of the London Guarantee and Accident Com- pany and architect Alschuler, as well as the latter's writings about the building, reveal that they viewed this structure as a permanent "civic" contribution to Chicago's cityscape akin to the monuments of ancient Greece and Rome. The classical imagery in the building-Corinthian columns, Greek meander patterns, Roman eagles and lions, and the reclining sculptures of the gods Ceres and Neptune flanking the main entrance- reinforces that association with the antique world. In addition, there was local imagery in the Fort Dearborn bronze relief over the central door, and corporate imagery in the griffins, urns, and coats of arms of the City of London found throughout the lobby and exterior of the building. The elaborate cupola on the top, a variation of a Greco-Roman lantern, was intended to "bal- ance the effect of the Wrigley and Tribune towers." The cupola is, here, more of a formal device than an iconographic one. It reflects Alschuler's interest in this type of architectural ele- ment. In 1934 he wrote that he admired them on public build- ings in Helsinki and Stockholm, particularly the Stockholm Town Hall of 1909-23. 5

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18 These various details were drawn, modified, and executed Documentation with the steel-structured and limestone-sheathed building com- pleted in 1923 at a total cost of five million dollars. Its success Alfred S. Alschuler, Architect was immediate. Rental brochures rightly stressed the building's Dwight P. Robinson and Company, practical advantages in its proximity to business, yet distance General Contractors from the "din, dirt, and disorder of the Loop." Images of the Indiana Quarries Company, Indiana limestone. building and its urban environment were reproduced in count- Vanderkloot Steel Works, structural steel. less postcards, newspaper ads, books, and magazine illus- Oscar Daniels Company, steel erectors. trations. demonstrating that it was an important addition to S. S. Kimbell Brick Co., face brick. Chicago's skyline of the early 1920s. Further recognition came The Central Oolitic Stone Co., cut stone. in the form of the gold medal for 1923 by the Lake Shore Trust Geo. Archer and Son, stone setters. and Savings Bank. Alschuler's career continued to flourish im- Material Service Corporation, building materials. mediately afterward. He designed other high-rise buildings such W. J. Newman Co., caissons. as the Mercantile Exchange at 110 North Franklin Street (1927), West Woodworking Company, cabinet work. 180 North Michigan Avenue (1926-28), and 1209 North Astor Nollau and Wolff Mfg. Co., frames and sash. Street (1926) . Mehring and Hanson Co., heating. By the late twenties, new buildings began to fill in the spaces Johnson Service Company, temperature control. that surround the London Guarantee Building-buildings that Warren Webster and Co., vacuum system. were larger than it and in a flashier "Art Moderne" style, such M. J. Carboy Company, plumbing. as 333 North Michigan Avenue by Holabird and Root and the Yeomans Brother Company, sewage ejectors. Carbide and Carbon Building at 230 North Michigan Avenue R. B. Hayward Company, ventilating. by the Burnham Brothers. In 1946, less than twenty-three years E. E. Davis Company, concrete fireproofing. after it was built, the London Guarantee Building was sold and Henry C. Kinsley Co., sheet metal. architects Graham, Anderson, Probst and White were con- Manton and Smith Co., ornamental iron, bronze. tracted to make a study for filling in the Michigan Avenue Central Iron Works of Chicago, fire escapes. light court to expand rental space. Architects Cone and Dorn- Central Asbestos and Magnesia Co., asbestos. busch had a similar proposal in 1952 which was also not Samuel Olson and Co., ash conveyers. executed. Four years later, Cone and Dornbusch were the The Patent Scaffolding Co., scaffolding. architects responsible for modernizing the building in a one- The Security Safety Device Co., window and-a-half million dollar renovation that provided new ele- safety appliances. vators, central heating, and air conditioning, but removed the C. J. McGuire, wrecking. elaborate ironwork of the main entrance and covered the orig- Sterling Wheelbarrow Co., wheelbarrows. inal dome with acoustical tiles. Although altered from its orig- H. R. Bradley and Co., consulting engineers. inal appearance, 360 North Michigan Avenue, now the Stone Robert W. Hunt and Co., testing of materials. Container Building, still functions admirably well today. It is a distinctive structure within Chicago's ever growing skyline, and one that deserves our notice. John Zukowsky Architectural Archivist Selected Sources

Alschuler, Alfred S. Writings, III of the Alfred S. Alschuler Collection, Spertus Museum of Judaica. Alschuler, Alfred S. "Influence of Modern Design on Archi- tecture," Mothers' Aid Message, XII no. 3 [January, 1934), 3, 14-16. Chase, Al. "Buildings New Owners Study Boost in Space," Chicago Tribune, November 10, 1946. Cone and Dornbusch. Prospectus for a Proposed Addition to the London Guarantee and Accident Building, December 15, 1952. Fuller, Ernest. "Famous Chicago Buildings," Chicago Tribune, January 24, 1959. Karl, Joseph I. "Skyscraper on Historic Site," Real Estate News, XVIII no. 1 (January 1923), 1-11. Laying of Cornerstone Site of Fort Dearborn, December 3, 1922. 32 page typescript in the Chicago Historical Society.

Scrapbooks on 360 North Michigan Avenue. 3 vols. (Helmsley- Spear of Illinois).

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Photo: Courtesy He lmsley-Spear of Illinois. The building and its urban environmen t appea r in the Hof CHICAGO. Exhibition Checklist 14 Unaccepted Design for the Parapet of the Keough Addition, The drawings on exhibit were chosen from the ninety-six sheets May 16, 1923. Pencil and colored pencil on tracing paper. for the London Guarantee and Accident Company building that were donated to the Burnham Library in 1980 by Friedman, 15 Alschuler, and Sincere. The drawings are mostly arranged in Accepted Design for the Parapet of the Keough Addition, chronological order. May 24, 1923. Pencil on tracing paper. 16 1 Cartouche for the Sixteenth Floor, December 7, 1922. Pencil on Proposed Alterations and Additions for the Building at the tracing paper. Southwest Corner of Michigan Avenue and River Street, the Predecessor of the London Guarantee Building, August 20, 1917. 17 Pencil and colored pencil on tracing paper. Bronze Tablet of Fort Dearborn for the Main Entrance, January 22, 1923. Pencil on tracing paper. 2 Plaza Elevation, Sheet No. 10, January 3, 1922. Ink on linen. 18 Elevations for the Griffins at the Sixth Floor, c. 1923. Pencil 3 and colored pencil on tracing paper. Michigan AvenueElevation, Sheet No. 11 , January 3, 1922. Ink on linen. 19 Designs for Mr. Lawson's Office (the Building Manager?) 4 c. 1923. Pencil on tracing paper. Proposed First Floor Plan, c. 1922. Pencil and Ink on tracing paper. 5 Floor Plans, c. 1922. Ink on linen. 6 Part Plan of the Tower, prob. January 3, 1922. Sheet No. 22. Ink on linen. 7 Main Entrance, Sheet No. 17, January 3, 1922. Ink on linen. 8 Proposed Doorway Design, Main Entrance, c. 1922. Pencil on tracing paper. 9 Lobby Details for the Elevator and Mail Box, Sheet No. 26, January 3, 1922. Ink on linen.

10 Designs for the Mail Box and Chute, September 11, 1922. Pencil on tracing paper. 11 Lobby Details for the Elevations and the Floor Paving. c. 1922. Ink on linen. 12 Design for a Temporary Sidewalk Arcade for Use During Con- struction, June 2, 1922. Pencil and colored pencil on tracing paper. 13 Keough Addition, July 28, (1922). Pencil on tracing paper. EXTANT BUILDINGS BY ALFRED s. ALSCHULER (1876-l940) The dates given are those of the design. The names given are the original names.

1910 Floor Clean Company, nw corner, 37th and Jasper Place 1911 Rogers and Hall Printing Company, 124 w. Polk (top two floors, 1914) 1912 Thompson Commissary Building, 350 No Clark

The Shops Building, 17-25 N. Wabash 1913 Webster Building, 327 s. LaSalle (top five stories, 1929) Donohue Annex, 723-33 South Dearborn ;\ 1915 Hump Hair' Pin Company, nw corner, Prairie and Cullerton

1916 Pelouze Building, 218-30 E. Ohio

John Sexton Building, 500 N. Orleans (eastern portion, 1919)

1918 Legler Branch, , se corner, Pulaski and Monroe

1919 Ilg Electrical Ventilating Company, 2800-58 West Roosevelt Road 1920-22 Hudson and Marmon Automobile Showrooms, 2230-38 s. Michigan 1921 London Guarantee Building, 360 N. Michigan

Cuneo Press Building, sw corner, Grove and Cermak 1922 Griswold-Walker Warehouses, 1525 s. Newberry Blum Building, 624-30 s. Michigan 1923 Isaiah Temple, E. Hyde Park Boulevard

Columbian Colortype Company, 320-36 E. 21st

Hartman Furniture Company, nw corner, Wabash and Adams

1924 Michigan-Ohio Building, nw corner, Michigan and Ohio

1925 Commercial store, sw corner, Grand and State

1926 Adams-Franklin Building, ne corner Adams and Franklin

Michigan-Lake Building, sw corner, Michigan and Lake

1215 North Astor Cooperative Apartments

1927 Chicago Mercantile Exchange, nw corner, Franklin and Washington

Finchley Building, 23 E. Jackson

1929 Harrison Hotel and Electric Garage, se corner, Wabash and Harrison

Compiled by c.w . Westfall, February 12, 1981