American Skyscrapers Study Notes

American "Skyscrapers"

Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886)

  • Birth and Background:

    • Born in New Orleans to wealthy parents involved in the sugar trade.

    • Great grandson of Joseph Priestly, discoverer of oxygen.

  • Education:

    • Attended Harvard in the mid-1850s, planning to study civil engineering.

    • Moved to Paris in 1860 to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts but dropped out due to financial ruin caused by the Civil War.

    • Was present at the Ecole during the reforms attempted by Viollet-le-Duc in 1863, which promoted medieval styles.

  • Career Milestones:

    • Returned to the United States in 1865, where he established his practice on Staten Island.

    • Won a significant commission for the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane in 1869.

    • Achieved national prominence after winning the competition for Trinity Church in Boston in 1872.

    • Moved his office to Brookline, Massachusetts, to be close to his work sites; most commissions were within Massachusetts.

  • Health Issues and Death:

    • Suffered from Bright’s Disease, which incapacitated him in later years and led to his death at age 47 in 1886.

    • His successor firm, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, gained recognition, notably for work at Stanford University.

Notable Structures

  • Marshall Field Wholesale Store, Chicago, Illinois

    • Architect: Henry Hobson Richardson

    • Construction Period: 1885-1887

Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923)

  • Background:

    • Known as "Le Magicien du Fer" (the Magician of Iron).

  • Key Works:

    • Garabit Viaduct, Cantal, France

    • Construction Period: 1882-1884.

    • Eiffel Tower, Paris

    • Completed in 1889

    • Height: 300 meters.

Ferdinand Dutert and Galerie des Machines, Paris

  • Construction:

    • Designed by Ferdinand Dutert, completed in 1889.

William LeBaron Jenney (1832-1907)

  • Background:

    • Born in Massachusetts, educated at Phillips Academy, Lawrence Scientific School, and Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris.

    • Served as a Major in the Union Army during the Civil War.

    • Moved to Cincinnati post-war, where he became acquainted with commercial architecture.

    • Relocated to Chicago in 1867, positioning himself effectively for rebuilding after the 1871 fire.

  • Innovative Contributions:

    • Home Insurance Building (Chicago, 1885):

    • Utilized an iron and steel frame supporting masonry, reducing weight by one-third compared to load-bearing masonry buildings.

    • Employed a "raft" foundation suitable for Chicago’s soft soil.

    • Second Leiter Building (1889-1891):

    • Recognized as the first all-iron frame building with full fireproofing.

Notable Structures by Jenney

  • Shillito's Department Store, Cincinnati

    • Architect: John McLaughlin

    • Year: 1877

  • First Leiter Building

    • Architect: William LeBaron Jenney

    • Year: 1879

  • Home Insurance Building

    • Architect: William LeBaron Jenney

    • Location: Chicago, Illinois

    • Year: 1884-1885

Burnham & Root

Daniel Hudson Burnham (1832-1912) and John Wellborn Root (1846-1891)

  • Partnership Formation:

    • Partners since 1873 after prior collaboration in the same firm.

    • Burnham focused on sales and commission procurement; Root primarily managed design.

  • Architectural Innovations:

    • Invented the modern office building and exploited the potential of the steel frame skyscraper.

    • Developed the "Raft Foundation" for interlaced iron girders distributing load, debuting with the Montauk Building in 1881.

Significant Structures by Burnham & Root

  • Montauk Building, Chicago

    • Year: 1881

  • The Rookery, Chicago

    • Architectural Period: 1886-1888

  • W. C. T. U. Building, Chicago

    • Year: 1890-1892

  • Monadnock Building, Chicago

    • Year: 1891

  • Reliance Building, Chicago

    • Year: 1890-1895

    • Initial design by John Wellborn Root until his death; Charles Atwood took over for the upper stories.

    • Notable for its curtain wall construction and large windows.

Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)

  • Background:

    • Born in Boston, studied architecture briefly at MIT and worked under Frank Furness, later joining William LeBaron Jenney's office.

    • Formed a partnership with Dankmar Adler, leading to significant Chicago skyscrapers including the Auditorium Building.

  • Later Career and Challenges:

    • Faced personal struggles, including alcoholism.

    • Designed only small bank buildings in his later years, with significant works such as his books "Kindergarten Chats" and "The Autobiography of an Idea."

Notable Works by Louis Sullivan

  • Auditorium Building, Chicago

    • Architectural Firm: Adler & Sullivan

    • Construction Period: 1888-1890

  • Wainwright Building, St. Louis

    • Year: 1890-1891

  • Guaranty Building, Buffalo, New York

    • Year: 1894-1895

  • Sullivan Center (Schlessinger & Meyer Store), Chicago

    • Year: 1900-1904

  • Carson Pirie Scott Building, Chicago

    • Year: 1900-1904

  • People's Savings & Loan Association, Sidney, Ohio

    • Year: 1917-1918

Philosophical Contributions

  • "A System of Architectural Ornament According with a Philosophy of Man’s Powers"

    • Author: Louis Sullivan

    • Year of Publication: 1924

    • Key Quote: "Thus dawns the modern light upon the art of the world. It reveals that all men in their native powers are craftsmen, whose destiny it is to create, courageously, wisely and worthily, a fit abiding place; a sane and beautiful world."