Building the World Fair in The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

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The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Prologue

The prologue begin aboard the Olympic following a man named Daniel Burnham on April 4, 1912. Burnham is suffering of severe pain in his foot. Burnham tries to send a message to his friend Millet who is aboard the Titanic, but the message was not allowed to be sent. Burnham thinks back to the fair and reminisces of the people that helped with the fair and thinks about who is still alive from the fair.

Part 1

The first chapter introduces Chicago, in the 1800s as a place where flocks of single women are coming to Chicago looking for jobs. This city was described as very unsafe. Two people a day, on average, died at railroad crossings, disease was very common, and people died from fires daily. At the end of the chapter a man named H.H. Holmes or known as Herman Mudgett, as a birth name, is introduced.

The author starts describing scenes of when Chicago is in the running to be the host of the science fair for America. People are waiting outside of the Chicago Tribune for the news of the winning city. An architectural firm Burnham and Root is also introduced. The story moves from the scene outside of the tribune to flashbacks of Burnham's and Root's lives as architects. The city of Chicago, after receiving news they had won, creates the World’s Columbian Exposition Company to develop the fair.

After Chicago wins the contest to host the fair Burnham is scouting out potential sites in Chicago that would be good spots for hosting the fair. He asks his friend Ellsworth to travel to Maine to ask Olmstead, a landscape architect, to come and help with designing for the fair. He accepts and brings a member of his company, Codman, to assist him. Patrick Prendergast is introduced a...

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... lot of evidence in the hotel that concludes that Holmes did murder many people. While the investigation is ongoing the Hotel burns to the ground destroying all the evidence. Geyer finally finds Howards remains in Irvington, and evidence that and witnesses that Holmes was the killer. Holmes is finally indicted in 1895 in several cities for murders.

Epilogue

The fair was an inspiration to many like Frank Lloyd Wright. Lois Sullivan, one of the architects for the fair, goes into decline with alcohol. Burham’s health is also declining. Holmes goes to trial in Philadelphia where he is given the sentence of death. Holmes admitted to killing several people. Holmes requests that he be put into his coffin with cement. Burnham is aboard the Olympic and finds out what had happened to the Titanic, and learns that Millet had died. Burnham dies forty-seven days later.

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