Temple of Music
In the annals of World's Fairs, the 1901 Buffalo fair is listed, as a matter of record. However, it is one of the lesser-remembered fairs. This is not due to a lack of planning or physical appeal, but rather to the fact that on September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot and killed at the Temple of Music. This was the kind of event that is so infamous and carries such bad press that it condemns everything it touches, from the setting, the surrounding events, and the people involved, to the same black blanket of notoriety. Due to the President's assassination, the popularity of the Fair spiraled downward. Despite the deploring of the Fair, however, it was home to some remarkable buildings.
The displayed colored rendering of the Temple of Music is from the pages of Pan American Exposition: Buffalo 1901, a guidebook to the Buffalo Fair. With bright colors, the picture accurately captures the image of the Temple and its surrounding buildings. The Temple, designed by August C. Esenwein, could hold 2,200 people. On the main stage, a gigantic pipe organ was installed for concerts. On the outside the Temple was painted in a mixture of colors, mostly pastels, ranging from blue-green to scarlet. Along with the main "Pan-American" architectural mode of the Fair, it was built in the Spanish Revival style, and sported a central, brightly colored, octagonal dome that rested on a square base. Facades had intricate moldings that covered the outside of the Temple, from angels playing instruments to the large "MVSIC" sign in Roman characters over the main entrance. The Temple of Music fulfilled several practical and symbolic functions. It acted as a general reception hall and place to commemorate special occasions....
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...nt the most advanced aspect of the Fair, was the lightest of all, painted near white. This method of "metaphorical planning" inspired several later cities to utilize similar techniques in their fairs, such the "Mediterranean" architecture scheme of the 1915 San Diego Exposition and the utilitarian coloring of the 1933 Chicago Fair.
Bibliography
Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions 1851-1988. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
Arnold, C.D. The Pan-American Exposition. Buffalo, New York: 1901.
Eck, Susan. "The Color Scheme by C. Y. Turner, Director of Color." Pan American Exposition: Buffalo 1901. (http://panam1901.bfn.org/documents/turnerarticle.html).
Eck, Susan. "The Sculpture Plan by Karl Bitter, Director of Sculpture." Pan American Exposition: Buffalo 1901. (http://panam1901.bfn.org/documents/sculptureplan.html).
The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 changed America in enormous ways. Probably the most prominent being that it directly changed America's and the world's perception of America and our capabilities. Not only was it the first in America, but the Chicago World's Fair propelled America...
One story describes the planning of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that had been proposed to celebrate the four hundred years since Columbus landed in America. The idea didn’t get much attention until a year earlier, when Paris held a world fair and unveiled the Eiffel Tower. Not to be outdone, America decided now it was a matter of who would hold a fair that would put France’s fair to shame. There was a dilemma of where the fair would be built New York or Chicago, but votes were tallied up and the majority of the vote was Chicago. Among the many architects in Chicago, the main job of the designing the fair was given to Daniel H. Burnham. He needed a companion to help him with the design and other features of the fair, so he chose John Root, a very close friend of his and former associate. Because of the amount of time it took to decide where to build the fair, The White City was believed to be impossible to construct because of time con...
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
As the focal point of the fair, the Administration Building had an important symbolic function. Although not intended for anything related to the fair other than housing offices, the picture shows that it was much larger than necessary for administration purposes. Its great size related to its function as triumphal gateway into the fair. The large majority of visitors arrived by train at the station located directly behind the Administration Building.
The World’s Fair of 1893 was set to commemorate the 400th year anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to America. When the top leaders in the US heard about the opportunity of hosting the fair, they quickly showed their interest. The main cities that showed interest were New York,...
Bennet, Mark History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Universal Exposition Publishing Co. St. Louis 1905
James, Julia H. L. Palaces and courts of the exposition Blair Murdock Co. Publisher, San Francisco 1915.
A line of carriages carries important people, including President Grover Cleveland and Daniel Burnham, to the fair at Jackson Park. President Cleveland speaks at a ceremony signifying the much-anticipated opening of the exposition. The general consensus among the crowd is that the fair is a success, despite the mud-covered walkways and roads, unfinished landscaping, and unfinished Ferris wheel. Attendance registers between 500,000 and 600,000 people. However, the cause for celebration doesn't last long. Day two of the fair reels in roughly 10,000 people. Through the days to come after the fair had officially opened, many banks are forced to close and the stock market crashes. Burnham and his brigade of architects, draftsmen, engineers, and contractors had accomplished so much in an impossibly short time, but apparently not enough to overcome the damping effect of the fast-degrading economy. Many aspects of the fair were still unfinished including the elevators, the Ferris wheel being half finished, and roadways were still submerged under mud. “First and foremost, Burnham knew, the fair had to be finished, but in the meantime lures had to be cast to encourage people to shed their fears of financial ruin and come to Chicago” (page, 241). Burnham appointed Frank Millet to come up with new ideas on getting greater attendance at the fair. Millet implemented things such as fireworks, shows and parades. Millet even dedicated specific days
The “White City” was a vast collection of architecture and arts that were put on display in the year 1893. The Chicago World Fair, also called the “White City”, was a major event in American history that impacted America’s culture, economic, and industry. The Chicago World Fair was held to honor Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The real reason why it was made was to proudly have back their wealth and power. Larson said, “the tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel…”(15). To accomplish this, architects led by Daniel Burnham and John Root made numerous buildings and beautiful scenery
The World’s Fair was an amazing event that delighted the city of Chicago. It started on February 24, 1890 when Chicago won the hosting job. Although, to do this, they had to raise an additional $5 million. They did this, but they had only three years to complete the fair. Fairs were very popular at the time and were a symbol of social importance, so Chicago needed to exceed expectations. Their goal was to “Out-Eiffel Eiffel”. By 1891, Chicago had over 40,000 skilled workers employed for construction.
Cothren, M. & Marilyn Stokstad. (2011). Art History, Volume 2, 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Learning Solutions.
A World’s Fair is an “[I]nternational exposition that features exhibits dealing with commerce, industry, and science.” (World Book Encyclopedia 412) Entertainment is also present along with cultural activities. In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, although inaugurated a year late, commemorated the discovery of America. I feel that the Exposition displayed some of the more beautiful architecture of its time; its immense buildings and sculptures drew heavily from Greek and other classical styles, and it could possible be because of the sweeping popularity in Beaux Arts architecture.
The Chicago World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition) was meant to celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the new world. This also brought America Columbus Day which we still celebrate today. The fair started May 1st, 1893, which is a year after they originally planned to have the fair start. It went on for six months and closed on October 30th, 1893. It was held in Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance and occupied about six hundred and thirty acres. The
image on Exposition souvenirs was ideal in light of the fair's theme - our nation's 150th
Southern Ohio Fair Association. Annual Southern Ohio Fair at Dayton, Ohio. Dayton: United Brethen Publishing House, 1878. Print.