Louis Sullivan Chicago Fire

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Abstract: This essay is focused on how the Chicago fire and the ideas of Louis Sullivan were critical in the development of a new form of architecture in the United States and the societal and social influences that brought it all together.

Predating the frequently cited Frank Lloyd Wright and Daniel Burnham, a commonly overlooked name would be that of Louis Sullivan, who is responsible for pioneering an American form of architecture that broke free from the conventions of the past to embrace the city of Chicago’s possibility. During his height he was considered the most dynamic architect in the country. He had an immense impact on the future of architecture, constantly aspiring to push forward and …show more content…

In the 1880’s half an acre was valued at $260,000, and by the 1890’s the same plots of land had risen to a dramatic $1.8 million per half acre (Hoyt, Homer 1933). With the drastic price increases and the densifying merchant class, the only financially practical way to expand was up. By 1890 Chicago had a population of more than a million people and had surpassed Philadelphia to become the second-largest city in the United States (Sprague, Paul E). The low buildings constructed just after the fire were seen as an inefficient use of valuable space. Traditional masonry construction, which required thicker foundations and massive footings the taller the building was erected, limited the potential for growth. What was needed was a new architectural vision and a new construction technique. The vision was the skyscraper and the technique was that of skeleton construction, adapted from engineering methods developed in bridge construction. These material advancements allowed for economic and rapid construction of these tall structures in conjunction with the refinement of the technology for the modern elevator that made the height of these structures convenient and practical (Anderson, Christy). Buildings no longer needed to be held up by external masonry walls, but by an interior skeletal structure that would allow for many dramatic advances in the form and aesthetic of Sullivan’s work.
Sullivan’s …show more content…

It wouldn't be until his transition to post-fire Chicago that he would begin his own career. The Great Fire, while devastating to the cities infrastructure, provided Sullivan with the perfect stage on which to innovate and explore. His talent would quickly earn him the attention of several people who would sponsor his enrollment to the Beaux-Arts Academy in Paris. Although the Academy proved to be a major improvement to MIT, Sullivan still found himself enslaved to the concept of following the same old techniques in contemporary architecture. After returning to Chicago, Sullivan was convinced that Chicago was where he would achieve fulfilment, and set out to make his mark. His partnership with a brilliant engineer named Dankar Adler sparked this. Though Adler was highly skilled in the fundamentals of engineering buildings, it was Sullivan’s creativity that allowed the partnership to reach its full potential. Among their first projects, the home of Joseph Deimel and the Leon Mannheimer showed Sullivan’s desire to escape the

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