Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Use of terra cotta, a light and fireproof material that could be cast in any
shape and attached to the exterior, often for decoration
A good example of the development of the skyscraper is the
Monadnock
Building,
53 W. Jackson Blvd. (Holabird & Root, 1889-91; Holabird & Roche,
1893). Built in two parts, the northern section has masonry load-bearing walls,
while the southern half has a steel frame clad in terra cotta. To support its 17
stories, the northern section has 6-foot-thick walls at its base. The entire build-
ing is notable for its clean, contemporary lines.
Three Chicago school examples are the recently restored
Reliance Building
(see illustration), now Hotel Burnham (p. 86), 1 W. Washington St. (Burnham
& Root and Burnham & Co., 1891-95), outstanding for its use of glass and dec-
orative
spandrels
(the horizontal panel below a window); the
Fisher Building,
343 S. Dearborn St. (D.H. Burnham & Co., 1896), similar in its use of glass, but
with the addition of Gothic and aquatic-inspired details; and the
Marquette
Building,
140 S. Dearborn St. (Holabird & Roche, 1893-95), which exhibits all
the style's features, although the terra-cotta cornice has been removed.
A good later example (taller and more technically sophisticated than their
earlier incarnations) that most visitors will pass at some point during their visit
is the
Tribune Tower,
435 N. Michigan Ave. (Howells & Hood, 1923-25). The
winning entry of a major design competition, this 36-story tower has the
neo-Gothic detailing (flying buttresses, spires, and a tower) popularized by New
York's 1913 Woolworth Building and clearly shows the characteristics men-
tioned above.
3 Second Renaissance Revival (1890-1920)
Buildings in this style show a definite studied formalism. A relative faithfulness
to Renaissance precedents of window and doorway treatments distinguish it
from the much looser adaptations of the Italianate, a mid-19th-century style
that took its inspiration from Italian architecture. Scale and size, in turn, set the
Second Renaissance Revival apart from the first, which occurred from about
1840 to 1890. The grand buildings of the Second Renaissance Revival, with
their textural richness, well suited the tastes of the wealthy Gilded Age. The style
was used primarily on the East Coast but also in Chicago for swank town
houses, government buildings, and private clubs.
Typical features include:
• A cubelike structure with a massive, imposing quality
• Symmetrical arrangement of the facade, including distinct horizontal
divisions
• A different stylistic treatment for each floor, with different column capitals,
finishes, and window treatments on each level
• Use of
rustification
(masonry cut in massive blocks and separated from each
other by deep joints) on the lowest floor
• The mixing of Greek and Roman styles on the same facade (Roman arches
and arcades may appear with Greek-style windows with straight-heads or
pediments,
a low-pitched triangular feature above a window, door, or pavilion.)
•A
cornice
(a projecting feature along the roofline) supported by large brackets
• A balustrade (a railing supported by a series of short posts) above the cornice
