The Architects and the City

by Bruegmann, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780226076959
• ISBN10: 0226076954
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-08-18
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Winner of the 1998 Spiro Kostof Book Award from the Society of Architectural Historians. Chicago has always held a special fascination for those interested in architectural and urban history. For many, the defining moment occurred at the turn of the century when Chicago was booming and the world came to the city by the lake. But the story most often told in architectural historythe tale of single creative geniuses like Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivandoes little to explain the birth of the everyday modern city, with its high-rise downtown, diverse neighborhoods, and sprawling suburbs. This book connects architectural history with urban history by looking at the work of a major architectural firm, Holabird & Roche. No firm in any large American city had a greater impact. With projects that ranged from tombstones to skyscrapers, boiler rooms to entire industrial complexes, Holabird & Roche left an indelible stamp on the city of Chicago and, indeed, far beyond. In this volume, the first of two on Holabird & Roche and its successor, Holabird & Root, Robert Bruegmann traces the firm's history from its founding in 1880 to the end of the First World War. Incorporating meticulous research based on the extensive architectural holdings of the Chicago Historical Society, Bruegmann documents the firm's work from the boom years of the 1880s through the period of sustained growth and innovation after the turn of the century. In chapters devoted to topics as diverse as downtown commercial and retail development, business hotels, civic buildings, automobile showrooms, and suburban clubs and housing, Bruegmann creates a sustained historical narrative that considers the profound interdependence of architecture and modern urban life.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii	(2)
Introduction	ix
PART ONE Starting Out, 1880-1883	3	(26)
1 The Founding of the Firm	3	(14)
2 The Partners: William Holabird and Martin Roche	17	(12)
PART TWO Boom Years, 1884-1893	29	(134)
3 The Firm	29	(20)
4 Labor Unrest and the Creation of Fort Sheridan	49	(16)
5 Capital, Technology, and the Tall Office Building: The Tacoma	65	(36)
6 The Skyscraper and the City: The Marquette 1	101	(20)
7 The Skyscraper and the City: The Marquette 2	121	(24)
8 Along Leafy Avenues: William Holabird's Evanston	145	(18)
PART THREE Turn of the Century, 1894-1907	163	(122)
9 The Firm	163	(20)
10 State Street in the Nineties	183	(24)
11 Theme and Variation: The Loft Building	207	(26)
12 Terra Cotta on State Street: The Department Store and the Tall Shops Building	233	(22)
13 Golfing in the Suburbs: The Glen View Golf and Polo Club	255	(14)
14 Fishing in the Wilderness: The Coleman Lake Club	269	(16)
PART FOUR An Expanding Practice, 1908-1918	285	(160)
15 The Firm	285	(28)
16 Palaces of Democracy: The Business Hotel	313	(24)
17 Civic Grandeur, Civic Squalor: Cook County Courthouse and Chicago City Hall	337	(30)
18 Terra Cotta on South Michigan Avenue: Automobile Row	367	(22)
19 At the Corner of Michigan and Monroe: The University Club and the Monroe Building	389	(26)
20 The Architecture of Communications: Buildings for the Chicago Telephone Company	415	(16)
21 By Way of Conclusion: The Three Arts Club, Holabird & Roche, and the American City	431	(14)
Abbreviated Catalog of Works by Holabird & Roche, 1880-1918	445	(26)
Notes	471	(38)
Sources of Information	509	(2)
Index	511	(30)
Maps	541