Building Art

The nature of the medium always matters; water color behaves differently than acrylic. Bronze behaves differently than marble. and so on. The same goes for architecture, except that it is critical that the media of architecture (steel, concrete, terra cotta, etc.) perform as specified, else the tower will fall down.

I toured several buildings in Chicago 3 weeks ago.

Because Chicago was built on marshy lake-side land, buildings settled. In the 19th century, buildings were framed, roofed, glazed, enclosed and then work was suspended for a year or so. During the 12+ months of waiting, the heavy buildings would sink up to 20+ inches (or about 51 centimeters). Once settled, the first floor could be finished. Part of the architects skill was estimating how far a building would sink, so adjustments could be made in the design.

The Monadnock Building was, in 1893, the largest office building in the world (16 stories, 1 block long!); it was the first to be wired for electricity as it was built, and among the first to use cast aluminum (stair railings and a post office box). At the time aluminum was a new and "luxurious" material. Two firms designed the Monadnock: Burnham and Root designed the north half in 1891, and Holabird & Root designed the south half a year later. B&R's half was supported by the exterior walls, which carried the weight of 16 floors of exterior masonry and floors of iron and concrete, plus contents. The basement and first floor walls were very thick.

H&R designed the second half, supporting the floors on a steel framework which also carried [relatively light] curtain walls of brick and terra cotta. Both sides employed an innovative foundation. Since the columns did not rest on bedrock, and given the weight of the building, sinking would have been severe. B&R + H&R rested each column on a 3 foot thick pad of railroad ties and concrete below the basement floor--each pad being...maybe 10 ft. on a side. This remained standard until piling and pile-driving equipment became good enough to reach the rock below the thick lake bottom.

The Monadnock was restored 8 years ago and is fully occupied. The vintage 1893 light fixtures with 1893 style bulbs are precise duplicates and illuminate the hallways. I think quaint and kind of ugly describes them well. People wanted the light bulbs to be visible because electricity was the latest and hottest thing on the market. Each office has windows on the interior hallways, as well as exterior recessed and bay windows. (1893 was well before air conditioning -- cross ventilation was critical.) The interior windows also helped boost light levels in the hallways. The typical lightbulb of the time was equivalent to about a decorative modern 25 watt light.

The first floor has been rented to the kinds of shops that were there in the early years: a cafe, a coffee shop (Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea), a hat shop, a clothing shop, a utility printing shop, and the like.

The South - second - building is more ornate because weight was much less of an issue given the steel frame. Also, the North building exterior had an Egyptian flavor, and elaborate ornamentation and a pronounced cornice would have been inconsistent.

Great place. TPF can rent space there for it's world wide operations, someday.