Daniel Burnham- Burnham is a very skilled and prideful man who, while a talented architect himself, has more of the business and people skills when compared with his partner John Root. This makes them a dynamic duo whose strengths and weaknesses balance well with each other. From an early age, Burnham was taught the value of public service, which he transferred into becoming an architect – a very public-driven occupation. In the book, it states that “Daniel Hudson Burnham was born… into a family devoted to… obedience, self-subordination, and public service” (19).

Frederick Olmsted – Olmsted, hired by Burnham and Root to help design the fair, is a distinguished landscape architect who hopes to validate his profession through his work on the fair. Throughout the book, he suffers from melancholy and depression, largely due to the underwhelming response of people towards his work. Olmsted’s greatest value, I believe, is receiving the recognition he believes he is entitled to. In the book, it states that “It irked him that few people seemed to understand the effects he worked so long and hard to create” (50). Olmsted only agrees to work with Burnham and Root because “Ellsworth assured Olmsted that by agreeing to help, he would be joining his name to one of the greatest artistic undertakings of the century” (49).

H.H. Holmes – I believe that Holmes’ greatest value is status. Throughout the novel, Holmes can be seen controlling people’s actions through his charm and good looks, showing his value of power over others. He desires to be seen as wealthy and powerful. As the book says, “He walked with confidence and dressed well, conjuring an impression of wealth and achievement” (35).

Daniel Burnham- Values and beliefs that stuck out to me about Burnham early was definitely his status. On page 21 Burnham states,”my idea is to work up a big business, too handle big things, to deal with big business men, and to build up a big organization, for you can’t handle big things unless you have an organization.” This stood out to me because he was very set that in order to be anything in life or to be successful you had to be a big business man and be somebody who is important and big in status. Burnham also took great pride in how things looked and would admire small details just like those items in ship (Olympic).

John Root- Although Root and Burnham were very close allies I feel as though they were very different and that’s what made them work together so well. John Root valued innovation and creativity. Burnham even said that he was “their design engine…. and a faraway look would come into his eyes, and the building was there before him–every stone.” He was able just to see and area and imagine in his and exactly what the building was going to look like and every detail of that design. Burnham was definitely one who could handle the business side and Root could handle the design. Both men complimented each other very well.

H. H. Holmes- He valued power more than anything. He was able to find weak and helpless women many who are leaving the comfort of home for the first time and he could control them. He was very good and successful at manipulating others for his own selfish reasons. On page 73, Holmes tells Strowers a lady who did his laundry he would give here 6,000 dollars to name him as his beneficiary, when she asked him why he said he would make 4,000 dollars in profit and she would have 6,000 dollars to spend in the meantime. Later on in the paragraph it talks about him when she was going to accept the offer he whispers in her softly don’t be afraid of me (pg 73). This terrified her and this was a perfect example of how Holmes was. He had the money to persuade and women to name him as her beneficiary just so he could make money when he killed her and she got to live happy for her remaining time.

The first planner I chose is Daniel Burnham. He is obviously integral to the story and the building of the World’s Fair, but he has many values and beliefs that are expressed throughout the story. I believe he valued his work and work ethic. I get the sense he worked long hours and put tremendous effort into the largest project of his career. “Burnham saw his family rarely now” (page 128). He valued commitment and followed through to the bitter end. Along with his strong work ethic I think he valued status and being prominent in the community. He had Madeira shipped on a vessel around the world. “He arranged recitals at his home and office and joined the best clubs and collected the best wines and was now leading the greatest nonmilitary campaign in the nation’s history” (page 210). Even though status was important to Burnham, he was a family man. He valued the time he spent with his family. His sons visited him on the job (page 158). And he missed his wife, which is very enduring “He kept a photograph of Margaret in his office. Every time he walked by it, he picked it up and stared at it with longing” (page 222).

The second planner I chose is Frederick Olmsted. He valued respect among the fine arts community for his work in landscape architecture. He was frustrated that he wasn’t receiving the praise and respect he deserved for his life’s passion. “Throughout his career he had struggled, with little success, to dispel the perception that landscape architecture was simply an ambitious sort of gardening..” (page 50). He accepted the task of the World’s Fair because he believed it would give him the notoriety and dignity he felt he deserved. “What landscape architecture needed, Olmsted believed, was greater visibility, which in turn would bring greater credibility” (page 51).

Finally Holmes. He also had many values and beliefs but they were very different from the men listed above. I think he valued having a certain charm that lent him the power to control people and their emotions. “He was always charming and cordial…” “He was the smoothest man I ever saw” (page 72). He also valued status but I believe for a different reason than Burnham. “He wanted to attain a position where he would be honored and respected. He wanted wealth” (page 64). I think he wanted these things to look “normal” from the outside and to be able to indulge in his dark fantasies. From everything I have read so far about Holmes, I think he believed in pushing boundaries. He wanted to see how far he could go without getting caught and he wanted to evaluate what he could get away with.