HIST 100: Engineering The Past

Final Project

by 2 Comments

 

https://www.pinterest.com/PeteWCook/1893-columbian-exposition/

FinalProject.docx

1893 Columbian Exposition

Figure 1 is a partial map of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. This is a good way for visitors of the fair to be able to know where to find the different exhibits they want to attend. The planners would have sent a map like this to the other countries of the world in order for them to see what the layout of the fair would look like, how they could find the exhibits, what exhibits would be at the fair, and in order to draw attention and people to the fair. I chose the map to show sort of an aerial view of the what the fair looked like, in order to give a better visual.

Figure 2 is the beautiful Administration building, which is very recognizable with it’s gold dome. It consisted of a 55,000 square foot gold-domed building which was designed by Richard M. Hunt of New York. It served it’s purpose as the headquarters of the chief officers of the Exposition. It was also the primary introduction to the main architectural theme of the 14 prominent buildings of the Exposition, known as the Beaux-Arts style. Burnham and Root wanted to create a uniform and unique architectural style for the main buildings of the fair and they incorporated their Beaux-Arts training into the structures. The main buildings had a uniform cornice height, they were geometrically logical, covered in the same material (white staff), and produced an identical but somehow unique gathering of buildings. Burnham and Root wanted to the show the American value of innovation and excellent architectural skills.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/tour.html

Figure 3 is the Ferris Wheel. George Ferris was the mastermind behind this invention. It consisted of a revolving wheel 250 feet in diameter and 36 cars that could hold 60 people. “The wheel would propel 2,160 people at a time three hundred feet into the sky over Jackson Park, a bit higher than the crown of the now six-year-old Statue of Liberty, (pg.185 Larson).” This piece of the fair was one of the main things that made the Columbian Exposition better than the Paris Exposition because of its new sensation that topped Eiffel’s Tower. Not only was it an amazing sight to look at, it also gave the “rider” a new experience to feel themselves being lifted into the air and be able to see the fair all around them. The planners wanted something built that would show their value of bigger is better, competition, and innovation. Burnham wanted a feature to show America could practice modern engineering and create original, magnificent architectural features, and the Ferris Wheel did exactly that. (pgs. 156,185 Larson).

Figure 4 is the Transportation Building. This building was built by the Chicago architectural firm Adler & Sullivan. Daniel Burnham had told Sullivan that instead of the old method of having two entrances, he should instead create one central feature that would impress the fairgoers. As it turned out, that one magnificent entrance was the talk of the fair. There were many exhibits in the building from around the world such as, Japan, Russia, England, and a few others besides the United States. Some of the exhibits included American cars, locomotives, and a vast amount of railway appliances. The builders wanted to show the value of innovation with the exhibits in this building and they had what I listed in the previous sentence, as well as, the “Railways of the World” from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company.

http://www.domu.com/chicago/history-map/columbian-exposition-transportation-building

Figure 5 is a view of what the fair became famous for, it’s beautiful and attractive appearance as a dream “White City”. It was popularized as the White City because of the blue from the sky and the lake made the massive, towering white buildings look even brighter due to the clear blue sky and the reflection of sunlight from the lake and park’s water features onto the buildings. The White City was a complete opposite of the Black City, Chicago, as the fair’s builders wanted the White City to depict the values of both them and Chicago. It was supposed to show the values of having a clean city, pure water, sanitation, clean buildings, and to be free from crime, garbage, ash, and the rotten smells of slaughterhouses. The builders had planned for this city to be an example of what a city ought to be and what it ought to look like. (pg. 197,247 Larson). The value that the builders wanted the fair, or White City, to display was cultural parity. America wanted to show the world that it was finally equal to such powers as those in Europe. Another value that they wanted to show was unity and a utopian society. Poor, corrupted government, filth and garbage, disease and poverty were nowhere to be seen in the White City, which was appealing to the masses.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/reactions.html

Figure 6 is a view of what it looked like to walk along the Midway Plaisance. The Midway was a “pleasure garden” that stretched over a mile, from Jackson Park to Washington Park. It was to be “an exotic realm of unusual sights, sounds, and scents, (pg. 160 Larson).”It included attractions such as belly dancers, camels, a hydrogen balloon that took people into the sky, mirrors, optical illusions, wax museum, authentic villages from around the world, and of course the crown jewel, the Ferris Wheel. (pg. 267 Larson) The planners of the fair wanted to give the American people what they wanted, and that is the value of learning but, also, the desire to be amused, and to have fun. The Plaisance offered the tourists a getaway from the “high culture” of the White City and allowed them to enjoy themselves, experience new sights, sounds, smells, and have fun learning about new things. The planners wanted the value of education to be exercised through the use of the Plaisance, and they believed that through everything along the Plaisance they could achieve this value. Although the Plaisance did not exploit what the education that they had intended, it did give the American people, and other tourists, the amusement they wanted and a form of education by seeing what was out there in the world.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/reactions.html

 

Works Cited

“World’s Columbian Exposition: The Official Fair–A Virtual Tour.” World’s Columbian Exposition: The Official Fair–A Virtual Tour. Accessed May 07, 2016. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/tour.html.

“Columbian Exposition – Transportation Building.” Columbian Exposition – Transportation Building. Accessed May 07, 2016. http://www.domu.com/chicago/history-map/columbian-exposition-transportation-building.

“World’s Columbian Exposition: Reactions to the Fair.” World’s Columbian Exposition: Reactions to the Fair. Accessed May 07, 2016. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/reactions.html.

Cook, Pedro W. “1893 Columbian Exposition.” Pinterest. Accessed May 07, 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/PeteWCook/1893-columbian-exposition/.

Final Group Project: The Devil in the White City

by Leave a Comment

By : Amanda Lennox, Jake Sparhawk, and Madison Klein

 

**Accompanying Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/mddkln/devil-in-the-white-city/

 

What did the fair hope to teach people?

 

The World’s Fair: Columbian Exposition was originally a celebration for the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World. Although it did feature three ship exhibits brought in from Spain (huge hits as far as exhibits) and several educational displays about the voyage, this was never what planners wanted people to take away from their trip to the fair. The Columbia Exposition was geared toward a display of the world. It was a way for Chicago to prove themselves as a growing city, and show their resilience after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It was an educational display of some of the country’s greatest architecture, art, engineering, landscaping, culture, and technology. It was a way to bring the community/country together. And finally, the fair was a grand display of the United States as a country to the world. The recent unveiling of the Eiffel Tower in Paris sparked a competitive spirit in leaders across the country, and America felt it was their time to show that they could produce an event larger and better than anyone had ever seen before.

 

What was the fair like?

The exposition was located on 600 acres bordering the beautiful backdrop of Lake Michigan called Jackson Park. The location in itself was a challenge for architects. Swampy, sandy, and flat by by nature, creating foundations for the many buildings and rides was a challenge throughout the construction process. Construction often consisted of digging deep into bedrock, or had to hope the sand didn’t settle too much after complete. Absent of trees and shrubbery, it was quite literally a blank canvas. The only real feature of beauty was Lake Michigan in the distance. Landscaper Frederick Olmsted, designer of works like Prospect Park and Central Park, was assigned the task of recreating the scene. His goal was to make landscape an art, and have people appreciate it as such; although at first weary of the job, he eventually gave in and tried to do just that. Featured exhibits covered music, art, religion, horticulture, technology, anthropology, guns, and much more, accompanied by rides and concessions. People from forty-six countries participated, making the gathering as much a cultural experience as an amusement one. Based on Beaux Arts principles of design, The fair itself was a city of its own, nicknamed the White City. Symmetry, balance, and splendor marked every building in neoclassical style. An estimated 28 million visitors attended the fair, 14 million of which were from outside of the US.

The Ferris Wheel  

 

The entire fair was a display of splendor, but there was one attraction that eclipsed any other display and drew in crowds from miles away. It was designed to rival structures such as the Eiffel Tower; architect Daniel Burnham, given the enormous task of designing the fair, called for “something novel, original, daring, and unique.” Hundreds of ideas were turned away from some of the most prominent engineers in the United States. Finally, they found an idea that fit the bill: George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.’s Ferris wheel. Although not the first to think of this idea, the Ferris wheel was the largest ever built in sheer size at 264 feet tall, rotating on a 71 ton axle. It held thirty six passenger cars that could fit up to 60 people for a total capacity of 2,160. Fifty cents a person for one 20-minute revolution provided an aerial view unimaginable to the common citizen of the time. Although the ride was smooth and gentle, the height of the structure and being the first of its kind gave it an element of danger comparable to that of modern roller coasters. At night, the wheel was lit up with twinkly lights, and was a beautiful addition to the already picturesque park. Despite its highly anticipated use as an attraction at the fair, the wheel was quickly abandoned when the fair was over. The wheel lasted only thirteen years after the end of the fair. It was moved to Lincoln Park in 1895, sold in 1896, moved to St. Louis in 1904, and finally was beyond repair in 1906. The demise of the wheel was demolition and scrap metal.  

 

The fair was meant to exhibit many things; the Ferris wheel served mostly to impress. It was the exhibit that boasted the engineering of America, drew in revenue, and served as the focal point of grandness of the fair. It challenged engineering. Although structurally sound on paper, there was no telling whether or not it would withstand the variables of real life. Our Pinterest board serves as a visual aid to these factors; it shows the grand size of the wheel and its shining lights at night. The images also show the complex, crisscrossing web of supporting iron bars that made the structure so strong.

 

The Legacy of the Fair

 

Not only did the fair challenge architects and engineers in its grand displays, but out of it came improved fire codes, water systems, electricity, and public sanitation. These many styles of technological advances helped Americans understand that their progress to an industrial nation was soon to be. The industrial era was a time of hopes and dreams which gave the American people an insight to a bright future and to our now modern day society. This era also gave America a cultural symbol. American culture really blossomed because of this fair. We got the introduction to a new holiday, Columbus Day. We introduced the pledge of allegiance into classrooms which gave the citizens a new form of patriotism and love for our country. We also got a big push in American advertisements. Museums were opened to promote new American products such as Cream of Wheat, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Beer, Aunt Jemima syrup, and Juicy Fruit gum which is still prominent in our modern century.

 

One of the most important piece I believe in the culture was the introduction to new music, such as John Phillip Sousa’s work was mainly used during the marching bands and Antonín Dvořák composed the New World Symphony in honor of the fair. The music and entertainment industry during this fair began the concept of amusement parks in the 20th century. This was the beginning of the most known and loved park, Disneyland and DisneyWorld.

 

Overall, the fair was a positive turnout in America’s legacy. It showed how much we accepted the new technological advances and consumer products being introduced. It truly left a lasting effect on our nation and gave us the layout for our modern America.

 

Sources:

  1. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-ferris-wheel-180955300/?no-ist
  2. http://gizmodo.com/5987466/the-life-and-explosive-death-of-the-worlds-first-ferris-wheel
  3. http://columbus.iit.edu/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition
  5. http://columbus.iit.edu/bookfair/bftoc.html
  6. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/legacy.html
  7. “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson