the tarsney act, 1893 1896 165
menced in 1882. Following up on this project, the firm produced an
Italian Renaissance design for the Boston Public Library, begun in
1887. The Boston Public Library is generally considered to be the
symbol of the resurgence of American classicism. 2 It also estab-
lished a standard of excellence and restrained elegance in public
buildings. 3 After the success of this project, the firm adopted Italian
Renaissance classicism as its favored style. The later proliferation of
the style in the work of the firm and other architects promised a more
coherent urban form than that offered by practitioners of the pic-
turesque.
Some architectural innovations took years to penetrate the archi-
tectural profession nationwide. The success of classicism came much
faster. Its virtues were made abundantly visible with the 1893 World s
Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In fact, the exposition s lessons
were so powerful that they transformed public architecture for the
next five decades. When the 1893 fair was being conceived, only
a handful of recently constructed classical buildings could be
identified. Even the architects who designed major buildings for the
fair had not previously produced many buildings in the style not
even Daniel Burnham, the fair s chief of construction.
The selection of the classical style for the fair was a product of sev-
eral considerations. Although being inclined toward conservative
traditionalism in matters of architectural taste, Burnham thought
that the Romanesque style had run its course.4 Another considera-
tion was the common training at the École possessed by many of the
architects selected to design the fair s major buildings. The tight con-
struction schedule, from 1891 to 1893, meant that Burnham had to se-
lect a guiding theme with which all architects could identify.
Classicism became that dominant theme, because it seemed impor-
tant to work with an easily understood architectural vocabulary. 5
The specifications had called for formal monumentality, similar
styles, and a uniform cornice line.6 The interest in classicism was also
a product of America s rediscovery of its colonial and Revolutionary
past, as well as the cultural artifacts associated with these traditions.
With so few buildings molded in this style in the nation, classicism
seemed novel.
Through the design and construction process, Burnham received
the benefit of professional participation from allied artists, for exam-
ple, landscape architects, sculptors, and artists. Burnham viewed the
cooperative spirit among these professionals as a model to be repli-
cated in other large architectural ventures.
Wyszukiwarka
Podobne podstrony:
00183 yeacf4391a9a650b05b69fa92585dec00183 95e7a98dc3a042d89bd537005 Nieznany00183 Rf5566d6ac159034f7d46a4f45853c100183 ?8b8da5c3c663ad183859cef9423471więcej podobnych podstron