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Plate 131 from The Plan of Chicago, 1909: Chicago. Elevation Showing the Group of Buildings Constituting the Proposed Civic Center.

An elevation drawing of an ornate, large central building with a tall dome flanked by two shorter flat-roofed buildings and hazy flat-roofed buildings in the background.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • An elevation drawing of an ornate, large central building with a tall dome flanked by two shorter flat-roofed buildings and hazy flat-roofed buildings in the background.

Date:

1909

Artist:

Daniel Hudson Burnham, American, 1846-1912
Edward Herbert Bennett, American, born England, 1874-1954
Fernand Janin, delineator, French, 1880-1912

About this artwork

Although only portions were put into effect, the 1909 Plan of Chicago remains one of the largest and most compre- hensive proposals for the transformation of an American city. One central aspect of the plan was a large civic center intended for an area just west of the Chicago River. Modeled on the monuments and boulevards of 19th-century Paris and Daniel Burnham’s Court of Honor at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the complex features a tall domed building, reflecting pool, and large public square. Ultimately unrealized, Burnham’s plan imagined the Civic Center as secular temple that would serve to unify the citizens of this growing modern metropolis at a time of labor strikes and civic unrest around the country.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Daniel Hudson Burnham (Architect)

Title

Plate 131 from The Plan of Chicago, 1909: Chicago. Elevation Showing the Group of Buildings Constituting the Proposed Civic Center.

Place

Chicago (Place depicted)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1909

Medium

Ink on paper

Dimensions

102.9 × 305.3 cm (40 1/2 × 120 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

On permanent loan to The Art Institute of Chicago from the City of Chicago

Reference Number

27.148.1966

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/196375/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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