Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 - June 1, 1912) was born in Henderson, New York and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His parents brought him up under the teachings of the Church of New Jerusalem, which ingrained in him the strong belief that man should strive to be of service to others. After failing admissions tests for both Harvard and Yale, and an unsuccessful stint at politics, Burnham apprenticed as a draftsman under William LeBaron Jenney. At age 26, Burnham moved on to the Chicago offices of Carter, Drake, and Wright, where he met future business partner John Wellborn Root (1850-1891). With his new partner, Burnham would become the architect of the first true American skyscraper; the Masonic Temple Building in Chicago. Measuring 21 stories and 302 feet, the Temple held claims as the tallest building of its time, but was torn down in 1939.
Following Root’s premature death at the hands of pneumonia in 1891, the firm became known as D.H. Burnham and Co. Two years later Burnham accepted responsibility as chief of construction for the World Columbian Exposition on Chicago’s south lakefront. The largest world’s fair to that date, it celebrated the 400-year anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ famous voyage. Considered the first example of a comprehensive planning document in the nation, the fairground was complete with grand boulevards, classical building facades, and lush gardens. Often called the "White City," it popularized the neoclassical architecture in a monumental and rational Beaux-Arts plan. The remaining population of architects in the U.S. was soon asked by clients to incorporate similar elements into their designs.
In 1909, Burnham and assistant Edward H. Bennett prepared The Plan of Chicago, which laid out plans for the future of the city. It was the first comprehensive plan for the controlled growth of an American city, an outgrowth of the City Beautiful movement. The plan included ambitious proposals for the lakefront and river and declared that every citizen should be within walking distance of a park. Sponsored by the Commercial Club, Burnham donated his services in hopes of furthering his own cause. Plans and conceptual designs of the south lakefront from the Exposition came in handy, as he envisioned Chicago being a "Paris on the Prairie." French inspired public works constructions, fountains, and boulevards radiating from a central, domed municipal palace became Chicago’s new backdrop. The plan set the standard for urban design, anticipating future need to control unexpected urban growth.
Burnham also worked on many other city plans, including those for Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Manila in the Philippines. Much of his career work modeled the classical style of Greece and Rome. Louis Sullivan, considered by many to be the greatest architect from the Chicago School, chastised Burnham for his lack of original expression and dependence on Classicism. He claimed it would "set back architecture fifty years" - corporate America thought differently.
Burnham may not have ever said the most famous quote associated with him: "Make no little plans. They have no magic to strike man's blood and probably will themselves not be realized." The quote, however, captures Burnham's architectural essence.
Burnham held many postitions during his lifetime, including two-time president of the American Institute of Architects[1]. In 1912, when he passed away in Heidelberg, Germany, D.H. Burnham and Co. was the world's largest architectural firm. Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright eulogized, "(Burnham) made masterful use of the methods and men of his time...(as) an enthusiastic promoter of great construction enterprises...his powerful personality was supreme."
Notable Commissions
Chicago
- Union Stock Yard Gate
- Kent House
- Rookery Building
- Monadnock Block
- Reliance Building
- Fisher Building
- Heyworth Building
Others