January 15, 2021, marks the 130th anniversary of the death of architect John Wellborn Root in 1891 at the age of 41. As Consulting Architect to the 1893 World’s Fair with his partner Daniel Burnham, Root’s invaluable contributions are recorded by Harriet Monroe in her chapter “The World’s Columbian Exposition” in John Wellborn Root: A Study of His Life and Work (Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1896), reprinted here.
On January 20, 1891, the Committee on Grounds and Buildings of the Exposition adopted the resolution reprinted below (from Johnson, Rossiter, History of the World’s Columbian Exposition Held in Chicago in 1893, Volume 1: Narrative. Appleton, 1897, pp. 137–38.)
“John Wellborn Root, Consulting Architect of the World’s Columbian Exposition, is dead. A week ago he was with us, and in the prime and vigor of a splendid manhood. To-day he is in his grave. The suddenness of his death brings a quick and unexpected burden of grief to us all. With deep and sincere sorrow we deplore this great loss, not only to his family, but to Chicago, and indeed to the whole country—the loss not only of a man of bright social qualities, genial and attractive to all, and especially endearing to those who knew him best, but of one of the most gifted and promising men in the profession in America. As he possessed high genius, exquisite taste, and genuine love for all that is true and beautiful in art, we have looked to him with confidence to select with masterly skill the best designs and suggestions presented to us for style and arrangement of many large buildings to be erected by us, combining them with such architectural appropriateness and taste as to produce a complete aggregation of beauty, harmony, and grandeur of construction, such as we could present with confidence and pride to the criticism of the world. But the quick intellect, the skill, and the unerring judgment of this brilliant architect and designer are lost to us forever. It will be difficult, if indeed possible, to fill his place. We know him and his great and growing ability well.
Resolved, That we tender to his family and to Daniel H. Burnham, late his partner, our profound and heartfelt sympathy.
A bronze tablet honoring the memory of John Root that was displayed at the entrance to the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 World’s Fair. For more about this tribute, see “Pillars of the Fair: John Root and Henry Codman.”[Images from Rossiter Johnson’s History of the World’s Columbian Exposition Held in Chicago in 1893, Volume 1 (Appleton, 1897).]