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The Chicago Fair of 1893 Will Remain Unexcelled

In the aftermath of World War II—facing staggering military casualties, the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the specter of nuclear weapons—some people sought solace in fond memories of better times. The following reminiscence of visiting the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago as a young boy appeared in the July 6, 1946, issue of the Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). The author had grown up in the small town of Morenci, Michigan. The "electric bulbs which outlined the dome [...]

“No Holmes Barred!” A World’s Fair Radio Show Podcast Concludes

History, hilarity, and histrionics characterize a new satirical radio-show podcast about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. No Holmes Barred! is written, directed, and produced by Daniel Ciarrocchi (you may have seen him on Jeopardy!) and tells the dual stories of Daniel Burnham’s construction of the fairgrounds in Jackson Park and the bloody trail of murderer H. H. Holmes in nearby Englewood. If this premise sounds like a certain best-selling work of narrative nonfiction that introduced millions of readers [...]

Preserving the Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge in Jackson Park

Very few structures from the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago have survived. One of them has stood in a state of disrepair behind a chain-link fence for fifteen years. The University of Chicago student newspaper, the Chicago Maroon, had provided an update on efforts to repair this historic bridge in Jackson Park. Evgenia Anastasakos’ “Community Members Organize to Preserve Historic Jackson Park Bridge” (August 5, 2024) highlights the efforts of the newly formed Clarence Darrow [...]

By |2024-08-19T20:00:54-05:00August 22nd, 2024|Categories: NEWS|Tags: |0 Comments

Is “The Devil in the White City” TV miniseries still alive?

Deadline’s Zac Ntim recently interviewed Stacey Sher, often listed as show runner for Hulu’s The Devil in the White City TV miniseries that was shelved in March of 2023. Ntim asked Sher “is that still happening and are you still involved?” to which she replied “I’m still involved. I never give up.” When asked if fans can expect to see it sometime soon, she replied “I mean, I hope so. It’s not imminent, but it is not ever far [...]

By |2024-08-21T08:54:18-05:00August 21st, 2024|Categories: NEWS, VIDEO|Tags: |0 Comments

Aug. 29, 2024: “The Women’s Building at the Chicago World’s Fair” (Lima, OH)

The Allen County Museum in Lima, Ohio, will host a talk about the Woman’s Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition on August 29, 2024. Dr. David Strittmatter, Ohio Northern University Assistant Professor of History will present on “The Women’s Building at the Chicago World’s Fair.” This talk is part of a lecture series accompanying The Art of Domesticity, a temporary exhibition focusing on the decorative arts from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as works by contemporary [...]

By |2024-09-22T11:06:04-05:00August 20th, 2024|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

Footprint of the Obama Presidential Center in relation to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park

Construction continues on the Obama Presidential Center on the west side of Jackson Park in Chicago. An update from the Obama Foundation shows a map of the campus, which includes a Museum building, John Lewis Plaza, Forum building, a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit & Vegetable Garden, the Home Court, and a playground. To see how the space occupied by these new structures relates to buildings from the 1893 World’s Fair, check out [...]

By |2024-08-18T15:08:02-05:00August 19th, 2024|Categories: NEWS|Tags: |0 Comments

Sep. 15, 2024: “Walking the White City” tour (Chicago)

The Glessner House is offering a "Walking the White City" tour of the former fairgrounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition on Sunday, September 15, 2024, from 10 AM to noon. Architect and historian John Waters will guide participants on a walking tour of Jackson Park to see the sites of landmarks of the 1893 World's Fair, explore the fascinating vestiges, and learn how the Fair influenced the design of Jackson Park as we know it today. The tour [...]

By |2024-09-23T08:17:36-05:00August 18th, 2024|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , |0 Comments

Long-lost film footage of the 1893 World’s Fair?

Has some long-lost film footage of the 1893 World’s Fair been discovered? Not quite. But this video about a stunning piece of Chicago real estate opens with some fun AI-generated animations of the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. The video showcases a $3.6M penthouse mansion in the historic Montgomery Ward building (6 N. Michigan Ave.), constructed in 1898–99. [Note: The building across the street—constructed for use by the World’s Congress Auxiliary and which then became the new home of the Art [...]

By |2024-08-17T13:58:17-05:00August 17th, 2024|Categories: NEWS, VIDEO|Tags: |0 Comments

A City of Realized Dreams

The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition showcased harmony of architectural design and sculpture, advanced technologies to serve humanity, and education to guide moral progress. These themes are featured in the essay reprinted here, from the July 1893 issue of Catholic World. This depiction of the “East Lagoon by Moonlight” typified the dreamy quality of “the great white ephemeral city.” [Image from Picturesque World’s Fair. W.B. Conkey, 1894; digitally edited.] A CITY OF REALIZED DREAMS Wandering through the spacious [...]

By |2024-08-14T15:43:05-05:00August 15th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|0 Comments

Aug. 13 – Nov. 2, 2024: “A Broader View: The 1893 Land Run in an Era of American Change” (Enid, OK)

The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid, OK, is hosting an exhibition about 1893 Oklahoma and their relation to national events such as the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. “A Broader View: The 1893 Land Run in an Era of American Change” runs from August 13 through November 2, 2024, in the Mabee Foundation Gallery. Travel back in time through this immersive exhibit that offers a broader perspective surrounding the 1893 Land Run and other events taking place [...]

By |2024-08-14T14:32:37-05:00August 14th, 2024|Categories: EVENTS, EXHIBITS (current)|Tags: |0 Comments
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