RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Oct. 23, 2017 (Chicago): William Waldorf Astor’s World’s Fair Dinner at Cindy’s
The Chicago Athletic Association in 1913 Cindy's Rooftop in the historic Chicago Athletic Association hotel will host a special dinner on October 23, 2017. Four chefs have collaborated on the menu, which is based on William Waldorf Astor's World's Fair dinner held on October 9, 1889, at Delmonico's in New York, where business leaders met to plan their city's bid for the World's Fair. The 1893 World's Fair (of course) was held in Chicago, and the Chicago Athletic Association building, designed by World's Fair architect Henry Ives Cobb, opened in 1893. Tickets for this World's Fair dinner are available for [...]
THE LIVING INFINITE imagines Princess Eulalia’s visit to the World’s Fair
"The White City was a young woman in a wedding gown. It was an undiscovered country." -- The Living Infinite by Chantel Acevedo The Infanta Eulalia of Spain She was the Queen of the Fair and the toast of the town, but the love affair between the Spanish Princess and Chicago was short-lived. After 47 days of travel that included visits to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Washington DC, and New York, the Infanta Eulalia of Spain pulled into Chicago on June 7, 1893, as one of the most anticipated and celebrated guests of the Columbia Exposition. The city extended [...]
Oct. 23, 2017 (Chicago) THE LIVING INFINITE author reading
Chantel Acevedo, author of the new novel The Living Infinite, which imagines the life of Princess Eulalia of Spain and her 1893 trip to visit the World's Fair in Chicago, will visit City Lit Books in Chicago on Monday, October 23 at 6:30 pm as part of her national author’s tour. "The Midway was closing for the night, and so Tomas and Eulalia headed back towards the lights of the White City. Edison's incandescent bulbs would burn the whole night, and only a few dark spots remained in the Court of Honor." -- The Living Infinite by Chantel Acevedo Check out our other post [...]
“Little Mary” model sale by Hindman Auctioneers
From time to time, we’ll post descriptions of interesting or unusual Columbian Exposition items for sale or up for auction. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers of Chicago is offering an interesting item related to the 1893 World’s Fair in their Sale 530: “Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts and Silver” on October 16-17, 2017. A golden Statue of the Republic model is item number 707. The item is described as “A Gilt Plaster Model of the Statue of the Republic / after Daniel Chester French, 20th century / raised on a stepped square base. Height overall 39 1/2 inches … In decent, stable [...]
Fist City: a monumental beer
Move over PBR, there’s a new beer for 1893 World’s Fair enthusiasts. Fist City did not win a blue ribbon at the Columbian Exposition (hey, neither did Pabst!), because Revolution Brewing first released their pale ale in 2014. Initially offered only on tap at Big Star—a self-described “bourbon and beer-focused, taco-slinging, late-night honky-tonk in the heart of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood”—Fist City’s popularity encouraged Revolution to offer this brew year-round, starting in April 2015, as six packs of 12-ounce cans at many liquor and grocery stores. We rarely purchase a six-pack of beer, but Fist City caught our attention and—after [...]
Palacio’s “World of Iron”
Imagine a colossal globe—six times larger in diameter than the “Spaceship Earth” geodesic sphere at Disney’s Epcot Center and supported by a base as tall as the original Ferris Wheel—towering over the 1893 Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. Miles of tramway would carry visitors along a spiral path rising inside the globe and then emerge and continue ascending around the exterior to an observation pinnacle eclipsing any man-made structure. That stupendous vision emerged from the mind of Alberto de Palacio in 1890. As America prepared to host the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, planners yearned for an architectural wonder that would [...]
Repairing the Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge
The Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge has seen better days. Closed since 2015 due to structural deterioration, this pedestrian bridge provides the only east-west path across Jackson Park between the Museum of Science and Industry at E. 57th Street on the north to almost E. 63rd Street / Hayes Drive on the south end. Its reconstruction and re-opening is welcome news to everyone who uses Jackson Park and especially to 1893 World’s Fair enthusiasts who enjoy visiting the old fairgrounds. Construction of the fairgrounds, showing the original bridge across the isthmus between the Lagoon and North Pond. During [...]
“A Wheel With a View” in Summer 2017 Chicago History
Summer 2017 Chicago History magazine. Who can resist an unexpected trip to the Midway? While I always enjoy ripping opening the envelope to reveal the latest issue of Chicago History magazine published by the Chicago History Museum, the Summer 2017 issue offered a special treat. A gorgeous image of Charles Graham's painting of the Ferris Wheel graces the cover, complementing a 28-page feature, "A Wheel With a View" by Russell L. Lewis. His short essay on the history of the Columbian Exposition's most famous attraction is accompanied by 29 images, most from the Museum's archives. While enjoying [...]
Dec. 1-30, 2017 (Chicago): Joffrey Ballet returns to the Fair
Chicago's Joffrey Ballet will be returning to the Columbian Exposition with their 2017 production of The Nutcracker, running from December 1 to 30 at the Auditorium Theater. This spectacular ballet by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon premiered in 2016 and invites the audience to ... "journey inside Chicago's 1893 World's Fair with Wheeldon's critically acclaimed holiday masterpiece. When young Marie and her mother, a sculptress who is creating the fair's iconic Statue of the Republic, host a holiday party, a surprise visit from the charming Great Impresario sets off a Christmas Eve dream of whirlwind romance and adventure. A must-see tradition [...]
A Description of Dedication Day
A description of Dedication Day from Shepp’s World’s Fair Photographed by James W. Shepp and Daniel B. Shepp (Globe Bible Publishing Co., 1893): DEDICATION OF EXPOSITION, OCTOBER 22, 1892 Never in the history of the world has a sight more thrilling been presented to the gaze and understanding of man than that of the Dedication of the World's Columbian Exposition, October 20, 21, and 22, 1892. Great crowds flocked toward the Exposition grounds, making a continuous stream of humanity that surged in one great sentient, unbroken wave, only to divide around the magnificent structures that proudly lifted their ivory [...]