Columbian Exposition News
The enduring legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair in modern scholarship, education, the arts, creative products, preservation, and other events.
RECENT POSTS ABOUT COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION NEWS
Jackson Park oak trees uprooted and destroyed (redux)
Some Chicago residents are expressing outrage about the number of mature trees being cut down in Jackson Park due to construction of the Obama Presidential Center (and possibly more for coming down for a planned golf course). More people than you think, perhaps, will be sorry that it has been destroyed. Many years ago, some Chicagoan were distressed by all the trees being chopped down in Jackson Park in [...]
Sept 10, 2022: 1893 Chicago’s Columbian Exposition doc film premiere (Chicago)
A new full-length documenary film 1893 Chicago's Columbian Exposition will have it theatrical premier on September 10th, 2022, at 5 pm. The event is in coordination with the Design Museum of Chicago and will be held at Chicago Filmmakers (1326 W. Hollywood Ave. in Chicago). A $10 donation is requested. Following the screening will be a demonstration on the patio of a World's Fair augmented reality project. For more [...]
Keanu Reeves Heads to the White City as Builder not Killer
After nearly two decades in development, a long-awaited screen drama about the 1893 World’s Fair may be coming at last. Hulu announced on August 4, 2022, that Keanu Reeves has officially joined the cast of the streaming service’s upcoming limited series The Devil in the White City. Back in January, rumors circulated that Reeves was in talks for an unidentified role. The show will be an adaptation of Erik [...]
Olmsted’s Three Visions for Jackson Park
The National Association for Olmsted Parks has posted a fascinating look at "Olmsted’s Three Visions for Jackson Park" by Julia Bachrach. She explores the designs by Frederick Law Olmsted for South Park in 1871, the fairgrounds of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, and return of Jackson Park in 1895. Construction in 1891 of the fairgrounds for the 1893 World's Fair.
The best selling book ever written about Chicago
"At 2.3 million copies, this may be the best selling book ever written about Chicago," reports Chicago Magazine. Making their list of The 10 Best 21st Century Chicago Nonfiction Books, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (2003) is Erik Larson's "intertwined biographies of Chicago’s greatest builder and its greatest destroyer." This captivating narrative nonfiction account of the 1893 World's [...]
“Very beautiful beyond description”
Who was Samuel A. Dow? How did he get to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago from his home in North Hampton, New Hampshire? Which buildings did he visit on the fairgrounds? What site did he describe as "very beautiful beyond description"? The North Hampton Historical Society shares a summary of his diary in "Mr Dow Goes to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair." The New Hampshire State Building. [Image [...]
Devil Details: Someone “inspired and probably unexpected” to star in Hulu’s “The Devil in the White City”
Deadline’s recent interview with Jordan Helman, head of scripted content at Hulu, revealed a few tantalizing tidbits about the streaming service’s project, The Devil in the White City. He confirms that Sam Shaw is the showrunner, working “within a small army of producers.” Previous reports have this production team including Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Emma Koskoff, Jennifer Davisson, Rick Yorn, and Stacey Sher. Helman also confirms that sitting in [...]
Changes Coming to Midway Plaisance
“Passing under the Stony Island viaduct, we are in a new world, which, while it does not pretend to instruct, still conveys quite an amount of real knowledge, though carefully enshrouded in a sugarcoating of amusement.” —“The World's Columbian Exposition, a View from the Ferris Wheel” Scientific American September 9, 1893, pp. 169 70. The Midway Plaisance, a six hundred-foot wide by one-mile-long strip of land connecting Jackson Park [...]
Hulu’s “The Devil in the White City” to be a musical!
Plans for the long-awaited screen adaptation of Erik Larson’s best-selling The Devil in the White City have taken an unusual turn, with the announcement that the paired stories of the 1893 World’s Fair and serial murders will be set to song, with a flock of heavy-hitter musical talent being cast in several lead roles. While the lead role of H. H. Holmes remains unfilled at this time, many sources [...]
In a Pickle on Jeopardy
Writers for Jeopardy have been digging into the history of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition for answers to questions in recent weeks. Amy Schneider's incredible winning streak came to end soon after missing a Final Jeopardy question about the Field Columbian Museum on the January 24, 2022, episode. During the episode airing on Friday, February 4, 2022 (Show #8570), the "Dance Party" category held the answer "At the 1893 [...]