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138. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Guatemala Building
THE GUATEMALA BUILDING.—Built in the Spanish style and tastefully though not profusely decorated, the Guatemala Building presented a most attractive frontage from its site at the east end of the North Pond. The edifice was one hundred and eleven feet square, and two stories in height, and the corners were embellished by graceful towers twenty-three feet in diameter. The entire height of the towers was sixty-five feet, and in [...]
The Master Mind of the 1893 World’s Fair
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted—landscape architect, author, conservationist, and social activist. His ambitious designs transformed Jackson Park in Chicago into the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The excerpt below, from the November 1, 1893, issue of the Chicago Inter Ocean newspaper, is quick to credit the many important architects who together designed the fairgrounds. From Olmsted’s seminal vision, [...]
June 25, 2022: Devil in the White City Bus Tour (Chicago)
Experience the murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America on a 4-hour bus tour offered by the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Inspired by Erik Larson’s best-selling book (soon to be a miniseries), this tour will take you back to 1893 with historian Al Walavich, to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. Visit the historic fairgrounds, the Garden [...]
137. Picturesque World’s Fair – North and West from the Government Building
NORTH AND WEST FROM THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING.—From the dome of the Government Building the prospect north and west afforded as much variety as could be had from any point of observation of the Fair Grounds, since in other directions the view was either much shorter or was cut off by the huge department structures. The illustration shows the Fisheries in the foreground, the details of the south façade of [...]
Feb. 25-Jun. 25, 2022: “Crossings: Mapping American Journeys” (Newberry Library, Chicago)
A map of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds is part of a new exhibit at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Maps, guidebooks, travelogues, postcards, and more from the Library’s collection recreate travelers’ experiences along the northern and southern borders of the US, across the continent’s interior, and up and down the Mississippi River. “Crossings: Mapping American Journeys” includes an enlarged print of the Indexed Guide Map and Key [...]
Apr. 28, 2022: “From Fair to Field: The Field Museum’s Roots in the Columbian Exposition” (Northfield, IL)
Thursday, April 28, 2022, the Winnetka-Northfield Library District will host Mark Alvey, speaking on "From Fair to Field: The Field Museum's Roots in the Columbian Exposition." Mr. Alvey of the Field Museum will present a talk on the origin of the Field Columbian Museum, which opened in June 1894, with approximately 50,000 objexts from the 1893 World's Fair. The event runs from 7-8 PM in the Northfield Library (1785 [...]
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 [...]
The Girl Who Walked on a Monster’s Belt
“The Fair, considered as an electrical exposition only, would be well worthy the attention of the world.” —Murat Halstead, “Electricity at the Fair” Cosmopolitan, September 1893. A great central power plant inside of Machinery Hall powered most of the incandescent lamps, arc lamps, motors, and water pumps for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Capable of delivering more than 12,000 horsepower (9480 kilowatts), this was not only—by far—the largest power [...]
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 [...]
Mar 29, 2022: “Daniel Burnham: Make No Little Plans” (Council Bluffs, IA)
Historical dramatist R.J. Lindsey will become Daniel Burnham, Director of Works for the 1893 World's Fair, in a living history program at the Council Bluffs Public Library on March 29, 2022. In "Daniel Burnham: Make No Little Plans," the famed Chicago architect narrates a slide program, including many photographs, detailing the Chicago Fire of 1871, the building of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition, and the Chicago Development Plan of [...]
Mar. 27, 2022: “Sophia Hayden Deserves Better” play reading (Barrington, IL)
In 1891 a brilliant 23-year-old woman won an architecture contest to design the Woman’s Building for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. What should have been the start to a flourishing career in architecture became career-ending. Throughout the two-year process of building the Woman’s Building, the architect quietly endured bullying, micromanaging, and undermining until she finally spoke up. In a time when women were defined as physically and intellectually [...]
Apr. 14, 2022: “The Fire at the Fair” (Northfield, IL)
Thursday, April 14, 2022, the Winnetka-Northfield Library District will host "Chicago History Cop" Raymond Johnson, speaking on "The Fire at the Fair." Mr. Johnson will present his research on tragic fire at the Cold Storage Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and his surprising discovery at the memorial at Chicago’s Oakwoods Cemetery. The event runs from 7-8 PM in the Northfield Library (1785 Orchard Lane in Northfield, IL) [...]
Apr. 7, 2022: “The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism During Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair” (Winnetka, IL)
Thursday, April 7, 2022, the Winnetka-Northfield Library District will host author and archaeologist Rebecca Graff, speaking on "The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism During Chicago's 1893 World's Fair." Prof. Graff will present research from archaeological sites associated with the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The event runs from 7-8 PM in the Winnetka Library (768 Oak Street in Winnetka, IL) and is free and open to the public. Registration is [...]
When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 5
Dessert: Chilled Relations Continued from Part 4. “I have never called Chicago a pork-packing town.” —Ward McAllister As Opening Day of the 1893 World’s Fair approached, Chicago busied herself with final preparations for hosting millions of guests from around the world. The Exposition would be the biggest party ever thrown, and the names of many dignitaries populated the guest list. Royalty rolled down the Midway Plaisance when the [...]
136. Picturesque World’s Fair – Birds-Eye View of the Columbian Fountain
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN.—It was a merit of the famous Columbian Fountain and one indicative of its quality as a great work of art that it was beautiful from whatever direction a view of it might be taken. So perfect were the relations of its parts that even a bird's-eye view gave something symmetrical and picturesque In the illustration, the observer being almost directly north and at [...]
Seizing Russian Assets at the 1893 World’s Fair
Arriving unannounced and dressed in civilian clothing, United States government officials attempted to seize Russian assets in Chicago. In retaliation of the invasion, the Russians abruptly withdrew from a major international alliance. The year was 1893. The World’s Columbian Exposition was a trade show on a colossal scale. Foreign countries and businesses sent to the World's Fair in Chicago an enormous quantity of goods to display in the great [...]
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 [...]
When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 4
Third Course: The Head Butler Serves Another Helping Continued from Part 3. “Mr. McAllister, with ill-concealed triumph, proceeds this week to rub salt into the wounds so freshly made.” —The New York World, April 16, 1893 His thick sauce decidedly unappetizing for Chicago’s taste, Ward McAllister surveyed the indigestion caused by his arrogant advice column targeted at the city about to host the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Nathan [...]
Apr. 4, 2022: “Chicago Exposition 1893” at Lewiston Auburn Senior College (ME)
What do Milton Hershey, L. Frank Baum, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frederick Law Olmsted, Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla and a host of other have in common? They were all part of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the topic of a lecture "Chicago Exposition 1893" by Alan Elze offered at Lewiston Auburn Senior College in Lewiston, Maine, on April 4, 2022. The event will be held Lewiston-Auburn Senior College [...]
When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 3
Second Course: Chicago Bites Back Continued from Part 2. “The World’s Fair cannot help but open the eyes of our Western Natives to our superiority.” —Ward McAllister Would Chicago frappé its wine too much? Certainly not with the rising temperatures caused by Ward McAllister’s sanctimonious sermon on proper entertaining during the 1893 World’s Fair. Chicago newspapers launched a vigorous counterattack in the days following the publication of McAllister’s interview [...]