Pillars of the Fair: John Root and Henry Codman

Two pillars of the 1893 World’s Fair died unexpectedly before they could complete their work on the fairgrounds. Even the preliminary architectural contributions of both men, however, played a monumental role in the success of the Columbian Exposition. So, it was fitting that a small monument to the memory of these two leading designers graced the fairgrounds. John Wellborn Root (left) and Henry Sargent Codman (right). Glorious achievements January 13 marks the anniversary of the death of [...]

By |2022-12-10T10:11:00-06:00January 13th, 2019|Categories: HISTORY, LOST & FOUND|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |2 Comments
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Oct. 13, 2018: “The History of Jackson Park” at Chicago Public Library

As part of the annual Chicago Open Archives program, the Chicago Public Library will open their collection on Saturday, October 13, for an event exploring the history of the city park that became home to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. “From Swampland to Presidential Center: The History of Jackson Park” will be held from 10 am to noon at the Harold Washington Library Center. CPL offers this description of the program: “Throughout many of Illinois's 200 years, Chicago's Jackson [...]

By |2022-07-08T10:00:29-05:00October 11th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , , |0 Comments
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June 15, 2018: “Night at the Fair” MSI After Hours (Chicago)

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago occupies one of the few remaining buildings from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. To honor the 125th anniversary of the building and the fair, the museum is hosting “Night at the Fair” for their latest MSI After Hours event on June 15, 2018, from 7 to 10 pm. MSI invites you to “don your best fair attire” (a glass dress, perhaps?) to travel back in time and become one of the [...]

By |2023-10-20T21:25:02-05:00May 24th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments
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Icons of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition notecards

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago held their “Revel in the White City” virtual simulation at the museum on May 19 and May 20 to a packed auditorium. It was spectacular. Making the event even more festive were a set of posters designed by Chicago artist David Lee Csicsko, titled “Icons of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.” Greeting cards of the set of eight images were available for sale at the museum. Csicsko is an acclaimed [...]

By |2022-03-05T10:20:57-06:00May 20th, 2018|Categories: PRODUCTS, VISUAL ARTS|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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What’s Left of the World’s Columbian Exposition?

“On its 125th birthday, what’s left from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition?” asked the Chicago Sun-Times this week. They note four remnants: the Palace of Fine Arts (rebuilt and now the Museum of Science and Industry); the Wooded Island; an original ticket booth now standing in Oak Park; and the 1918 “Golden Lady” statue, which is a reduced replica of the original 65-foot “Big Mary” Statue of the Republic. Their map of Jackson Park, allowing you to slide between 1893 and [...]

By |2020-06-21T13:34:18-05:00April 28th, 2018|Categories: NEWS|Tags: , , , , , , , |5 Comments
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May 19-20, 2018: “Revel in the White City” virtual simulation at MSI (Chicago)

To mark the 125th anniversary of the 1893 World’s Fair, the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago is hosting “Revel in the White City” on May 19 and 20, 2018. Visitors will experience the Columbian Exposition grounds and buildings as a virtual computer simulation, presented by Dr. Lisa M. Snyder, of UCLA’s Institute for Digital Research and Education, and Tim Samuelson, cultural historian for the City of Chicago. A scene of the Lagoon from the virtual [...]

By |2022-03-05T09:53:41-06:00April 7th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past), VISUAL ARTS|Tags: , |1 Comment
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Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry Celebrates the 1893 World’s Fair

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago is housed in one of the few buildings remaining from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition: what was then the Palace of Fine Arts. To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the World’s Fair, the Museum has mounted two displays commemorating the historic event. Lego Ferris Wheel Adam Reed Tucker installing his LEGO Ferris Wheel model. [Image from the Museum of Science and Industry.] The original 264-foot Ferris Wheel left Jackson [...]

By |2018-03-09T19:02:08-06:00March 10th, 2018|Categories: EXHIBITS (current), NEWS|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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See the Midway, German Building, and Palace of Fine Arts on Film

The Chicago Tribune has posted a video mash-up of Chicago aerial scenes, pairing vintage film footage—shot in 1914 from a dirigible flying over the city—with modern video of the same locations. The German Building (looking south) Of particular interest to fans of the 1893 World’s Fair are scenes of the Midway Plaisance (shown at 3:45 minutes in the video) followed by a fly-over of the 58th Street Beach (at 4:15), where during the fair were the Great [...]

By |2024-02-04T08:48:46-06:00November 13th, 2017|Categories: NEWS, VIDEO|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Walking the Fairgrounds

One of my earliest childhood memories was of my family taking a trip up to Chicago. During that adventure out of Central Illinois, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Jackson Park. I can vividly recollect several exhibits: a tour through the gigantic plaster beating heart, fixating on the sliced up body used as 'artwork' in a stairwell, gazing at a golden pendulum swinging back and forth in a deep shaft, and viewing a fantasy "Vintage Car of the [...]

By |2017-10-30T21:44:29-05:00October 27th, 2017|Categories: ABOUT|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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