Saint Louis 1904 - Festival Hall
In 1901 Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) designed the elaborate hall for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in Saint Louis in 1904. This short-lived structure deserves attention, as it was a main focus of the fair and an important benchmark in its designer's career.
Born in Ohio, Cass Gilbert studied at MIT and in Europe he subsequently set up practice in St. Paul with a former classmate, James Knox Taylor. After a ten-year partnership they split and Gilbert moved on to New York City. Although he had already designed notable buildings, such as the Broadway Chambers Building in 1899 and the Union Club in 1901, his widespread recognition came mostly after winning an Exposition gold at the Fair where he also designed the Palace of Fine Arts, which is now known as the St. Louis Art Museum.
William H. Thompson, the chairman for the fair's committee on grounds and buildings, established a thirteen-member team to arrange the fairgrounds. Gilbert was assigned to this commission and served as chairman of the committee that devised the site plan. He had a unique knowledge of the grounds as he had recently studied the adjoining grounds for the competition to design nearby Washington University.
Gilbert had a little experience in large-scale site planning at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago where he had been an architecture juror. This was his first real chance to design a plan as large as that of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which included 1,240 acres, about twice as much as at the Chicago Columbian Exposition.
The Hall's dome was 145 feet wide and set on a cylindrical base 200 feet wide. It seated 4,000 guests and had an enormous stage capable of supporting a full orchestr...
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... Hall. Because it was so colorful and exciting, this structure typified the fair, as well as it epitomized Cass Gilbert's talent.
Bibliography
Bennet, Mark History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Universal Exposition Publishing Co. St. Louis 1905
Fox, Tim From the Palaces to the Pike Missouri Historical Society Press Albuquerque 1997 (T860.B1F69
http://www.inlink.com/~terryl Terry's "1904 World's Fair Page" Student Website
http://www.boondocksnet.com/stereo/wf_stlouis.html "3D photos of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair" Private/Educational
http://www.jayski.com/jack/decanter12.htm "Jack Daniels" Commercial
http://www.bitwise.net/~ken-bill/fair.htm "Meet me at the Fair" Personal
Irish, Sharon Cass Gilbert, Architect The Monacelli Press, New York, 1999
Kirkham, Guy "Cass Gilbert, Master of Style" Pencil Points 15 (November 1934), 541-556
In his book Terre des Hommes (1939, translated as Man and His World), Antoine de St. Exupéry wrote that "to be a man is to feel that through one's own contribution, one helps to build the world." This is the quote that inspired the theme for the Montreal exposition, also named Man and His World, after the novel's title. The 1967 exposition was supposed to take place in the USSR, on the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Although permission was given to the Soviets in 1960, they backed out in 1962. Jean Drapeau, Montreal's ambitious mayor, proposed that the fair be held in his city. A site was selected on the St. Lawrence River in order to avoid the costly expropriation of land. Only the Ile Sainte-Hélène and Mackay Pier, where the Cité du Havre would be located, existed originally; the other islands had to be built. The Ile Notre Dâme was built out of mudflats, and the Ile Sainte-Hélène was extended to make room for La Ronde. These modifications in infrastructure expanded the fair's size to 1000 acres.
...ch allows the person to enter the glass atrium connecting all of the wings of the building, which was added in 2012. Breuer was honored with the commission after he had shown his design abilities in other aspects throughout the city. The museum expansion was just one of the few of Breuer’s designs that still stand today. Breuer’s work in both furniture design and architecture has been around for many years, and will continue to be around for many more to come.
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was the turning point between old Victorian, provential, and backwater ways in the US, and the modern outlook and culture we enjoy today. It was built on a scale that had never been seen before. It provided technological wonders, new cultures, and a look into a brighter future. It helped to take the US from being a backwater, second rate power to a world super power. It was progressive in the labor and safety movements. In short, it was a major turning point in American history.
By the time Hunt was selected to design the Administration Building, he was near the end of his distinguished career. The first American architect to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Hunt had acquired the status of "dean of American architecture" (Stein 3). His reputation was supported by his large output of fine eclectic buildings such as the Breakers in Newport (1892-95) and Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina (1888-95), both estates for the wealthy Vanderbilt family. These two stylistically different buildings exhibit the quality of Hunt's architecture known as the "grand manner," where he achieved monumentality by combining different sources of classical architecture. This quality was what attracted the fair organizers, and it would be carried to its furthest expression in the Administration Building.
Wilhoite, Larry. Spotlight on History: Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Waxahachie Newspaper Inc., 30 November 2013. Web. 26 April 2014.
Correspondence of John C. Calhoun. J. Franklin Jameson, ed. Annual Report of the American Historical Association 1899. II. 1900.
The “White City” was a vast collection of architecture and arts that were put on display in the year 1893. The Chicago World Fair, also called the “White City”, was a major event in American history that impacted America’s culture, economic, and industry. The Chicago World Fair was held to honor Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The real reason why it was made was to proudly have back their wealth and power. Larson said, “the tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel…”(15). To accomplish this, architects led by Daniel Burnham and John Root made numerous buildings and beautiful scenery
Schesinger, Arthur M. The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. Vol. 9, No. 2. September 1922. P.167-170.
Soon after the fire, legislature decided to tear down the remains of the damaged structure and replace it with a larger and more stylish design. Chicago architect, Henry Ives Cobb, was selected to design and build the second capitol. The government gave him a budget of only $550,000, which was not nearly enough to reproduce the size and design that the legislature had envisioned. Due to limited funds, Cobb was unable to finish his intended design. Legislature was embarrassed and unimpres...
Brinkley, Alan American History A Survey, Volume I: To 1877, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. pg. 101-122, 209-213.
His design was a Neo-classical plan that followed the classical style of ancient Greece and Rome. He drew a building that consists of two wings that extended north and south of a centural section. A huge cast-iron dome rests on the central section of the building.(World, 196) President Washington was very pleased with Dr. Thorton's plans and he was awarded first prize. Now it was time for Washington to lay the cornerstone on September 18, 1793.(National Park)
With the Pantheon being built over 1700 years ago, it’s amazing that architects are still using features and techniques from this work of architecture in modern creations. The use of this type of classical architecture will continue to be used in works for public space due to its remarkable exterior appearance and it’s long lasting structural durability. When both Jesse hall and the Pantheon are compared it is possible to see their similarities from the types of domes that top each, their external facades, and their interior plan. While they share many similarities, the differences that Bell and Binder used in their creation make this work of architecture unique to many other public spaces.
Boorstin, D. J., Kelley, B.M., and Boorstein, R. F., A History of the United States. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2003. 624, 659-60.
Walking into the theatre, handing my ticket to the ticket lady, I watched as workers scurried about trying to make sure everything was perfect for the upcoming concert. Chrome edged boxes were stacked in a couple of corners with the occasional person grabbing something instrumental out of one. In the adjacent corner of the building there were Jars of Clay souvenirs. There were posters, CD's, clothing, key chains, and lots of other visually appealing items on the tables.