Rookery Building (Chicago, Il) : Lobby light court and stair by Frank Lloyd Wright, general view of the court and stair, from the southwest corner of the mezzanine

Creator:
Burnham and Root. American architectural firm, 1873-1891
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
Published/Created:
209 S. LaSalle St, Chicago, Illinois, United States
1885-1888 ; 1905-1907
Date Depicted:
10/1/1995
1850 AD - 1899 AD
Materials:
stone
Notes:
By mixing modern building techniques such as metal framing, fireproofing, elevators and plate glass, together with traditional ones such as brick facades and elaborate ornamentation, Burnham and Root sought to create a bold architectural statement that would nonetheless survive as a commercially successful office building. Of particular note was a "floating" foundation - a reinforced concrete slab that provided the building's weight with a solid platform atop Chicago's notoriously swampy soil. The term for the type of foundation that Root designed is grillage foundation, a foundation where iron rails and the structural beams are combined in a crisscross pattern and encased in concrete to support the building's immense weight without heavy foundation stones. Wright received the commission, in 1905, to redesign the lobby in the building; at the time considered the grandest in Chicago. Wright's work on the Rookery recast the entryway in his Prairie style and added a sense of modernity through his simple but effective lighting design. Among Wright's most significant alterations was the addition of white marble with Persian-style ornamentation.
Topics:
Architecture -- United States -- 19th century -- (YVRC)
Architecture -- United States -- 20th century -- (YVRC)
Period/Style:
Chicago School
Richardsonian Romanesque
Culture:
American
Accession Number:
1A1-BR-RB-L1
Genre:
architecture (AAT)
office buildings (AAT)
Format:
Image
Content Type:
Sculptures, Models, & Architecture
Rights:
Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.
Access Restrictions:
Yale Community Only
Digital:
construction buildings; multistory buildings; high-rise buildings; skyscrapers; buildings; office buildings interior; stair
Source Creator:
Gilchrist, Scott
Source Title:
Archivision Base Collection
Source Created:
2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
10/1/1995
Source Note:
Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist
Yale Collection:
Visual Resources Collection
Digital Collection:
Visual Resources Collection
Local Record Number:
4152
OID:
10088052
PID:
digcoll:1824645