John Wellborn Root

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John Wellborn Root

John Wellborn Root, Sr. (born January 10, 1850 in Lumpkin , Georgia , † January 15, 1891 in Chicago ) was an important American architect . He worked with Daniel Burnham in Chicago . Root was one of the founders of the Chicago School Style. One of his buildings has been designated a historical landmark, other buildings designed by him are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Life

Root grew up in Atlanta and went to school there. After the occupation of Atlanta by northern troops in the Civil War , his family emigrated to Liverpool in England . In Liverpool he studied at the Clare Mount School . His later work is influenced by the Liverpool architect Peter Ellis , who erected the world's first two metal-framed glass buildings: the Oriel Chambers (1864) and the house on 16 Cook Street (1866).

After returning to the United States , Wellborn Root graduated from New York University in 1869 . He then worked as an unpaid assistant to architect James Renwick, Jr. He later worked in New York City for John Butler Snook . During this time he oversaw the construction of Grand Central Station . In 1871 he went to Chicago and took a job in an architecture firm. He made the acquaintance of Daniel Burnham . In 1873 both founded the architecture firm Burnham and Root . Their collaboration lasted 18 years. Wellborn Root worked on the side for other companies and planned the construction of the first Presbyterian Church in Chicago.

Wellborn Root developed a system of steel meshes that made it possible to build tall houses while preventing them from sinking into the ground. This system was first used in 1882 in the construction of the Montauk Building . He later used this construction method in the construction of the Pheninx Building (1887), which in its style mimicked the William LeBaron Jenney's Home Insurance Building from 1885.

Wellborn Root, Burnham, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan jointly founded the Western Association of Architects . Wellborn Root served as its president in 1886. In 1887 he was elected director of the National American Institute of Architects .

Wellborn Root married Mary Louise Walker in 1879, daughter of James M. Walker, who lived on Prairie Avenue, 1720, the best neighborhood in Chicago. He moved to her parents' house. Six weeks after the wedding, his 21-year-old wife died of tuberculosis . In 1882 he married Dora Louise Monroe. Their son, John Wellborn Root, Jr., was an architect in Chicago like his father and a member ( NA ) of the National Academy of Design .

Burnham & Root were given the supervision of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Burnham took care of the execution of the work as "Director of Works", while Roots was responsible for overseeing architectural matters as "Supervisor" and "Consulting Architect". Among other things, they ensured that a uniform design was maintained, especially in the courtyard of honor. B. the height, width, facade structure fixed.

Before the completion of their plans died Wellborn Root 1891 at the age of 41 years at a pneumonia . The memorial service, held by Bishop Cheney, was held on Sunday, January 18, at the family home at 56 Astor Street, now 1310 N. Astor Street. Root designed the house in a series of four delightful "Queen Anne" row houses for James L. Houghteling himself in 1888. Pallbearers included his business partner Daniel Burnham, President of the Art Institute, Charles L. Hutchinson, and William Pretyman, a close friend of Root who would later decorate the hallway in John and Frances Glessner's house. Root was buried in Graceland Cemetery .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hoffmann, Donald, The Architecture of John Wellborn Root , University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Il, 1988, c.1973 p. 1, 2
  2. ^ Oriel Chambers, Water Street, Liverpool, completed in 1864. Architect: Peter Ellis
  3. ^ A b Lanctot, Barbara, A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery , Chicago Architectural Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, 1988 p. 14-15
  4. ↑ nationalacademy.org: Past Academicians "R" / Root, John Wellborn NA 1955 ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on July 14, 2015)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nationalacademy.org
  5. ^ The Glessner House Museum

The buildings of his partnership with Daniel Burnham are listed in the two-volume work by Charles Moore: Daniel H. Burnham, architect, planner of cities . Publisher: Houghton Mifflin. Boston 1921

Web links

literature

personal data
SURNAME Root, John Wellborn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American architect
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1850
PLACE OF BIRTH Lumpkin , Georgia
DATE OF DEATH January 15, 1891
Place of death Chicago