2. Personal Data Legal Name: Louis Henry Sullivan Birth date: September 3, 1856 Place of birth: Boston, Massachusetts Ethnic Group: Irish and Swiss Permanent Home Address: Chicago Citizenship: US Citizen Education: 1 year at MIT, 6 months at Ecole des Beaux-Arts
3. Early Life Entered MIT in 1872, age 16 Dissatisfied about how strictly the school focused on classical architecture Went to visit my parents in Chicago Saw possibilities of rebuilding the city Travelled to Paris to study at one of the greatest schools of architecture After a year in Europe, came back to Chicago Worked as a draftsman Produced quick and skillful design Worked for Dankmar Adler 1881, we became partners I provided designs, Adler provided the clients and solved the engineering problems
4. 1880-1889 Philosophy: “Form Follows Function” Architecture Product design Software engineering Automobile design Earlier work: designed the Rothschild Store and Ryerson Building 1880, started to propose buildings to reconstruct Chicago Elegant and simple, focused on height and safety
7. Auditorium Building One of my greatest works, designed with Adler Combined theater, hotel, and office building Three stages: a block with pitched roof and squat towers, a raised tower with a pyramidal cap, and a massive, unornamented block with a tower rising stories above the larger structure Was the showplace in Chicago until the Great Depression Roosevelt University moved into the building in 1947 Auditorium Theater Council was established to restore the theater 25 years after it was closed, the NYC Ballet performed Audience was crazy about the architecture as well as the ballet I became famous through the Auditorium’s rational structure and ornamentation
15. First to design steel-framed skyscrapers Created tall and structurally secure buildings Invented unique American style of architecture Steered away from Greek and Roman architectural designs to create unique American style Borden Block-reflected this style
