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Rookery Building

Address: 209 S LaSalle St
Neighborhood of Chicago Loop in Chicago

Travel Genus: Sight
Sight Category: Building

Theme Group: Early Skyscraper

As Noted In: America's Favorite Architecture - 2007, American Institute of Architects
As Noted In: Notable Climbs and Stairs, Phantom
As Noted In: US National Historic Landmark, US National Park Service
As Noted In: US National Register of Historic Places, US National Park Service
As Noted In: World's Most Awesome Arcades and Atriums, Phantom

Rookery Building is a notable office building in The Loop, Chicago, completed in 1888 and designed by Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root. Celebrated for its pioneering foundation and steel-frame construction, the building features a stunning light-filled interior court, which is open to the public, an iconic spiraling iron staircase and ornate decorative details. Over the years, architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and William E Drummond have renovated the interior, adding Prairie-style chandeliers, Art Deco elements, and grand geometric urns, making the Rookery a landmark of Chicago architecture and design. - AsNotedIn

Y/M/D	Person	Association	Description	Composition	Food	Event
Y/M/D	Person	Association	Description	Composition	Food	Event
1885/00/00	Burnham and Root	Architect	Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root are commissioned to design an office building for the Central Safety Deposit Company, to be located at the southeast corner of LaSalle and Adams Streets in Chicago.
1888/00/00	John Wellborn Root	Architect	John W Root designs an iron staircase in the Rookery Building that spirals from the 2nd floor up to the 12th, projecting into the light well its intricate repeating patterns and winding structure create a striking and dramatic effect.
1888/01/00	Burnham and Root	Architects	Designed by John W Root of Burnham and Root, the 11-story Rookery Building opens at the corner of Adams and La Salle streets. Burnham and Root move their headquarters to The Rookery. Their former offices are now known as The Burnham Library.			World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
1889/00/00	Turlington W Harvey	Work	Turlington Harvey organizes the Harvey Land Association to promote Harvey, Illinois in the nation's religious press as a temperance community offering steady work for skilled labor. The association maintains its offices at 819-825 in the Rookery Building.
1905/00/00	Frank Lloyd Wright	Architect	Frank Wright renovates the interior court of the Rookery Building, encasing most of the ironwork in white marble gilded with designs inspired by Root's Arab motifs near the entrance, and adds hanging Prairie-style chandeliers and grand geometric urns.
1931/00/00	William E Drummond	Architect	William Drummond, Wright's former chief draftsmen, adds Art Deco elements to the Rookery, dividing the two-story entrance lobby into separate floors and replacing Wrights open-geometric elevator cages with solid bronze doors etched with birds.

Y/M/D

Person

Association

Description

Composition

Food

Event

Y/M/D

Person

Association

Description

Composition

Food

Event

1885/00/00

Burnham and Root

Architect

Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root are commissioned to design an office building for the Central Safety Deposit Company, to be located at the southeast corner of LaSalle and Adams Streets in Chicago.

1888/00/00

John Wellborn Root

Architect

John W Root designs an iron staircase in the Rookery Building that spirals from the 2nd floor up to the 12th, projecting into the light well its intricate repeating patterns and winding structure create a striking and dramatic effect.

1888/01/00

Burnham and Root

Architects

Designed by John W Root of Burnham and Root, the 11-story Rookery Building opens at the corner of Adams and La Salle streets. Burnham and Root move their headquarters to The Rookery. Their former offices are now known as The Burnham Library.

World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

1889/00/00

Turlington W Harvey

Work

Turlington Harvey organizes the Harvey Land Association to promote Harvey, Illinois in the nation's religious press as a temperance community offering steady work for skilled labor. The association maintains its offices at 819-825 in the Rookery Building.

1905/00/00

Frank Lloyd Wright

Architect

Frank Wright renovates the interior court of the Rookery Building, encasing most of the ironwork in white marble gilded with designs inspired by Root's Arab motifs near the entrance, and adds hanging Prairie-style chandeliers and grand geometric urns.

1931/00/00

William E Drummond

Architect

William Drummond, Wright's former chief draftsmen, adds Art Deco elements to the Rookery, dividing the two-story entrance lobby into separate floors and replacing Wrights open-geometric elevator cages with solid bronze doors etched with birds.

Particulars for Rookery Building:
Area of Significance	Architecture
Criteria	Architecture-Engineering
Architectural Style	Art Deco
Building Attribute	Atrium
Sight Category	Building
Build Material	Cast Iron
Architectural Style	Chicago School, Chicago Commercial
Area of Design	Decorative Arts
Criteria	Exemplar
Structural Design	Grillage Foundation
Building attibute	Iron and Glass
Level of Significance	National
Historic Use	Professional
Architectural Style	Romanesque Revival

Particulars for Rookery Building:

Area of Significance

Architecture

Criteria

Architecture-Engineering

Architectural Style

Art Deco

Building Attribute

Atrium

Sight Category

Building

Build Material

Cast Iron

Architectural Style

Chicago School, Chicago Commercial

Area of Design

Decorative Arts

Criteria

Exemplar

Structural Design

Grillage Foundation

Building attibute

Iron and Glass

Level of Significance

National

Historic Use

Professional

Architectural Style

Romanesque Revival

PLACE DETAILS
Registry Name:
Registry Address:
Registry Number:	70000238
Resource Type:
Owner:	Private
Architect:	Burnham and Root
Architectural Style:	Chicago
Other Certification:	Designated National Landmark
Nominator Name:	National Historic Landmark

PLACE DETAILS

Registry Name:

Registry Address:

Registry Number:

70000238

Resource Type:

Owner:

Private

Architect:

Burnham and Root

Architectural Style:

Chicago

Other Certification:

Designated National Landmark

Nominator Name:

National Historic Landmark

CULTURAL DETAILS
Level of Significance:	National
Area of Significance:	Architecture
Applicable Criteria:	Architecture-Engineering
Period of Significance:	1875-1899
Significant Year:	1886, 1888
Historic Function:	Commerce, Trade
Historic Sub-Function:	Professional
Current Function:	Commerce, Trade
Current Sub-Function:	Professional

CULTURAL DETAILS

Level of Significance:

National

Area of Significance:

Architecture

Applicable Criteria:

Architecture-Engineering

Period of Significance:

1875-1899

Significant Year:

1886, 1888

Historic Function:

Commerce, Trade

Historic Sub-Function:

Professional

Current Function:

Commerce, Trade

Current Sub-Function:

Professional

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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America	Book	1000 BHV	Erik Larson
The Untouchables	Film	1001 Movie	Brian De Palma	Police Headquarters Film Location

Work

Type

AsNotedIn

Creator

Note

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

Book