Submitted by Claudia Winkler, Class of 2007, who notes: Ken de Muth, great friend of CAF docents and a Pappageorge Haynes architect, sent this email. He told this story when he did tours for CAF of the Old Colony Building, so some will have heard it, but it’s great historic news.
So,
We all like our super heroes. In the field of architecture, Chicago has always had more than its fair share. There are the oft-cited contemporary and historic masters that come to mind. And many landmark iconic structures stand as proof. There is also that long forgotten day in 1891 when the ordinary Chicago architect was the superhero, penning tall skyscrapers in a single stroke.
That day was Thursday, November 19, 1891. The circumstance was a looming threat of a tall building moratorium brought on by fears of congestion, dark streets, unstable structures, fire, pollution and worst of all, design monstrosities. The just-finishing Masonic Temple by Burnham & Root was the world’s tallest at 22 stories and 302 ft. high, stirring denunciation and fears throughout the city.
The public demanded action and the City was compelled to act. Word leaked out Thursday morning that the following Monday’s City Council meeting would pass an ordinance restricting buildings to a height not over 10 stories or 130 ft. In a burgeoning city filled with real estate speculators and developers it was quickly realized that any empty site would have far less development potential and value after the Monday passage. Sensing a unique opportunity a few architects and their clients leapt into action. But none more so than Holabird & Roche. Edward Renwick, studio chief for H&R, described it as follows in his Recollections of 1932:
“The first intimation of this move came into our office one Thursday morning at 11:00. The Council would pass an ordinance Monday night limiting the height to 130 ft.” Renwick informed Holabird and, “We decided to make an offer to some of our clients to make the necessary permit drawings at our own expense for several sixteen-story buildings, providing the owners would pay for the taking out of permits. If our clients could be persuaded to act quickly enough we could get the permits out before Monday night and insure to them and to us the erection of several more buildings in excess of the proposed 130 feet.”
To their amazement, Holabird & Roche landed orders for five buildings that afternoon. To make the deadline, Renwick overnight hired 40 draftsmen, having them work in relays of consecutive 12 hour shifts from Friday through Monday. Renwick never slept and supervised it all. By this effort, the landmark Old Colony, Champlain, Marquette and Monadnock annex buildings were all realized. Similar though less heroic efforts took place in the offices of other architects. Not less than 15 permits for tall buildings were hurried through completion for the Monday deadline. (The permit process only took a day then.) Shortly thereafter, the Financial Panic of 1892 set in which otherwise would have killed these projects. The survival of H&R and other firms no doubt was aided by these chance commissions. Chicago would go on to solidify itself as home to preeminent design and the architecture superhero.
I love this story and hope you find it inspiring as well. I’m grateful for the Tribune archives which helped to verify the exact dates.
If you happen to have an empty site and looming zoning moratorium I might be persuaded to honor the same deal but don’t count on a one day permit.
Sincerely,
Ken de Muth, AIA
Senior Associate, Papageorge Haynes