Blog

By Bill Coffin, Class of 2004
Tour Director, Art Deco Skyscrapers

The Carbide and Carbon Building was designed to be the color of a champagne bottle, and the proof is in Daniel Burnham Jr.’s business diary, which is in the archival collections at the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The diary’s daily entries were typewritten, cut and pasted onto the pages of the leather bound volume, and signed “DHBurnham”. The following excerpts from the diary have been edited to focus on the process of designing that green office building on Michigan Avenue.

In February 1928, the firm then known as D. H. Burnham & Co. was hired to design a building on the southwest corner of South Water Street and Michigan Avenue. The site had been leased by Daniel Coffey and Alexander McKeown and was to be developed for the Carbide and Carbon Company. In March, Daniel Burnham Jr. met for the first time with a Carbide executive, who quickly made it clear what he wanted the new building to look like.

Friday, March 16th—… Arrived at my office at 10:30 and found Coffey here with Mr. Marsh from New York, representing the Carbide Company. Spent most of the day with him going over the drawings, visiting different buildings around the city, studying color affects [sic]. What Marsh wants to get is a building similar in affect [sic] to the American Radiator Company in New York City, which is black trimmed with gold, and he wants a black green, like the color in an old champagne bottle. We decided that Mr. Robard and Mr. Armstrong are to go to New York next week and take prints of our floor layouts, together with an outline specification, to see if we can get a tentative approval from the Carbide Company at that time. …

Less than a week later, Burnham joined others from the firm and took the train to New York to spend two days conferring with Carbide’s execs. They conferred during the morning, during lunch and again during the late evening, and they continued to confer into the wee hours.

Wednesday, March 21st—On arrival in New York, went to Vanderbilt Hotel where we had two bedrooms and a small sitting room. Had meeting at the Carbon and Carbide Building with Mr. Marsh, manager of their real estate department, and also Mr. Browning, the Vice President. Lunched with Mr. Marsh at the Belmont Hotel … In the evening Raymond Hood and Mr. Walker, New York Architects, took me to Maurie’s, at 140 Bleeker [sic] Street, for dinner where we spent several hours discussing the 1933 World’s Fair … Got back to the hotel about mid-night and found Marsh in our rooms with Coffey, Robard and Armstrong, going over the plans and specifications, and we all worked together until 4:30 in the morning. Then we went out and got breakfast and Marsh came back to the Vanderbilt Hotel with us and we all went to bed.

Thursday, March 22nd— … met the other boys at the station, and we all took the Century back to Chicago. During the day Armstrong got from Marsh and his attorney a letter approving our plans and specifications to date, so that we can proceed with the financing on the building and let the contracts for the steel, caissons, etc. …

Over the next three months, Marsh made several visits to Chicago as Burnham’s firm labored to complete the building’s design. As the process was nearing its end, the exact color of the building’s exterior remained a topic of “considerable discussion”.

Friday, April 6—Mr. Marsh of the Carbide Company here all day from New York, going over our drawings on the Chicago Building. …

Saturday, April 28—All hands bending every effort in the office to complete plans and specifications for the Carbide Building. I signed all three sets consisting of General, Mechanical and Structural drawings, before noon. …

Tuesday, May 1—… Mr. Marsh of the Carbide Company was here, and I went in session with him and Armstrong and Coffey at noon for lunch, and we worked right through until midnight, when Mr. Marsh took his train to Cleveland. Mr. Marsh signed all the drawings, but did not have time to sign the specifications, which he will sign and send back to us. Everything was satisfactory with the exception of a few minor changes, which are easily adjusted.

Wednesday, June 27—… Mr. Browning, Vice President of the Carbide and Carbon Company of New York, together with Mr. Marsh and Mr. Sneed, of the Otis Elevator Company of New York, arrived for a two day conference … We had lunch in the studio and had considerable discussion on the color samples of the exterior of their building, and also they examined very critically the model of the building which we had on exhibit. Everything approved and satisfactory. …

Now, ninety years later, the green-like-a-champagne-bottle Carbide and Carbon Building stands out as a building of a very fine vintage. Cheers to an exec who knew what he wanted and the architects who gave it to him!