Louis Henri SULLIVAN (1856-1924)
Chicago Stock Exchange Building Staircase, cast iron, walnut banister 1893
Louis Sully, as an old art history teacher used to lovingly call him, has been considered many things: The Father of the Skyscraper, the Grandfather of Modernism, the head honcho of the Prairie school. Mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, Savvy Mr Sully is one of the “Recognised Trinity of American Architecture” along with Henry Hobson Richardson (think of that horrible Trinity Church in Boston, ‘Richardsonian Romanesque’) and Frank Lloyd Wright (who needs no reminders). Demolished in 1972, there’s a smattering of the glorious Chicago Stock Exchange here and there — a stone arch in the garden of the Chicago Art Institute and this beautiful ironworked banistered stairwell at the Met. Staircases lend themselves to arty photography, especially when they’re as pretty as this one. An extra fifty points for the team whose photo is the artiest – we’ll vote by consensus at the bar together (you’re not allowed to vote for yourself).
POINTS: 35
This is a two-part series of THATMet teasers. The same type of clue is given for THATLou (as you’ve seen in the Veronese Teaser)…
In fact, something that sprouted from Savvy Mr Sully (who ran in a December THATMet) is an idea to hold a THATLou photo competition. Should anyone have suggestions, I’m all ears!
