%% apa:: Larson, E. (2003). _The devil in the white city: Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America_ (1st ed). Crown Publishers. %% # The devil in the white city: murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America --- Larson, E. (2003). _The devil in the white city: Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America_ (1st ed). Crown Publishers. ^apa --- ## Metadata title: The devil in the white city: murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America author:: Erik Larson cite-key:: larson2003DevilWhiteCity date_published:: 2003 Type: Book keywords:: [[Architecture]] ## Abstract NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake. The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both. ^abstract --- ## Notes ### Key Figures / Locations - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham]], famous architect - [[HH Holmes]], infamous serial killer - [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] - [[Chicago]] - [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] - [[Louis Sullivan]] ### Prologue, Aboard the Olympic 1912 - 1912 - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham]] Daniel Hudson Burnham - aboard the RMS Olympic, White Star Line, April 14, 1912 - Mobility challenges (foot) - His friend, Francis Millet, traveling on Titanic at the same time, though ships travelling in opposite direction (Burham » Europe, Millet » America) - Had worked together on [[Expo 1893 Chicago]], close ally - [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] - Burnham, chief builder - Original intention, 400 year anniversary of [[Christopher Columbus]] - Became known as the White City - Introduced during fair: - Crackerjack - Shredded Wheat - Fair was seen as both exotic and immense, and was designed to be that way » grand scale - Dark side of fair: - death and poverty of workers - a fire that killed 15 people - an assassination that canceled the closing ceremony - HH Holmes’ murders not yet publicly known at this time - [[HH Holmes]] - Contemporary press suspected multiple fair goers were murdered while staying with Holmes - Self-described as the Devil ### Part 1: Frozen Music (Chicago, 1890–1891) - 1890–1981 #### Chapter 1: The Black City **Summary:** Setting the stage for both the horrors of [[HH Holmes]] acts, but also creates a juxtaposition to what the [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] will be in the future. Seen as dark times in the city in which it was grounds for the disappearance of Holmes’ victims to go relatively unnoticed for so long. - Chapter focuses on the movement of single young women during this time period towards urban living, and threats to safety as laying the groundwork. - Employment for women: Typewriters, stenographers, seamstresses, weavers. - Trains as a hazard - Bustling, busy major city, 1000s of inbound/outbound trains » well connected transportation - At this time, the train tracks ran at grade, making the city streets dangerous for pedestrians. An average of two people were killed a day at railway crossings in Chicago. - Chicago had a higher than national average murder rate (4/day in 1892 average) - Draws comparison to [[Jack the Ripper]] (the Whitechappel murders in 1888) as significant crime story despite being on the other side of the pond. The story captivated American audiences. - Time period seen as a shift in morals - [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]] argued for divorce - Victoria Woodhull advocated Free Love (women should have the right to leave marriages, and for sexual self-determination — speaking out on the social hypocrisy that men could have mistresses, but women would be engulfed in scandal)… she was also involved in the whole spiritualist movement, which I really should read more about. That whole thing was wild. - Lizzie Borden, 1892-08-04 murder of her father and stepmother (tried and acquitted) - Holmes building: 63rd and Wallace #### Chapter 2: “The Trouble Is Just Begun” **Summary:** The chapter introduces the background of Burham and Root, juxtaposed to Chicago being awarded the 1893 exposition over other prominent US cities. It discusses the 1871 fire that destroyed much of the city, that lead a path forward for Chicago to become a new architectural city. The chapter also talks about overcoming the challenges that lead to the creation of skyscrapers. - 1890-02-04 Awarded [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] - 1890 Census: 1 million residents. Second most populated city, next to New York. - Chicago was seen as a secondary city, a lower-class rival to New York. It’s all about perception… - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] was Chicago’s leading architects, first building to be declared a skyscraper - #question What was Chicago Standard Railroad Time? History of Time and time keeping - Post Civil War America was less inclined to celebrate their history, but that changed after Paris had their [[Expo 1889 Paris|Exposition Universelle]] in 1889 (extreme grandeur) - [[Eiffel tower]] as a symbol of French innovation in design, architecture, iron and steel. (Thems fightin’ words to the Americans!) - Even though the [[Eiffel tower]] was originally thought to be an eyesore, but became popular [[Eiffel tower]] - US wanted to hold a [[World expositions|World’s Fair]] to out-Eiffel Eiffel. - It’s all about perception and appearances. - The US pavilions were seen as unpleasing compared to the grandeur of other nations, and of France - World’s Fair seen as status symbol and stature - “pride of place ranked second only to pride of blood” - US cities vied for it (Washington, New York, St. Louis, Chicago…) - #seed Innovation out of setbacks. What’s interesting is that both the [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] and [[Expo 1915 San Francisco|1915 Panama Exhibition]] were both born out of wanting to show flourishing after a major catastrophe. For [[Chicago]], it was after the [[Chicago, 1871 Fire]]. For [[San Francisco]], it was the [[San Francisco, 1906 earthquake|1906 earthquake]]. Even the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were intended to be a post-tragedy re-emergence (Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, 2011; 2011 earthquake and tsunami)… though, this of course was over-shadowed by [[COVID-19]], and at the time of writing this note, it’s being met with great resistance given the Delta variant. - Gas jets were the primary source of illumination in 1890 - Electric lights mixed with gas fixtures were beginning to be installed in some new buildings - [[Chicago, 1871 Fire]] - Cow kicked over a lantern - took over 18,000 buildings - left over 100,000 people homeless - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] tried and quit a ton of careers before he stuck with [[Architecture]]: sought gold in Nevada gold rush, tried to become a politician in Nevada, tried to sell plate glass, tried to become a druggist - Amazingly,[[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] quit architecture after the [[Chicago, 1871 Fire]] even though it was a busy time for architects in the city. His father introduced him to an architect, Peter White, in 1872. Hired as a draftsman. There he met [[John Wellborn Root]]. - Partnership with [[John Wellborn Root]]: Future firm [[Burham and Root]]. - John D. Sherman, slaughterhouses (1/5th of Chicago depended on Sherman’s stockyards for survival, employed 25,000 people) - Hired for designing his mansion. - [[Louis Sullivan]] met [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] on this project. - Margaret Sherman, daughter, visited construction site frequently. She married [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]]. - Asked [[Burham and Root]] to build the stone gate arches for the [Union Stock Yard Gate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Stock_Yard_Gate). - [[John Wellborn Root]] solved the challenge of how to build skyscrapers in Chicago (terrain; bedrock 125 feet below grade; above is sand and clay) - [[John Wellborn Root|Root]] developed the floating foundation (essentially designing an artificial bedrock) - #seed The invention of the elevator was as important to the rise of skyscrapers as the elevator brake, created by Elisha Otis. The elevator was a tool that allowed people to climb higher, faster (reduce stress on body), but the elevator brake was a safety mechanism that kept people from plunging to their deaths if things went wrong. - 1881, Peter Chardon Brooks III, commissioned [[Burham and Root]] to design and build the largest office tower in Chicago to date: Montauk Block (Chicago’s first skyscraper » Monadnock Building was completed in 1891, and at the time was the world’s largest office building) - [Brooks Estate Master Plan: History of the Brooks Estate](x-devonthink-item://EEC0568D-9FA6-40A7-96EE-BB5EA6DA753F) - [MHS Collections Online: Peter Chardon Brooks III](https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=395&pid=17) - [[Burham and Root]] were frustrated with Brooks because he was focused on the function of the building and did not care about the form. [[Louis Sullivan]] said later: [[Form follows function|“Form ever follows function”]] - Brook’s believe in function over form stemmed from frugality - “The building throughout is to be for use and not for ornament.” – Brooks - Ornamentation/projections (example, gargoyles) left room for dirt » this reminds me of the move towards white subway tiles - According to Larson, this was the heyday of architectural invention (though I have my doubts) - Elevators became faster and safer - Glassmakers could make larger sheets of plate glass - Shift from exterior structural support to interior structural support (steel beams encased inside) - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] admonition: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood.” - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] created an office culture that was a century ahead of its time - Installed an employee gym (Burnham even taught fencing lessons) - Root would give piano recitals - "The office was full of a rush of work, but the spirit of the place was delightfully free and easy and human in comparison to other offices I had worked in." — Paul Starrett, who later founded Starrett Brothers Inc. (responsible for the construction of the Empire State Building, Penn Station, Flatiron Building) ^officeculture - [[Daniel Hudson Burnham|Burnham]] loved Chicago for the opportunities it afforded him, but moved his family out of the city due to the crime and pollution. - The Whitechapel Club was a secretive men’s club (i.e. drinking/social) that ran in Chicago from 1889–1984, and was named for [[Jack the Ripper]]‘s murders. Approximately half of the members were journalists. They were *obsessed* with murder, and kept donated items (weapons, victim’s belongings) which is really creepy. - Interesting related article: Burgess Abramovich, R. (2016, May 6). Chicago’s Secret Society of Death-Obsessed Journalists—And the Belly Dancer Who Exposed Them. _Chicago Magazine_. [https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/May-2016/Whitechapel-Club/](https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/May-2016/Whitechapel-Club/) - The [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] organizers made [[Burham and Root]] lead for developing the built environment. - Fair would have to live up to and/or exceed the [[Expo 1889 Paris]] so as to not embarrass the United States on the global stage - Fair would have to be designed and developed quickly » incredibly ambitious to build something city-scale and impressive to be ready within four years - Fair would have to make a profit (Chicago businessmen values) #### Chapter 3: The Necessary Supply **Summary:** - [[HH Holmes]] introduction to Chicago. Larson notes that Holmes was a very attractive and striking individual. - Basically just listening to the Holmes stuff without notes because I’m more interested in the Exposition. - [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] was known as the “wizard of Central Park” - Elsworth asked Olmsted to come work on the Fair (concerned about timelines), but Olmsted initially declined since the scale of what was being asked from a landscape design perspective would require more years, or even decades to achieve. - #seed [[Slow by design]] When Central Park was planned, it was a long-term plan. No result would be really truly visible as intended in less than 40 years. - [[Frederick Law Olmsted|Olmsted]] fought to elevate landscape architecture into its’ own branch of the Fine Arts. It’s more than just expert gardening. (Perception problems.) - Olmsted saw flowers not for their individual properties, but as colours and variables to play with. Roses were not roses, but elements of colour dotting within a green canvas. - #seed [[Greater visibility brings greater credibility]]. [[Frederick Law Olmsted|Olmsted]] was upset about public park design not being respected, and being modified beyond their original design intent. Felt that landscape architecture needed a way to establish itself as a respected vision. He saw the grandeur and visibility of the [[Expo 1893 Chicago]] as an opportunity for visibility. - #### Chapter 4: “Becomingness” **Summary:** #### Chapter 5: “Don’t Be Afraid” **Summary:** #### Chapter 6: Pilgrimage **Summary:** #### **Summary:**