Introduction
The World's Columbia Exposition was an 1893 world fair held in Chicago, US. The event was held in honor of Christopher Columbus' 400th anniversary (Harris, 2020). The fair was held in Chicago's Jackson Park with a large pool at the center of the park, representing a voyage that Columbus had used in sailing to the New World. In winning the role to host the fair, Chicago had defeated several other American cities, including Washington DC, St. Louis, and New York City. Chicago was chosen to host this event because it served as host the railroad center and offered $10 million as a guarantee, thus providing the federal government that the vent would be a success (Harris, 2020). This exposition has a massive impact on the cultural and social impacts on the existing arts, architecture, and sanitation within the American industrial optimism and Chicago's self-image. The exposition also impacted the global understanding and trends in the architectural world massively. Held between May 1st, 1893 and October 30th, 1893, the exposition's impacts are still felt worldwide. After the global fair, The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and the Palace of Fine Arts are the two buildings from the fair that still exist, showing the impact of the exposition on the arts, design, and architectural world (Harris, 2020). Connectedly, this paper discusses the major players, design challenges, exposition overview, and the impacts of the exposition on design, architecture, and society in general.
Major Players
The success of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 was hugely attributed to its planning, design, and architectural works. However, despite achieving much success, the planning, design, and architectural roles were not performed by single individuals but rather a combination of efforts from different expositions (Ballard, 2017). Numerous prominent professional, commercial, and civic leaders participated in making the event a success. For instance, the financing, management, and coordination of the fair were exemplarily performed to give it the global status of global history's most prominent event. Among the notable financers of the event were: Milo Barnum, Whitefield Bunn, and Charles Schwab.
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In terms of planning, the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 was planned by an American architect, Daniel Burnham, who served as the Chicago state architect before the event. Apart from taking the chief planner's role in the event, Burnham also served as the Director of Works at the fair. Born in 1846, Burnham is still considered the most successful architect in the US (Harris, 2020). Burnham is also widely known for planning several other cities, including Baguio, Manila, and Chicago. Having constructed more than $40 million in buildings, Burnham was highly reliable for the job. The Grounds and Building committee at the exposition was headed by E.T Jeffery (Harris, 2020). Being the chief planner of the exhibition, Burnham was tasked with all the management roles except exhibitions. In addition to his planning role in the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893, Burnham was also the chief architect involved in all the fair architectural works. The chief designer in the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 was Charles B. Atwood, an American architect born in 1849 (Harris, 2020). The landscaping role was given to Fredrick Law Olmsted. John Wellborn Root also played a significant role in designing the architectural aspects of the exposition. Other key players in the exposition included: Charles McKim, Morris Hun, Henry Ives, and George Post.
Challenges of the Design
The first challenge facing the design and location of the challenges in the design of Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 was that Chicago had, over the last 23 years, experienced the Great Fore (Ballard, 2017). During the Great Fire, most parts of the city were shattered, giving it a bad public outlook. The US wanted to attract not only American artists but also global ones. Therefore, the design of the exposition was supposed to be outstanding o garner the maximum number of visitors. With the city having burned down over the last 23 years, it was difficult for the planners to arrive at the best architectural designs that would fit the existing ones (Ballard, 2017). The exhibition design was also faced with the lack of adequate resources to actualize the initial design requirements. Even with the initial design demands, there were still increased calls for more funds to enable the planners, designers, and architects to complete the exhibition in time. The exposition cost planners more than $28 million, which was a huge amount of money for the country to harness (Ballard, 2017). The exposition design was also faced with various controversies, which can be attributed to segregation and discrimination. In essence, the people of color in the US were barred from entering the White-City and were instead only allowed to visit the Midway exhibits.
Overview of the Exposition
The Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 was a prototype of Burnham's conceptualization of how cities should appear. The exposition was specially designed, resembling Beaux-Arts design principles, the neoclassical architecture. In essence, it was based on splendor, symmetry, and balance (Ballard, 2017). The building was covered in white paintings, giving it the name "the White City." The Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 covered 2.8 km2 (690 acres) which featured more than 200 temporary buildings designed using neoclassical architecture, lagoons, and canals (Ballard, 2017). The exposition also drew its inspiration from cultures from across 46 countries globally. By the end, more than 27 million had attended the fair, becoming one of the most attended events in global history (Ballard, 2017). The White City represented the Court of Honor area, with facades being made of cement, jute fiber, and plaster mixture rather than stone. The exposition was also characterized by massive illumination from the street lights that made buildings and the boulevards highly using during the night. Some of the most notable structures in the exposition were: The Administration Building, Grand Court, Liberal Arts Building, Horticultural Building, and the Machinery Hall.
Impact to Society
The Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 had a massive on societies across the globe. Culture, racism, music, art, and gender equalities are some of the most social impacts of the global population's exposition (Michigan State University, 2019). The exposition's entertainment and cultural impacts were highly pervasive during its inaugural month. Cartoons, songs, stories, and jokes covered the American people's larger part towards the end of the 19th century. The exposition's cultural legacy is still evident in the way museums pledge allegiance to hamburgers and the topics like Disney World. In essence, this exposition had significant state, national, and global social impacts.
The exposition also had a significant impact on women's advancements. The Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 brought women's recognition and rights to the forefront. Unlike what had happened in the other world fairs, this exhibition provided room for women to participate in creating memorable designs (Michigan State University, 2019). For instance, women-only areas provide ladies with an opportunity to create new avenues, helping them achieve the same architectural and design fetes as men in the exposition. The women-only building was planned, designed, and decorated by women, giving it a taste of feminism. In essence, the exposition played a significant role in influencing women's perception in American global societies (Walawalkar, 2017). Women started indulging in design and architectural works. The social norm that architecture was a male-oriented career was no longer in play as men could triumph in the area. For instance, Sophia Hayden, an MIT graduate, designed the women-only room, thus proving that women were just like men, able to produce exemplary design works (Michigan State University, 2019). The fair also had a huge social impact in influencing Americans' indulgence and participation in popular culture. This exposition played a crucial role in impacting American racial equality. People of color were in the exposition, provided with various opportunities to showcase their art industry expertise. Consequently, the exposition played a great role in impacting how African-Americans participate in architecture and art designs (Michigan State University, 2019). The exposition also led to the rise of various art groups, including the New York City Municipal Art Society, which educated the society on the importance of art as a public tool.
Impact on Design and Architecture
The Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 greatly impacted design and architecture at local, state, national, and international levels. The exposition has, over the years, inspired the planning and design of cities across the world (University of Virginia, 2020). The exposition provided global players with opportunities to incorporate the classical architecture, water bodies, and green spaces within their cities. The exposition was built under the fundamental idea that a city's livability is highly dependent on its welfare, safety, and health. Consequently, all cities must ensure their inhabitants' safety, welfare, and health by incorporating the relevant design and architectural works. The exposition also played a key role in revolutionizing how architects ensure their works display both beauty and the sense of safety, health, and people's welfare.
The architectural and design impacts of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 are still evident across different cities in the US and globally. Historically, the previous world fairs illuminated inventions and grand art and architecture (University of Virginia, 2020). Nikola Tesla's fluorescent light design was introduced during this fair and has been used over the years since this introduction (University of Virginia, 2020). The exposition also influenced the incorporation of various public welfare structures like war monuments in most American cities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 had a massive impact on social, economic, and design, and architectural elements of the American and global communities. The exposition played a crucial role in ensuring the rise of various art groups, gender equality rights, racial equality, and new design systems. Through the exposition, architects worldwide learned the importance of community welfare, health, and safety within cities. Consequently, cities started being designed to incorporate public systems that promoted citizens' health, safety, and welfare.
References
Ballard, M. R. (2017). Department of History Holds Collection of 1893 World's Fair Tickets. Brockport. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=pioneer_record
Harris, L. J. (2020). Practicing Citizenship: Women’s Rhetoric at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: by Kristy Maddux, University Park, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2019, 256 pp., $99.95 (hardcover). https://nca.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00335630.2020.1786627
Michigan State University, (2019). The making of the modern US: Chicago’s World Fair 1893. http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/makingmodernus/exhibits/show/electrifying-america/chicago-s-world-s-fair-1893
University of Virginia, (2020). The Legacy of the Fair. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA96/WCE/legacy.html
Walawalkar, S. (2017). Orientalism and Middle Eastern Culture at The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Research Week . https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/60450
