The Rookery

The Rookery: A Chicago Landmark Building.

The Rookery: A Chicago Landmark Building..

In 1871, The Great Fire ravaged Chicago. While devastating, it launched a building boom and an era of architectural experimentation and advancement that put Chicago at the forefront of progress. The Rookery was one of the resulting masterpieces of commercial architecture.

In 1885, wealthy Boston brothers Peter and Shepherd Brooks leased a city owned lot on the southeast corner of Adam and LaSalle streets. With Chicagoan Owen Aldis they formed "Central Safety Deposit Company". they hired the architectural firm Burnham & Root to design a prestigious office building. The completed structure was revolutionary in several respects.

Metal-Frame and Masonry Walls..

Metal-Frame and Masonry Walls..
At 11 stories tall, Rookery was one of the first buildings to use metal frame with masonry walls on such a large scale. Today it is considered to be the oldest such high-rise in Chicago.

The Grillage Foundation..
Root took lead on the Rookery design and engineered an innovative hybrid structure of load-bearing masonry walls and interior metal-framing which dispersed the vertical weight of the structural columns into the horizontal plane. The technique known as a "grillage foundation", was revolutionary at the time and helped to establish the commercial acceptance of the skyscraper. The innovative technique allowed for the use of large expanses of glass, which gave access to the unprecedented amount of light and air.

The Light Court..

The Light Court..
Arguably the Rookery's most impressive features are the Light Well and the Light Court. Inside the building, a central well provides light to the offices. At the bottom of the central light well is the Light Court. A wrought and cast iron frame creates a bird-cage-like feel. In 1992, a skylight was installed at the roof level to protect the light court’s ceiling and the light well..
# For more on the Light Court, click here ..

The Oriel Staircase..

The Oriel Staircase..
The Oriel Staircase, runs down from floor 12 to 2, jutting out of the main building, projecting into the light well. It does not reach the ground. The intricate repeated patterns and spiralling nature of the steps are absolutely beautiful. In 1931, William Drummond, made some changes by adding a part to the lowest fight of the staircase, that starts at the second floor and protrudes into the light court. The upper part of the staircase is still Root's.
# For more on the Oriel Staircase, click here..

The Exterior Motifs..

The Exterior Motifs..
Moorish, Romanesque Commercial, Indian, Venetian, Arabian, Islamic, Byzantine: all these words have been used to describe the Rookery's exterior motifs. Some critics said that the styles lacked unity, but others feel that the repeating patterns were an interpretative of American culture, reflecting a spirit of conquest..
# For more on Exterior Motifs.. click here..

The Rookery: Reflections on the Name..

The Rookery: Reflections on the Name..
The Rookery is rather an odd name for such a beautiful building. Some say the name comes from the crows that once lived on the walls of the previous building. Some say it comes from the pigeons.. Whatever the origin, the name stuck..
# For more on the name "The Rookery", click here..

Renovation by Frank Llyod Wright in 1905..

Renovation by Frank Llyod Wright in 1905..
Wright removed many of the iron and terra cotta detailing on the central staircase, balconies and walls, and replaced them with strong geometric patterns. he covered many of the original decorative panels with marbles..
# For more on the renovation by Frank Llyod Wright, click here..

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Chandeliers and Planters - Renovations by Frank Llyod Wright in 1905..
In his 1905 renovations, Wright removed the fancy electroliers that once flanked the central staircase and in it's place put the planters. He added bronze chandeliers with prismatic glass that still hang there today.
# For more on, Chandeliers & Planters - Renovation by Frank Llyod Wright, click here..

Renovation by William Drummond in 1931..

Renovation by William Drummond in 1931..
William Drummond, made some changes in the Oriel Staircase by John Wellborn Root. He added a part of the lowest fight of the staircase, that started at the second floor and protruded into the light court. The upper part of the staircase is still Roots.
# For more on, Renovation by William Drummond, click here..

Elevators: Renovation by William Drummond in 1931..

Elevators: Renovation by William Drummond in 1931..
William Drummond brought changes in the elevators. He enclosed the elevator doors with solid bronze and decorate them with Art Deco birds, flora and fauna..
# For more on Elevator flora and fauna, click here..

Chicago Landmark..

The plaque reads..
Chicago Landmark..
Rookery Building
Burnham & Root, architects
1886
Its powerful exterior softened by John Roots lively ornamentation, the Rookery typifies the 1880's lingering picturesque attitude towards commercial architecture. A transitional structure in the evolution of modern architecture, it employs both masonry wall-bearing and skeletal frame construction techniques.
Designated a Chicago landmark on July 5, 1972,
by the City Council of Chicago
Richard J. Daley, Mayor
Commission on Chicago
Historical and Architectural Landmarks..

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The Rookery: Preservation Touchstone..
In 1988, L. Thomas Baldwin III purchased The Rookery and set out to completely restore the landmark by preserving it's historic grandeur, while also adapting to modern day technologies. In the process, Root's original ironwork and original mosaic fragments were discovered. A sample of these have been left open for visitors to compare. Burnham & Root's offices were restored too, and now is "Burnham Library..
For more on 1980's restoration.. click here..

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The Burnham Library..
When the Rookery was completed in 1888, Burnham & Root move their offices to the building's 11th floor The office of Daniel Burnham and John Root is now the Burnham Library. It is here that the plans for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition took place in 1890.
# For more on the Burnham Library, click here..

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The Rookery: Tracking the Y-symbol..
Check out the Y-symbol at the Rookery.. click here....

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The Rookery: Reflections on the name

Reflections on the name: The Rookery..
A marker in the lobby of the building gives some insight into the odd name: The Rookery.
Owne Aldis wrote to Peter Brooks, "I do not like the name which has been given to the Central Safety Deposit Company Building, The Rookery, any more than you do, but it seems utterly impossible to give any name to it by which it will be called except that. It is to a certain extent historical, but I don't like the name and think that the best plan will be to have the street numbers on the Adam and LaSalle Street doors and whoever does not like the name can simply put the street number on the letterhead".
It is odd that such an architectural masterpiece would be called the Rookery. Some say the name was inherited from the hastily built and ramshackle City Hall which previously occupied the site after the Great Fire and temporarily housed the city's government officials. Other claim the name originated with the crows that once lived in the previous structure's walls. It is also said that an adjacent fire station attracted scores of pigeons on the site that fed on the horses oats. Whatever the case, the name stuck.
Perhaps Roots had the last laugh, though. Exterior details feature open mouthed crows - or rooks - that are reminiscent of the squawking corrupt city officials that once crowded the City Hall.



For more on The Rookery.. click here..

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The Rookery: Exterior Motifs

Moorish, Romanesque Commercial, Indian, Venetian, Arabian, Islamic, Byzantine: all these words have been used to describe the Rookery's exterior motifs. Some critics said that the styles lacked unity, but others feel that the repeating patterns were an interpretative of American culture, reflecting a spirit of conquest..





For more on The Rookery.. click here..

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The Rookery: The Burnham Library

The Burnham Library..
When the Rookery was completed in 1888, Burnham & Root move their offices to the building. The office of Daniel Burnham and John Root is now the Burnham Library. The pictures above shows, Daniel Burnham and John Root in their office in the Rookery, circa 1890.

During the 1980's renovations, one important aspect of the recovery was Burnham & Roots former offices on the eleventh floor. The space has undergone many changes and suffered a great deal of abuse. The library was restored with meticulous attention to details, including the fireplace, wood panels, bookshelves and even custom-loomed rug to match the original.


World's Columbian Exposition was planned here..
This office [now library] on the 11th floor of the Rookery, is where the plans for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition took place in 1890. Burnham & Root were first named consulting architects, but Burnham resigned that position to become head of construction. When Root died suddenly in January 1891, Burnham assumed responsibility for overseeing and completing construction for some 150 buildings on more than 600 acres of land.
And it was in this room that the planning took place! The framed photos from the World's Columbian Exposition can be seen in the office..





For more on The Rookery.. click here..

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The Rookery: The Light Court [By John Wellborn Root]

The Rookery was constructed at a time, when gas lamps were still in use, although electricity was getting increasingly popular. But it was very expensive. So Burnham & Root's plan inculcated ways to access natural light and air-ventilation in the building.. The facade was so designed, that the base had round granite columns, which allowed large expanses of windows. The lower floors were almost a continuous curtain-walls of glass. These elements allowed for more natural light.


The Light Well and Light Court..
Inside the building, a central well provided light to offices. At the bottom of the central light well is one of The Rookery’s most impressive feature, the Light Court. A wrought and cast iron frame created the airy, bird-cage-like feel. The mezzanine floor was comprised of glass blocks that transferred light to the lower level. Elaborate, hand-laid mosaic tile covered the main floor.

As much as I want to see the original Light Court by Burnhamn & Root, it's not possible, as the Light Court now stands renovated by Frank Llyod Write and William Drummond. The Rookery's website has a picture taken in 1890, Light Court..click here & scroll down..

During the late 1980's renovations, architects discovered many of Root's original works..
- original iron columns
- original mosiac fragments
They decided to leave samples of these open for visitors to see and compare..







Original iron columns..
In the above images, the encased iron columns are from the original design. The white marble around it with gilded and incised motifs are Wrights renovation..





Original mosaic fragment..
Left image shows Root's original mosiac fragment and right image shows the renovated mosaic, extrapolated from the original.
For more on the restoration.. click here..

As a part of the renovation, in 1992, a skylight was installed at roof level to protect the light court’s ceiling and the light well.
Also, Burnham and Root's office on the 11th floor was renovated and is now the Burnham Library..



For more on The Rookery.. click here..
For more on Burnham Library .. click here..

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The Rookery: Lightcourt [Renovation by Frank Llyod Wright]

A marker in the lobby informs..
Renovation by Frank Llyod Wright- 1905]
In 1905, Frank Llyod Wright undertook renovations that were more about trend than any real need to upgrade the building or it's amenities.
Wright removed many of the iron and terra cotta detailing on the central staircase, balconies and walls, and replaced it with strong geometric patterns based on the railing on the Roots oriel staircase. he encased the iron columns in white marbles that were gilded and incised by Roots Arabic motif found on the LaSalle entrance. The fanciful electroliers that once flanked the central staircase were removed and Wright added bronze chandeliers with prismatic glass that still hang there today.

In the lobbies, Wright covered nearly every inch with incised gilded marble, removing or hiding the original decorative panels and railings. The staircase were squared off ans simplified, and Wright added geometric urns at Adam Street entrance. He also replaced the elevator grills with an open geometric cage that reflected his personal style..
The Details below..















For more on The Rookery.. click here..

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