World's Columbian Exposition

On the globe

See full fair gallery (17)

Dates: 1 May – 30 Oct 1893
Site: Jackson Park
Declared purpose: A world's fair for the 400th anniversary of Columbus reaching the Americas. The 'White City' of white palaces.
Fate: Most palaces burned in 1894 or were cleared. The Palace of Fine Arts survives as the Museum of Science and Industry.
Architect of record: Daniel Burnham, chief of construction: about 44 when credited (1890, born 1846). Build time on record: about 2 years for the main palaces (1891–93).; Charles B. Atwood, designer-in-chief: about 42 when credited (1891, born 1849). Build time on record: about 2 years (1891–93).All architects of record →

Hidden history

Found, Not Built

The White City is the center of this whole question. About 200 buildings went up in a swamp in roughly two years. They were said to be plaster over wood, and within months of closing most of them were ash. Hidden history researchers have spent years on these photos.

Scale vs. the clock
Manufactures and Liberal Arts covered about 30 acres under one roof. Researchers set the ornament, statues and domes against the time available and ask whether 'staff' plaster really accounts for what the photos show.
Construction or excavation?
Some 1892 photos show workers, rail spurs and heaps of earth around half-finished walls. The question worth asking: are they building up, or digging out and repairing?
The 1894 fires
In January and July 1894, fire took most of the Court of Honor. The Statue of the Republic burned in 1896. Why does fire follow these grounds?
The survivor
The Palace of Fine Arts was kept for its 'fireproof' brick core. It was later rebuilt in stone and is now the Museum of Science and Industry.