I recently got back from a trip to Chicago where my focus was exploring Chicago’s historical buildings, especially those from architect Daniel Burnham. When I read the description for the timeline assignment, I knew this would be a perfect fit.
Daniel Burnham was a famous American architect and urban planner who lived between 1846 and 1912. Some of his most famous works include the Flatiron Building in New York City and Washington D.C.’s Union Station; however, he is best known for his works in Chicago. Burnham designed some of the world’s first and most impressive early skyscrapers in this growing city along the lake. He was an innovator by constructing with new materials which allowed buildings to reach new heights. He is also known for his position as Director of Works for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, which was one of the biggest World Fair’s the world had ever seen. Through his designs and collaborations with those in his firms, Burnham & Root and the D. H. Burnham & Company, he helped invent the design rules that others would follow. One of Burnham’s final projects, The 1909 Plan of Chicago, was one of the first comprehensive plans ever created for a city. It detailed population growth and layout with a balance of residential, commercial, and public space. This laid the foundation for what would become known as urban design. This historical timeline highlights Burnham’s most famous Chicago commissions and projects by date of construction. All but one of these buildings still stand today.
I first became aware of Burnham’s buildings and projects when I lived in Chicago more than a decade ago. His work is so impactful it is impossible to miss. The Chicago Cultural Center used to hand out maps of the historical landmarks in the city which is how I first knew of each building. I used Wikipedia to help compile a more detailed list of his most important Chicago works for this timeline. I then used some of my own photography alongside photographs I found online that best showcased the impressive aspects of each building or project.
I found TimelineJS to be a great tool that allowed me to showcase Burnham’s designs. I was intimidated at first since it utilizes a spreadsheet which made it look more complicated than it was. I like how each field is optional, so if something was not inputted it would still work. I also like how it displays photo and text in a clean, concise way. The final timeline itself is easy to browse using arrows and the ability to zoom in and out of dates. The only bug I encountered was with background color changes. I was initially trying to change them, but it would not update right away. When I checked later, the changes had been made. It is difficult to have to wait when changing something just to see if you will like the change. Overall, this was a minor inconvenience.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Union_Station
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_Building_(Chicago)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heyworth_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Field_and_Company_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monadnock_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliance_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rookery_Building