Postmarked 1905
1916
Masonic Temple, Chicago
Designed by John Wellborn Root, the Capitol Building, later known as the Masonic Temple, was the leading skyscraper of 1892. It was the highest building in the world at that time - twenty-two stories including the gabled attic. The owners also boasted that it was the most expensive. It was demolished in 1939. The postcards included here are early, undivided cards. The one to the left appears to be a scene prior to the building of Marshall Field. John Root decidedly did not like designing skyscrapers, which he felt were "elevated out of true proportion to their base." He much preferred the wider based buildings, like the Monadnock Block, and was never truly satisfied with the Masonic Temple. It was one of the last buildings Root was to oversee before his death in 1891.
I guess it's obvious that, although this was not John Root's favorite building, it is my favorite! These are just a few of my Masonic Temple cards, the oldest postmarked 1902 (not shown here), and the newest 1916.
Appears as #1 in this Rand McNally 1893 3-D map at the Univ. of Illinois at Chicago:
http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/intranet/chiviews/page199.htmlNext Scene: Columbus Memorial Building
