Voting Station

Daniel Burnham

Please vote to return to collections.

Architect

The Resume

    (September 4, 1846-June 1, 1912)
    Born in Henderson, New York
    Architect and urban planner
    Designed the 'White City' for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893)
    Other notable designs include the Montauk Building in Chicago, the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, Wannamaker's Department Store in Philadelphia, the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, and Union Station in Washington, DC
    Served on the McMillan Commission that redesigned the National Mall in Washington, DC
    First Chair of the United States Commission of Fine Arts (1910-12)

Why he might be annoying:

    He flunked the entrance exams for both Harvard and Yale.
    Before becoming an architect, he unsuccessfully pursued careers as a gold miner, a pharmacist, and a salesman of plate glass windows.
    His design plans for San Francisco were ignored in the rush to rebuild after the 1906 earthquake.
    He praised the environmental benefits of the automobile: 'With no smoke, no gases, no litter of horses, the air and streets will be clean and pure.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    The White City popularized the Beaux-Arts movement and a revival of neo-classical architecture.
    The Flatiron Building is an iconic skyscraper and a New York City landmark.
    Frank Lloyd Wright, although no fan of his neo-classical style, said, 'As an enthusiastic promoter of great construction enterprises, his powerful personality was supreme.'
    He declared, 'Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and will probably not themselves be realized.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying