th
19
Century
Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp
Topics

19th Century: Applications of Iron Steel
Joseph Paxton
 Henry Labrouste
 Gustave Eiffel
 William LeBaron Jenney
 Chicago School

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Early applications of iron and steel made their
beginnings in architecture with the construction
greenhouses to protect plants

Far East specimens brought back to Britain required
structures that could create the humid heat of their
native countries in the Far East
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Joseph Paxton (1801 – 1865)
Landscape gardener by training
 Revolutionized architecture by with a design that he
submitted for a building in Hyde Park, London to
house the first modern World’s Fair in 1852


Journalists dubbed this structure the Crystal Palace
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Crystal Palace
Constructed of iron beams and glass
 Resembled a large greenhouse
 After the exhibition, the structure was dismantled
and re-erected in a park at Sydenham


Was destroyed by fire in 1936
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
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19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Henry Labrouste (1801 – 1875)
A French architect
 Made strong use of cast iron in his Bibliotheque SteGenevieve in 1850
 Also designed the Bibliotheque Nationale

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
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Bibliotheque SteGenevieve
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
1850
A library located in Paris,
France
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Bibliotheque Nationale
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
Located in Paris
The French National
Library
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Gustave Eiffel (1832 – 1923)
Most famous French designer who used iron in the
second half of the 19th century
 Gained his fame from several bridge designs across
France
 Most famous structures

Eiffel Tower
 Statue of Liberty

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Eiffel Tower, Paris
1010-ft
 At the time, was the tallest structure in the world
 Erected for the Paris International Exposition in
1889
 Remains the largest iron construction in the world

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
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19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Statue of Liberty, New York
Eiffel designed the iron internal skeleton which
supports the copper skin of the statue
 Stands 151-ft
 At the time of its construction, the statue had the
most advanced diagonally braced frame in the world

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

William LeBaron Jenney (1832 – 1907)

Generally credited with early development of the
skyscraper

Home Life Insurance Building in Chicago
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Home Life Insurance
Building in Chicago


Considered the first
skyscraper
Not entirely metal framed

The first floor contains
sections of masonry
bearing wall
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19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Chicago School
The term generally used to describe the buildings of
Chicago from 1875 – 1925
 Important structures

The second Rand McNally Building
 Monadnock Building
 Reliance Building

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

The second Rand McNally Building
Designed by Daniel H. Burnham (1846 – 1912) and
John Welborn Root (1850 – 1891)
 Had all the elements of the modern skyscraper


Steel frame
19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Monadnock Building
Designed by Daniel H. Burnham (1846 – 1912) and
John Welborn Root (1850 – 1891)
 Internal iron frame provided lateral bracing through
riveted girder-column connections

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
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19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel

Reliance Building
1894 – 1895
 Features

Decorative terra-cotta cladding
 Repeats the same exterior elevation from the third floor to
the attic

19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
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19th Century: Applications of Iron
Steel
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts2.html
References




Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html
Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to
Postmodernity
Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture
th
19
Century
Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp