The
Bauhaus and its Influence
on Chicago Architecture
on Chicago Architecture
Chicago
is world-famous for its skyscrapers and its innovative architecture. Less
well known is the fact that the city's skyline was decisively influenced by
the theories of the Bauhaus.
The Bauhaus was established in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, as a school for art and design. A domain for prominent artists such as Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Lyonel Feininger, the school was nevertheless forced, due to conflicts with the National Socialists, to move to Dessau in 1926 and to Berlin in 1932, where it was closed in 1933. The goal of the artists was to adjust to the industrial age by creating functional designs and by using materials such as glass and steel.
The Bauhaus was established in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, as a school for art and design. A domain for prominent artists such as Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Lyonel Feininger, the school was nevertheless forced, due to conflicts with the National Socialists, to move to Dessau in 1926 and to Berlin in 1932, where it was closed in 1933. The goal of the artists was to adjust to the industrial age by creating functional designs and by using materials such as glass and steel.
As many
Bauhaus architects immigrated to the United States, they contributed significantly
to the development of North American architecture. Their ideas were especially
well received in Chicago. In 1937, László Moholy Nagy founded
the New Bauhaus, which today exists as the Institute of Design. Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe, the last director of the Bauhaus, designed, in 1938,
the entire campus for the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The
motto “Less is More” is further reflected in his Federal Center
and his Lake Shore Drive Apartments. The founder of the International
Style was instrumental, as was later his grandson, architect Dirk Lohan,
in shaping the contemporary cityscape of Chicago. Another prominent architect
of the metropolis is the German American Helmut Jahn, who was born in
Nuremberg. A student of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the IIT, Jahn's work
reveals characteristics of the International Style, but also points towards
postmodernism: marble, polished granite, aluminum, a playful integration
of colors and symbols, and experiments with glass for the sake of protecting
the environment, define his State of Illinois Center and the United Airlines
Terminal in the O'Hare Airport in Chicago, as well as the Sony Center
in Berlin.
The abundance of connections between German and American architecture in Chicago provides rich grounds for exploration and research. The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers introductory tours in English and German.
The abundance of connections between German and American architecture in Chicago provides rich grounds for exploration and research. The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers introductory tours in English and German.
