How Did Louis Sullivan Influence Society

Louis Sullivan is arguably one of the most important and influential American architects of all time. Sullivan is a major contributor to the modern movement and is greatly attributed to the urbanization of American society. Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, his focus on the expansion of steel buildings led to an innovative design technique. To this day Sullivan’s techniques and creations still continue to greatly and positively influence American society and city development as a whole.

Louis Sullivan was born in 1856 in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were both European immigrants who had recently moved to America. Eventually, Sullivan’s parents relocated and moved to Chicago. Sullivan stayed behind to study in Boston. He lived with his grandparents and

In 1872, Sullivan was admitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he began his study in architecture. After studying architecture for a year at MIT, Sullivan dropped out. Eventually, Sullivan returned to his studies and chose to visit Europe. However, he again only stayed for a short time. After spending a year in Europe, Sullivan came back to America, more specifically Chicago, to work as a full time architect. Sullivan was involved in many firms and co-owned them with partners. In 1875, Sullivan began working with Adler. According to “Louis Sullivan: American Architect,” “Sullivan’s brilliance as a designer was complemented by Adler’s business ability, his tact with clients, and his knowledge of technical matters, especially acoustics.” The partnership between the two was extremely successful. “Most of their buildings were in Chicago, where the commercial expansion of the 1880s resulted in many commissions.” Shortly after, Louis Sullivan became a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, another great American architect who was strongly influenced by Sullivan’s ideas and his desire to create a distinctly American form of