Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Analysis

The partnership of two men was perhaps the most famous and influential in American architecture. In ancient scriptures, the great Marcus Vitruvius Pollio once said, “A structure must exhibit the three characteristics, it must be solid, useful, beautiful”. This important quote inspired both Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, two of Chicago’s most appreciated architects. These two men were crucial in the rebuilding of the city, after The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It was almost as if they were destined to find each other and work together. They both had individual strong suits, which made them work so well together. Adler, the engineer and businessman, was complemented by Sullivan, the designer. Both brains put together resulted in some of the

After about a year of absorbing new information with Jenny and Edelmann, he left to Paris. He pursued his dream of attending the École des Beaux-Arts. Being at this well renowned school gave Sullivan the upper-hand to most architects in America. His mind was opened up more than it already had been, the ambitious young man would come back to Chicago with amazing skills. It was here that he learned the importance of “speaking architecture”, a form that his newest influence Marcus Vitruvius Pollio lived by. His discovery of Terra-cotta, a beautiful type of refined clay, would be used very much in his return to the states. It was at this school that he also fell in love with some Italian form of architecture. The use of pillars intrigued him very much, not just for structural purpose but for beauty. Something with beautiful form that also serves as an important purpose of function. This would be another technique that he would bring back with him to the states. After finishing his year in a totally different world, he returned to Chicago with a vast knowledge of new ideas. Before he started his most productive years, he hired as a draftsman by the firm of Joseph S. Johnston. Soon after they were commissioned for the design of the Moody Tabernacle. Sullivan was responsible for the interior decorative “fresco secco”, a stencil technique applied on dry plaster. Luckily, he had great experience with this because of his training in Paris. Sullivan’s advanced techniques were soon noticed throughout the United States and he would soon accept the position of his life