Louis Sullivan played a critical role in establishing Chicago as
a hotbed of innovative American architecture in the late 19th
century, altering the course of American architecture in the
process. Over just two decades, he designed some of the city’s
most recognized and influential buildings, pioneering new ways
of thinking about formal relationships, aspiring to what he
called “the poetry of architecture.” His innovation and
leadership inspired his most famous student, Frank Lloyd Wright,
to later call him the “lieber-meister” (“beloved master”). Since
his death in 1924, Sullivan has been widely recognized as a
brilliant designer of architectural ornament and an influential
mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, but he often remains in the shadow
of Wright and Chicago’s other giants of architecture, among them
Daniel Burnham and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. On the 150th
anniversary of Louis Sullivan’s birth, we will revisit the
important role he played in establishing both Chicago and
America as a place of innovative ar