Drawings, prints, reprographic copies and documents for the Monadnock Building, Chicago
most reprographic copies printed between 1889 and 1892
- The Fonds Monadnock comprises over 500 drawings, blueprints, hectographs and manuscripts, mostly for the Monadnock Building, Chicago, and a few drawings and reprographic copies for other buildings by Burnham and Root: the Rookery Building, the Herald Building, and the Chemical Bank Building, all in Chicago, and the Fidelity Trust Building, Tacoma, Washington. Drawings and prints for the Monadnock Building include the earliest known conceptual drawings illustrating the initial development of the design, presentation drawings for a twelve-storey Egyptian-inspired design, design development drawings for a sixteen-storey steel frame project, and design, design development and working drawings for the final built work.
- The first design phase for the Monadnock Building is known as the Quamquisset Building (1884). Drawings for this phase include five conceptual elevations for Richardsonian Romanesque and Gothic proposals (DR1986:0767:003, DR1986:0767:062 - DR1986:0767:064 and DR1986:0767:087) , and a presentation drawing for a façade with Eygptian-inspired ornament (DR1986:0767:085). Drawings for the second design phase, the Monadnock Block (1885), include two preliminary plans, twenty presentation drawings showing two variant designs, two structural drawings for the foundations, one design development drawing, and seven working drawings for the steel frame. Drawings for the third design phase, the sixteen-storey steel frame project (1889), include twenty design development drawings - elevations, sections and plans - four of which are stamped by the commissioner of buildings, and one structural drawing, a plan with load calculations (DR1986:0767:026). The majority of the drawings, reprographic copies and manuscripts are for the fourth and final design phase of the Monadnock Building (1889-1892) which incorporates the Kearsarge Building (1890). Drawings for the fourth design phase include mostly working drawings, many design and design development drawings, some contract drawings and a few preliminary and presentation drawings. The working drawings, design and design development drawings for the fourth design phase include general plans, sections and elevations, structural drawings and building systems drawings (plumbing, heating, electrical, elevators) and detail drawings. Most of the contract drawings for the fourth design phase are working drawings which were apparently used on site during the construction of the building. Contract drawings also include detail, construction, mechanical, and a few shop drawings. There are many plans and elevations for office and commercial space interiors, including construction drawings for built-in furniture. Some of these drawings have been approved (signed) by future tenants. There are two later drawings related to the Monadnock Building: a printed plan for the Monadnock addition by Holabird & Roche (DR1986:0767:131) and a plan dated 1895, showing the settlement of the piers of the "Old Monadnock Building" (DR1986:0767:192). All nineteen manuscripts, with the exception of one lighting fixture schedule, concern the calculation of the structural loads for the Monadnock Building. The fonds Monadnock also contains miscellaneous fragmentary execution drawings, pieces of execution drawings, blueprints, staples and metal ties for drawings, for the Monadnock Building, Chicago, Illinois (DR1986:0767:473:001-023).
- The fonds Monadnock contains a few drawings for other buildings designed by Burnham and Root in Chicago: two graphite plans for the Herald Building, 1889-1891 (DR1986:0767:173 and DR1986:0767:174); two pen and ink structural drawings showing the steel frame for the Rookery Building, 1885-1887 (DR1986:0767:037 and DR1986:0767:038); a hectograph showing a riser diagram and drawings for the plumbing fixtures for the Chemical Bank Building 1889 (DR1986:0767:358); and six presentation drawings - elevations, sections and plans - and one preliminary drawing for an unbuilt office building designed by Burnham and Root for the corner of Clark and Van Buren Streets in Chicago (DR1986:0767:002, DR1986:0767:089, DR1986:0767:090 R and DR1986:0767:093 - DR1986:0767:095, and DR1986:0767:111). There is a plan and two sections for the steel frame, and a plan for a commercial space for the Fidelity Trust Building, Tacoma, Washington, 1889-1891,(DR1986:0767:163 - DR1986:0767:165, DR1986:0767:184). The elevation for teller wickets is probably also for this building (DR1986:0767:185). Drawings for unidentified buildings include an elevation for a house, an excavation plan, and several miscellaneous sheets of drawings and calculations (DR1986:0767:141 V, DR1986:0767:130, DR1986:0767:090 V, DR1986:0767:158, DR1986:0767:159, DR1986:0767:183 and DR1986:0767:189).
Manuscripts include mostly graphite, some pen and ink, and one hectograph, all on wove paper, tracing cloth or tracing paper
sheet (smallest): 17,5 x 22 cm sheet (largest): 100,8 x 146 cm
DR1986:0767:001-473
inscribed and numbered - on many of the originals and drawings, by the draughtsman, in pen and black ink when on the drawings, in various locations: with the architectural firm name, drawing titles and numbers, notes concerning the design and construction, dimensions, building components and materials, floor numbers, pier letters and column numbers, and space functions inscribed - on many of the originals, by the draughtsman, in various locations: with notes concerning the interpretation of the drawings, keys to symbols for lighting fixtures, elevator components, office furnishings, pipe diameters, letters indicating pipe functions and plumbing components, and compass points inscribed - on many of the drawings, by the draughtsman, in pen and black ink or graphite: with building and street names, calculations, and notes concerning structure and materials dated - on some of the drawings, reprographic copies, and prints, by the draughtsman, in graphite, or pen and ink, in various locations: with drawing dates and occasionally, revision dates signed and inscribed - on some of the drawings, reprographic copies, and prints, by unknown hands, in graphite, u.r.: with initials and notes by Burnham and Root staff, mostly concerning the use and reproduction of the drawing inscribed and numbered - on some of the prints, by unknown hands, in graphite or pen and ink, in various locations: with notes concerning the design and design modifications, building names, drawing titles and numbers, and calculations stamped and dated - on some of the drawings and prints, in purple ink, c.r., b. or l.r.: "APPROVED / BURNHAM & ROOT, / AUG 27 1891 [or AUG 13 1890] / EC Shankland / ENGINEER [and date]"
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