The Dexter Building was a landmark building located at 630 South Wabash Avenue, in the South Loop area of Chicago , Illinois . The building was designed by the firm of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan , and built in 1887. Prior to its destruction in 2006 it was one of the earliest surviving Louis Sullivan buildings, and was considered a precursor of the nearby Auditorium Building . It was designated as a Chicago Landmark in 1996 and was described by the Landmarks Division of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development as an "irreplaceable link in the chain of work of one of the nation's most important architectural partnerships". It was distinctive in its use of exterior perforated girders, prefiguring designs of seven decades later.
13-671: Architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan designed the Wirt Dexter Building as a warehouse and a furniture store for Wirt Dexter Walker , a prestigious lawyer in 1887, twelve years before his death. This building housed many businesses all around the years, from 1967 it was the home of the George Diamond Steak House, and the upper floors later housed the Sawyer Secretarial College. On October 24, 2006, workmen were cutting up
26-480: A boiler in the basement for scrapping with acetylene torches that sparked a large fire. The fire was allowed to get out of control and gutted the building. At its peak, the fire, which started in the basement at around 3 pm, was a five-alarm fire , the Chicago Fire Department 's highest level of alert, with over 250 firefighters responding. Following the fire, the surviving shell of the building
39-742: A draftsman. Adler served in the Union Army during the Civil War with Battery "M", 1st Illinois Light Artillery Regiment . He was a private. He did engineering work in the Chattanooga and Atlanta Campaigns. After the war, he worked as an architect in Chicago, working first with Augustus Bauer and next with Ozias S. Kinney. In 1871, Adler formed a partnership with Edward Burling that ultimately created more than 100 buildings. Adler eventually started his own firm. He hired Louis Sullivan as
52-466: A draughtsman and designer in 1880, and made him a partner three years later. Adler's partnership with Sullivan was short-lived; due to a slump in their architectural practice brought on by the Panic of 1893, and Adler's desire to bring his two sons into the firm, there arose a rift with Sullivan, the result of which was that Adler left the partnership to join an elevator firm as engineer and salesman. After
65-473: A short period, Adler returned to architecture, in partnership with his two sons, but never regaining the prominence he had with Sullivan. Adler and Sullivan's Auditorium Building (1889) is an early example of splendid acoustical engineering, as is their Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue . Both drew upon the fine acoustics in Adler's earlier Central Music Hall . Adler was an acclaimed expert in acoustics, yet he
78-548: The Art Institute of Chicago . The Dankmar Adler Collection of letters, papers, and photographs also includes an autobiography. The first group of buildings were created in partnership with Edward Burling: Adler and Sullivan Adler & Sullivan was an architectural firm founded by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan in Chicago . Among its projects was the multi-purpose Auditorium Building in Chicago and
91-530: The Wainwright Building skyscraper in St Louis. In 1883 Louis Sullivan was added to Adler's architectural firm, creating the Adler & Sullivan partnership. According to Architect Ward Miller: Adler & Sullivan are most associated with being an innovative and progressive architectural practice, forwarding the idea of an American style and expressing this in a truly modern format. Their work
104-481: Was Temple Isaiah. On June 25, 1872, Adler married Dila Kohn (July 5, 1850 – December 3, 1918). Their children include: Abraham K. Adler (September 13, 1873 – October 30, 1914), Sidney Adler (June 26, 1876 – November 25, 1925) and Sadie Adler (born 1878). Adler died in Chicago, and is buried there at Mount Mayriv Cemetery. Photographs and other archival materials are held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at
117-683: Was a German-born American architect and civil engineer. He is best known for his fifteen-year partnership with Louis Sullivan , during which they designed influential skyscrapers that boldly addressed their steel skeleton through their exterior design: the Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri (1891), the Chicago Stock Exchange Building (1894), and the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, New York (1896). Adler
130-643: Was born in Stadtlengsfeld , Germany; his mother, Sara Eliel, died when he was born. In 1854, he came to the United States with his father Liebman Adler , a rabbi. They took up residence in Detroit , and Liebman became the rabbi of Congregation Beth-El . Subsequently, they moved to Chicago. Adler had some elementary-level education in the City of Detroit, and Ann Arbor , before leaving school to become
143-416: Was too unstable to save and was demolished. At the time of the fire there was no insurance on the building. The Wirt Dexter Building can be seen in the near background of one scene in the 2001 movie Just Visiting . 41°52′25″N 87°37′34″W / 41.87361°N 87.62611°W / 41.87361; -87.62611 Dankmar Adler Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900)
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#1732793036422156-843: Was unable to explain fully the excellent acoustic properties of his buildings. With his partner Burling and thereafter, as a partner in Adler and Sullivan , Adler was instrumental in rebuilding much of Chicago following the Great Chicago Fire . Adler is considered a leader in the Chicago school of architecture. In addition to their pioneering accomplishments with steel-framed buildings and skyscrapers, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan were early employers and mentors of architect Frank Lloyd Wright , whose consistent praise for Adler ("the 'American Engineer' my 'Big Chief'") surpassed even that which he reserved for Sullivan, whom he called his "lieber meister". The last major building Adler designed
169-401: Was widely published and at the forefront of building construction. Their buildings and especially their multipurpose structures . . . were unequaled. Furthermore, the expression of a tall building, its structure with a definite base, middle section or shaft and top or cornice was a new approach for the high building design. These types of tall structures developed into a format. . . . Even today,
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