The 1893 Chicago World Fair

The 1893 Chicago World Fair

Introduction

The 1893 Chicago World Fair lasted for six months, and approximately 27 million visitors were in attendance (Burg, pp 30-36, 2015). The visitors were listening and enjoying live music, which was coming through the telephone from New York, sampling new foods such as Pabst blue ribbon beer, Cracker Jack, among others, as well as studying and admiring new technologies such as the zipper. The venue, Jackson Park, of the 1893 Chicago World Fair was in the middle “white city” buildings whose architectural design was the work of Architecture Daniel Burnham. In his recent publication, Devil in the White City, Erik Larson focuses on elaborating more about the World’s Fair as well as the nation’s first-ever known serial killer, H.H Holmes. Many readers view the publication as a reflection of the chronology of events in American history, while to the local readers, the book is a treasure as it reminds them of the events that took place during the 1893 Chicago World Fair (Rydell, pp 41-49, 2013). This essay will critically explore the impacts of the 1893 Chicago World Fair to the city of Chicago by focusing on the major remnants which stand up to dates such as the Museum of science and industry, the Ferris wheel, and the Big Mary.

Museum of science and industry/Palace of fine arts

One of the major remnants of the Chicago World’s Fair is the Palace of Fine Arts, which is currently known as the Museum of Science and Industry. All the other buildings were demolished after the exposition except the Palace of Fine Arts, as it was known during the fair as a place for displaying artwork (Burg, pp 45-54, 2015). Even though some renovations have taken place on the building like the front side of the palace is now the backside of the Museum, it still looks the same as it was back in 1893 during the Chicago World Fair. According to Erik Larson, if the building is painted white, and imagination of it among other similar and large buildings will give a clear picture of the “White City” back in 1893 during the exposition (Burg, pp 20-29, 2015).

According to Mark Hayward, the Fine Arts Palace building was fireproof as Chicago was known for experiencing fires, and so expositors from other countries were reluctant to display their valuable artwork at the fair. Until 1921, when the Field Museum was relocated to its current location, the Palace of Fine Arts was serving as the Field Museum, and it was later deserted. However, in 1933, the renovation of the building took place where the Indiana limestone was used to restore the original external face of the Palace of Fine Arts (Rydell, pp 55-61, 2013).

Ferris wheel

The invention of the Ferris Wheel by George Washington Gale, the youngest engineer in American by that time, took place during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair after a challenge was posed to all American engineers by Daniel Burnham to design something different that could outdo the Eiffel Tower which many of the exposition visitors were considering amazing (Rydell, pp 35-45, 2013). The wheel had a capacity of 36 cars, and each car had a capacity of holding 60 riders. Later the wheel was remodeled to a capacity of 40 gondola cars with each car holding up to six people. Even though the original wheel was later sold as scrap after touring the nation, George Washington descendants still treasure the Ferris’ Wheel, and therefore the wheel stands at the Navy Pier as well as at amusement parks globally (Rydell, pp 43-47, 2013).

According to a Navy Pier public relations, Marilyn Gardner, the first Ferris Wheel was designed in Chicago, and therefore the Ferris Wheel at the Navy Pier remains an icon for the city of Chicago, and even though a lot has changed in the city since 1893, the experience of riding the Ferris Wheel still feels the same as it was back in 1893 (Burg, pp 15-25, 2015). Similarly, the descendants of George Washington, such as Connie Gray, treasures the Ferris wheel as a family icon and also in remembrance of George Washington as a departed family member who made them proud.

The big Mary/statute of the republic

At the middle of the 1893 Chicago World’s fair; there was a 111 – foot tall statue of the republic, popularly known as the Big Mary, mounted on a gold leaf with its arms lifted up (Burg, pp 45-52, 2015). The statute was playing a critical role in welcoming visitors to the exposition as well as giving them a hint of what to expect in the fair. Even though the original statute was demolished, a similar statute today stands at the entrance of Jackson Park public course for welcoming golfers to the park, which is now green in color and not white as the original “White City.” Just as the original Big Mary with the lifted arms was arousing visitors’ curiosity of what to expect in the Chicago World Fair, the current statute inspires the golfers for great results when playing at the Jackson Park public course (Rydell, pp 19-31, 2013).

Conclusion

The Chicago World fair took place so many years back, but the memories of the exposition pass from generation to another and not only to the people of Chicago but to the entire world. Even though the original memories of the fair were destroyed, the symbolic memories play a major role in reminding locals as well as visitors of the great Chicago World fair and also part of the history of the Americans.