Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (GAP&W) was a
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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architectural firm
In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countri ...
that was founded in 1912 as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to
D. H. Burnham & Co. through
Daniel Burnham's surviving partner,
Ernest R. Graham, and Burnham's sons,
Hubert Burnham and
Daniel Burnham Jr. In 1917, the Burnhams left to form their own practice, which eventually became Burnham Brothers, and Graham and the remaining members of Graham, Burnham & Co. – Graham, (William) Peirce Anderson, Edward Mathias Probst, and Howard Judson White – formed the resulting practice. The firm also employed
Victor Andre Matteson.
Background
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White was the largest architectural firm under one roof during the first half of the twentieth century. The firm's importance to Chicago's architectural legacy cannot be overstated, nor can its connection to Burnham.
The firm was headquartered in Burnham's own
Railway Exchange Building
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
. In part from its connection to Burnham, the firm captured the majority of the big commissions from 1912 to 1936, including such iconic works as the
Wrigley Building,
Merchandise Mart
The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...
,
Field Museum
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
,
Shedd Aquarium,
Civic Opera House
The Civic Opera House, also called Lyric Opera House is an opera house located at 20 North Wacker Drive in Chicago. The Civic's main performance space, named for Ardis Krainik, seats 3,563, making it the second-largest opera auditorium in North ...
, and the former central
Chicago post office. Its only close rival was the equally prolific
Holabird and Root
The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern ...
.
GAP&W also created the iconic
Terminal Tower
Terminal Tower is a 52-story, , landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the second-tallest building in the world when it was comple ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
and
Federal Reserve Bank
A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve A ...
in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
.
Anderson died in 1924, with Graham and White following just weeks apart in 1936. Surviving partner Edward M. Probst took over the firm, assisted by his sons Marvin Probst and Edward E. Probst.
After Mr. Probst's death in 1942, son Marvin G. Probst took over as firm president. Edward E. Probst left the firm about 1947. Just prior to Marvin Probst's death in 1970, the firm was sold to an employee, William R. Surman. From 1970 to 1993 William Surman was president of the firm. After his death in 1993, the practice was run by his son Robert Surman till the firm closed its doors in the fall of 2006.
Early on, Graham, Anderson, Probst & White became known for its classical taste and the elegance of its
Beaux-Arts-inspired output, which
Louis Sullivan decried as a stylistic throwback but which nonetheless withstood multiple generations of critics. Those early buildings are still popular favorites today. However, starting in 1923 with the firm's plans for the
Merchandise Mart
The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...
and the
Straus Building, the practice soon began to move beyond the Beaux-Arts influence of Burnham and the City Beautiful movement to the bolder, starker Art Deco style with its streamlined forms. The firm's ultimate expression of the Art Deco style was found in its design of the 1931 Field Building (later known as the La Salle Bank Building), which was a commission from the estate of department store magnate Marshall Field. It was matched that year by
Holabird and Root's equally stunning
Chicago Board of Trade Building
The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper located in the Chicago Loop, standing at the foot of the LaSalle Street canyon. Built in 1930 for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), it has served as the primary trading ve ...
. After 1931, GAP&W for the most part stopped referencing the Beaux-Arts style.
Buildings
*
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
(D.H. Burnham & Co., 1909–12; Graham, Burnham & Co., 1912–17; GAP&W, 1917–20)
*
Conway Building, 1913 (D.H. Burnham & Co. and Graham, Burnham & Co.)
* Continental and Commercial Bank Building, 1914 (as Graham, Burnham & Co.)
* Marshall Field & Co. Annex and northeast section of main store, 1914 (as Graham, Burnham & Co.)
*
Union Station (Chicago)
Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The station is Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also ...
, 225 South Canal Street, 1913-25 (begun as Graham, Burnham & Co.)
* Kimball Building (a.k.a. DePaul University Lewis Center), 1917
*
Wrigley Building, 1919–1925
*
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (informally the Chicago Fed) is one of twelve regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, make up the United States' central bank.
The Chicago Reserve Bank serves the Sevent ...
Building, 1922
*
Butler Brothers
Butler Brothers was a retailer and wholesale supplier based in Chicago. It was founded in 1877 as a mail-order company by Charles Hamblet Butler, George Henry Butler, George H. Butler and Edward Burgess Butler.
History
In the 1920s, Butler Brothe ...
Warehouse Building, 1922
* 7 E. Redwood Ave, Baltimore MD (fmr Citizens National Bank of Baltimore Building, a.k.a. Union Citizens National Bank, 1922)
*
Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Building (101-23 East Main Street, Louisville, KY - now known as Waterside Building), 1923
*
Straus Building (a.k.a. Continental National Insurance Building), 1923–24
*
Merchandise Mart
The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...
, 1923–31
* Illinois Merchants Bank Building (a.k.a. Continental Illinois Bank Building), 1924
*
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Passenger and Freight Stations, Carter Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets,
Ashland, Kentucky, 1925
*
John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1925–1931
*
Pittsfield Building
The Pittsfield Building, is a 38-story skyscraper located at 55 E. Washington Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, that was the city's tallest building at the time of its ...
, 1926–1927
*
State Line Generating Plant
The State Line Generating Plant was a coal-fired electrical generating station that operated from 1929 until 2012. It was located on the coast of Lake Michigan, bordering the state line separating Indiana from Illinois but within the corporate l ...
, 1926–29
*
Terminal Tower
Terminal Tower is a 52-story, , landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the second-tallest building in the world when it was comple ...
, Public Square, Cleveland, 1926-1930
* Builders Building (a.k.a. 222 N. La Salle St.), 1927
* 208 W. Washington St., Chicago (a.k.a. Concord City Centre), 1927
*
Civic Opera House (Chicago), 1927–1929
*
30th Street Station
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, 1927-1933
* Insurance Exchange Building, south section, 1928
*
State Bank of Chicago State Bank of Chicago was an American banking firm which conducted business under a state of Illinois charter issued on February 10, 1891. State Bank of Chicago operated from offices in the Chamber of Commerce Building located at the southeast corne ...
Building, 1928
*
Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) reconstruction, 1928–1940
* Foreman State National Bank Building, 1930
*
Suburban Station
Suburban Station is an art deco office building and underground commuter rail station in Penn Center, Philadelphia. Its official SEPTA address is 16th Street and JFK Boulevard. The station is owned and operated by SEPTA and is one of the three ...
, 16th Street at John Fitzgerald Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, 1930
*
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Depot, South 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska, renovation 1930
* Field Building (a.k.a. La Salle National Bank Building), 1931
*
Mayflower Manor Apartments, Akron, 1931
*
La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center, 1931
* U.S. Post Office Central Office, Chicago, 1932
*
Chicago Historical Society Building, 1932
* Hurley Hall,
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, 1932
* Reyniers Life Building,
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, 1947
*
Edens Plaza,
Wilmette
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, 1956
*
Morton Salt Headquarters, 1956–61
* American Dental Association Building, 1965
* Hayes-Haley Hall,
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, 1968
*
CNA Center, Chicago, 1972–1973
* Motorola World Headquarters, Schaumburg, IL 1973
* Illinois State Library, Springfield, IL 1990
[History of the Illinois State Library https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/about/library_history.html]
* Loyola University Chicago, Administrative Offices, Forest Park, IL 1991
* 2 East Erie, Chicago, IL 2002
* Bethlehem Steel General Office Building (Former Headquarters until Martin Tower was built in the 1970s), Bethlehem, PA 1916. Currently vacant.
Architectural sculpture
Like most of the other prominent architectural firms of the early 20th Century, GAP&W frequently used sculpture to decorate its building designs. As was the custom of the era GAP&W had specific artists that they preferred to work with. One in particular was New Yorker
Henry Hering
Henry Hering (February 15, 1874 – January 15, 1949) was an American sculptor.
Early career
He was a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens at Cooper Union and of Philip Martiny at the Art Students League of New York. He then went to Paris where ...
, who created the sculptured pediment for the
Civic Opera House
The Civic Opera House, also called Lyric Opera House is an opera house located at 20 North Wacker Drive in Chicago. The Civic's main performance space, named for Ardis Krainik, seats 3,563, making it the second-largest opera auditorium in North ...
; a variety of details for the
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
, including a variation on the Erectheum porch; and the allegorical figures ''Day'' and ''Night'' for the Great Hall of the Chicago's
Union Station. As the century progressed, the firm moved away from the classical style favored by Hering and used for the firm's earlier Beaux Arts buildings to more contemporary
art deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
styled work, such as that attributed to sculptor
Frank Jirouch on Cleveland's Midland Building.
Gallery
Image:2007-09-13 2400x1800 chicago merchandise mart.jpg, Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Image:Terminaltower1.jpg, The Terminal Tower in Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
Image:Field fg02.jpg, Field Museum, Chicago
Image:XBryant Building Kansas City MO.jpg, Bryant Building,
Kansas City, Missouri
Image:925 Grand-former Federal Reserve-KCMO.jpg, Federal Reserve Bank
of Kansas City
Image:Civic Opera House 060528.jpg, Civic Opera House, Chicago
Image:InlandSteelOffice.JPG, Main Office Building, Inland Steel Co., East Chicago, Indiana
File:Architect and engineer (1920) (14760399636).jpg, Railway Exchange Building, Chicago, Illinois
File:Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois (74769).jpg, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois
File:Broad Street Suburban Station Pennsylvania R. R. and office building, Philadelphia, PA (61756).jpg, Suburban Station, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
References
*Bach, Ira, ''Chicago On Foot: Walking Tours of Chicago's Architecture'', Rand McNally & Company, Chicago 1979
*Bach, Ira, editor, ''Chicago's Famous Buildings'', University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1980
*Chappell, Sally Kitt, Transforming Tradition: Architecture and Planning of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, 1912–1936, University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL 1992
External links
Graham FoundationArtnet profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Anderson, Probst and White
Design companies established in 1912
1912 establishments in Illinois
American railway architects
Defunct architecture firms based in Chicago