John Wellborn Root (January 10, 1850 – January 15, 1891) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who was based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

with

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

. He was one of the founders of the Chicago School style. Two of his buildings have been designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

; others have been designated Chicago landmarks and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In 1958, he was posthumously awarded the

AIA Gold Medal The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture." It is the Ins ...

Early years and education

John Wellborn Root was born in 1850 in

Lumpkin, Georgia The city of Lumpkin is the county seat of Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 891. History This area of Georgia was inhabited by succeeding cultures of indigenous Native Americans for thousands of ...

, the son of Sidney Root, a planter, and his wife, Mary Harvey Clark. He was named after a maternal uncle, Marshall Johnson Wellborn. Root was raised in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where he was first educated at home. When Atlanta fell to the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Root's father sent young Root and two other boys on a steamer to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where his father, Sidney, had a shipping business based in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. His mother and sister went to

Cuthbert, Georgia Cuthbert is a city in, and the county seat of, Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,520 in 2019. History Cuthbert was founded by European Americans in 1831 as seat of the newly formed Randolph County, after Indian Remov ...

. While in Liverpool, Root studied at Clare Mount School. His later design work was said to have been influenced by the pioneering work of Liverpool architect Peter Ellis, who designed and built the world's first two metal-framed, glass curtain-walled buildings,

Oriel Chambers Oriel Chambers is an office building located on Water Street near the town hall in Liverpool, England. It was the world's first building featuring a metal framed glass curtain wall, which has since become a defining feature of skyscrapers aro ...

(1864) and

16 Cook Street 16 Cook Street, Liverpool is the world's second glass curtain walled building. Designed by Peter Ellis in 1866, it is a Grade II* Listed Building. Built two years after Oriel Chambers on Water Street, the architect's best-known work, it show ...

(1866). After Root returned to the U.S., he earned an undergraduate degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 1869. After graduation, he took a job with the architect James Renwick, Jr. of Renwick and Sands of New York as an unpaid

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. Later he took a position with

John Butler Snook John Butler Snook (1815–1901) was an American architect who practiced in New York City and was responsible for the design of a number of notable cast-iron buildings, most of which are now in and around the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, as ...

in New York. While working for Snook, Root was a construction supervisor on the original Grand Central Depot, predecessor to

Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...

's Grand Central Terminal. Root was greatly influenced by the architecture of

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

2010-03-03 1872x2808 chicago reliance building

Chicago and career

In 1871, Root moved to Chicago, where he was employed as a draftsman in an architectural firm. He met

and two years later in 1873, the young men formed the firm of

Burnham and Root Burnham and Root was one of Chicago's most famous architectural companies of the nineteenth century. It was established by Daniel Hudson Burnham and John Wellborn Root. During their eighteen years of partnership, Burnham and Root designed and b ...

; they worked together for 18 years.Lanctot, Barbara, ''A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery'', Chicago Architectural Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, 1988 p. 14-15 During the economic downturn in 1873, Root earned extra income on jobs with other firms and as the organist at the First Presbyterian Church.

Mature years (after 1873)

Root developed the

floating raft system Floating raft is a land-based building foundation that protects it against settlement and liquefaction of soft soil from seismic activity. It was a necessary innovation in the development of tall buildings in the wet soil of Chicago in the 19th ce ...

of interlaced steel beams, to create a foundation for tall buildings that would not sink in Chicago's marshy soil. Root's first use of this revolutionary system was for the Montauk Building in 1882. He later transferred use of the steel frame to the vertical load-bearing walls in the Phenix Building of 1887, in imitation of

William LeBaron Jenney William Le Baron Jenney (September 25, 1832 – June 14, 1907) was an American architect and engineer who is known for building the first skyscraper in 1884. In 1998, Jenney was ranked number 89 in the book ''1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ran ...

Home Insurance Building The Home Insurance Building was a skyscraper that stood in Chicago from 1885 to 1931. Originally ten stories and tall, it was designed by William Le Baron Jenney in 1884 and completed the next year. Two floors were added in 1891, bringing its ...

of 1885. Root, Burnham,

Dankmar Adler Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900) 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 addr ...

, and

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

formed the Western Association of Architects because they felt slighted by East Coast architects. Root served as president in 1886. In 1887, he was elected a director of the national

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. His work from his prime years has been recognized for significance by being designated as

, and Chicago landmarks. He worked on the plan for the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in Chicago. Before it was constructed, Root died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

in 1891 at the age of 41. He was buried in Uptown's

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

Marriage and family

Root married Mary Louise Walker in 1879, but she died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

six weeks later. In 1882, he married for a second time, to Dora Louise Monroe (sister of Harriet Monroe). Their son John Wellborn Root, Jr. also practiced in Chicago as an architect. Root's sister-in-law, Harriet Monroe, authored the biography, ''John Wellborn Root: A Study of His Life and Work'' (1896).

Significant buildings

Lake View Presbyterian Church, Chicago Flickr

Grannis Block Grannis is a town in Polk County, Arkansas, Polk County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 554 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Near Grannis is the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment of the American Baptist Association, a ret ...

(1880) Chicago (destroyed) * St. Gabriel's Church (1880) Chicago * Montauk Building (1882–1883) Chicago (destroyed) *

Rookery Building The Rookery Building is a historic office building located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop. Completed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiec ...

(1885) Chicago, National Historic Landmark (NHL) * Phoenix (Phenix) Building (1887) Chicago (destroyed) *Lake View Presbyterian Church (1888) Chicago *

Monadnock Building The Monadnock Building (historically the Monadnock Block; pronounced ) is a 16-story skyscraper located at 53 West Jackson Boulevard in the south Loop area of Chicago. The north half of the building was designed by the firm of Burnham & Root ...

(1889), Chicago, National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) * Society for Savings Building, Cleveland, (1889), NRHP *

Reliance Building The Reliance Building is a skyscraper located at 1 W. Washington Street in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The first floor and basement were designed by John Root of the Burnham and Root architectural firm in 1890, with the rest o ...

(1889) Chicago, ground floor only, NHL * Keokuk Union Depot (1891) Keokuk, Iowa, NRHP *

Temperance Temple Temperance Temple may refer to: * Temperance Temple (Baltimore), built by the Sons of Temperance in Baltimore, Maryland, US; see History of slavery in Maryland * Temperance Temple (Chicago) Temperance Temple (also known as Women's Temple or Woman ...

(1892) Chicago (destroyed)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Root, John Wellborn 19th-century American architects Chicago school architects Architects from Chicago Architects from Atlanta * 1850 births 1891 deaths Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois People from Lumpkin, Georgia Western Association of Architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Recipients of the AIA Gold Medal