Elevator grille from the Chicago Stock Exchange Building
Louis Henry Sullivan|Dankmar Adler
ca. 1893 · Wrought iron and brass · The American Wing
Sullivan believed that all architectural ornament should be derived from nature and thus express the geometry underlying all natural forms. As his design work matured, he employed natural motifs in a more abstract and symbolic manner. Sullivan associated ovals with seeds—symbols of life. His powerful use of this form in the ornamentation of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building can be seen on this elevator grille and on the building’s staircases, which were installed in the American Wing in 1980.
- Artist
- Louis Henry Sullivan|Dankmar Adler
- Date
- ca. 1893
- Medium
- Wrought iron and brass
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Purchase, Emily Crane Chadbourne Bequest, 1973
