Elevator panel from the Manhattan Building, Chicago, Illinois

Winslow Brothers Company|William B. Mundie|William LeBaron Jenney

ca. 1889–91 · Cast iron · The American Wing

William LeBaron Jenney, one of the leading architects of the Chicago School, designed the Jenney's Manhattan Building from which this panel came. The Jenney's Manhattan Building was built at 431 South Dearborn Street in Chicago. The sixteen-story structure, designed in 1889 and completed by 1891, represents one of the most important examples of early skyscraper technology and design. Most of the building's metalwork was made by the Winslow Brothers, perhaps the finest metal shop in the country at the turn of the century. This cast iron panel, which originally formed part of an elevator enclosure, has a geometric grid pattern on its lower half and semi-naturalistic stylized ornament adorning its upper portion. The Museum owns another panel, 1981.439.2, from the same building. It is identical to the present panel, save for the addition of small volutes around the outer edges.

Artist

Winslow Brothers Company|William B. Mundie|William LeBaron Jenney

Date

ca. 1889–91

Medium

Cast iron

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Manhattan Associates, A Partnership, 1981