Summary Of Chicago World's Fair

“I am puzzled to understand the final impression left on the average mind...as to the inward meaning of this dream of beauty. Of course, I don't understand it, but then I don't understand anything...”, Henry Adams, in a letter to Lucy Baxter, October 18, 1893
The Chicago worlds fair was a bustling whirlwind that swept the country’s grittiest city in 1893. A race was run by the nation’s top architects and landscapers to beat the clock and Paris’s previous display. The streets were dirty, the numerous train tracks dangerous, the water unsafe, and yet the city teemed with people intent on seeing beauty like never before. It was the wild west meeting city life, a town not for the faint of heart. The Fair’s electric lights and rolling fields a contrast
to the city's dinge. Every one that came to the World’s Fair met new experiences and saw inventions they could never imagine. Visitors were left inspired and passionate. Lurking among all of this new found wonder was America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Holmes was young, handsome, charming, but above all, dangerous. Using the his charm and the draw of the new city, Homes murdered countless young women. It was this mixture of beauty and chaos that defined Chicago in the 1890’s. In 2003, Erik Larson detailed this exciting time in his book The Devil in the White City. The goal of this story is to show the juxtaposition of good and evil during in Chicago during the world’s fair. It raises not only the question of how some men fill their time, but also why? Burnham wanted to be remembered as an architect who had achieved the impossible, whereas Holmes left a legacy terror. Both men were equally a part of Chicago at the time, and both each have a clear place in history. It is only in the intentions of these men that we see a difference. As Larson writes it is pride versus evil that contrasts the two narratives of the book. In order to communicate this, Larson introduces us to two men, an esteemed architect and a con man and serial killer with an undeniable charm. The story moves as we see Burnham rushing to build up the city for the world fair, and Holmes tearing the city down with his vengeful plots. The most talked about of Burnham’s colleagues are John root, Burnham’s partner who met an early demise, Frederick Olmstead is the landscape architect that Burnham calls on, he is noted for designing Central Park. Holmes’ life if weaved in and out with many young women, all of whom are killed. The story begins with Burnham on an ocean liner reflecting on the events leading up to the Chicago World’s Fair.
Larson illustrates the fierce competition surrounding the contract to host the fair, that is won by Chicago. The author then ushers in Holmes who immediately upon arriving in the city has talked an old pharmacy owner to allow him to run the store. After this Burnham begins pursuing Olmsted to landscape the fair. Holmes’ charm helps him at the pharmacy and the business thrives as he meets his first lover and victim, Myrta Belknap. Burnham and his crew begin to set up shop in Jackson Park, the decided location for the fair. At this same time, Holmes breaks ground on a new building that he will rent rooms in during the fair. The building has office space, gas chambers, and a body chute. Things take a dramatic turn in chapter ten when Burnham’s long term architect partner Root dies. A meeting of all the elected architects is held, their designs are shown and hopes for a beautiful fair are risen. Holmes quartz a married woman and eventually kills she and her daughter. New challenges arise for Burnham as deadlines are missed and soil sinks. A cold winter makes work even harder as a contract is awarded to Mr. Ferris who has an idea for a wheel. Holmes in the mean time moves on to two new girls, Anna and Minnie. Despite all of the adversity leading up to the fair, it successfully opens on May 1, 1893. Holmes begins taking people into the hotel, only some are able to
check out. The fair receives unheard of attention with millions visiting, it is host to wonders unheard of. Weather, wind, and fire plague the fair, but visitors come none the less. On October ninth, the fair breaks a record for visits by reaching 750,000 because of this, the fair can finally cover its costs and become profitable. As the fair reaches it’s end, so does Holmes’ freedom. A detective by the name of Geyer gets him arrested for insurance fraud, but knows he’s done much worse. Holmes is sentenced to death for his murders and spooky endings over take many key players in his trial. The book closes with Burnham's death, he outlived most of his colleagues and friends. The author’s thesis is proven time after time in the book. Larson succeeded in portraying the lives of two men with painstaking accuracy. We see the two men fighting for their desires. The greatest part of the author’s response to his thesis is that neither good nor evil wins, they just coexist. History just continues, a new chapter in a different book. To have tried to assign a finality or even an ending other than death would’ve made this book inaccurate or just a projection of the authors feelings. Instead the reader is faced with the truth that history and time, not the evil or merit of man is what prevails. Larson does a miraculous job of turning documents, newspapers, and memoirs into an overlapping plot in this book. The story flows and intertwines at a masterful level. No detail is spared in his account of the planning process for the fair. The most impressive part of the writing is the emotion he is able to convey with his facts. One can find themselves believe they are reading fiction when pouring over Larson’s work. Readers are immediately transported to everyday life in Chicago while studying the book, they’re surrounded by smells of trash and aware of the weather. Although Larson does a phenomenal job explaining the preparation for the fair, he glazes over Holmes. Although the first word mentioned in the book’s subtitle is murder, it is definitely not a main plot point of the book. In the few chapters that are about Holmes, Larson refuses to provide detail about any of his actions, leaving the reader either imagining worse or intensely confused. There is a lot of information out about Holmes including a documentary and it would’ve been nice for Larson to include more juicy bits. Murder will always hold a reader’s attention more than a building plan, and it is this where Larson finds his downfall. Without the detail of murder, Holmes begins to almost seem like a sane man. When all the reader sees is that another woman took an unexpected trip out of state, the horror of death is removed, it becomes mundane.
While learning about the clean up Chicago did before the fair one can see some parallels to today. The city brought in fresh water just for the fair, took the garbage from the streets, disguised alleys and increased infostructure. conversations This is of course reminiscent of a pre-Olympic China. Sections of Beijing were walled off, the city's poorest were ordered to move as they would be unsightly to guests. The whole city was revamped like a carnival booth to prominence and hide all of the ugly. Olympics have become our world fairs, every city trying to present its best to the world. And, when looking deeper, it’s clear that everyone is trying to present their best to the world. People are just covering their alleys.
The Chicago World’s Fair was the heart of new America.
Everyone had brought their best and newest to inspire a generation of dreamers, innovators, and inventors. It brought a sense of community and made the world seem a little smaller. All visitors were met with something new, whether it was their first time seeing an electric light bulb or Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. It was a game changer, it was a group of men coming together and saying let’s do the impossible, let’s beat Paris, let’s give them something they’ve never seen. And it was in this optimism and boldness with which impossibility was faced that the people found the true spirit of the fair. The Chicago Worlds Fair was doing the
impossible.