Editing World's Columbian Exposition (section)

=== Transportation Building ===
[[File:The Gilded Entrance to the Transportation Building (3405437784).jpg|thumb|Golden Arch at [[Louis Sullivan]]'s Transportation Building]]

[[Louis Sullivan]]'s polychrome proto-Modern Transportation Building was an outstanding exception to the prevailing style, as he tried to develop an organic American form. Years later, in 1922, he wrote that the classical style of the White City had set back modern American architecture by forty years.<ref>Sullivan, Louis (1924). ''Autobiography of an Idea''. New York City: Press of the American institute of Architects, Inc.. p. 325.</ref>

As detailed in [[Erik Larson (author)|Erik Larson]]'s popular history ''[[The Devil in the White City]]'', extraordinary effort was required to accomplish the exposition, and much of it was unfinished on opening day. The famous [[Ferris Wheel (1893)|Ferris Wheel]], which proved to be a major attendance draw and helped save the fair from bankruptcy, was not finished until June, because of waffling by the board of directors the previous year on whether to build it. Frequent debates and disagreements among the developers of the fair added many delays. The spurning of [[Buffalo Bill]]'s Wild West Show proved a serious financial mistake.  Buffalo Bill set up his highly popular show next door to the fair and brought in a great deal of revenue that he did not have to share with the developers. Nonetheless, construction and operation of the fair proved to be a windfall for Chicago workers during the serious economic recession that was sweeping the country.<ref name=devil />