Editing Century of Progress (section)

==Architecture==
[[File:1933-1934 At A Century Of Progress Chicago (NBY 417187).jpg|thumb|Ahlberg Bearing Company pavilion at Century of Progress]]

Planning for the design of the Exposition began over five years prior to Opening Day.<ref>For a detailed discussion of the architecture of the Century of Progress International Expositions, see Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> According to an official resolution, decisions regarding the site layout and the architectural style of the exposition were relegated to an architectural commission, which was led by [[Paul Philippe Cret|Paul Cret]] and [[Raymond Hood]].<ref>Chicago World's Fair Centennial Celebration of 1933 Board of Trustees, Resolution, February 21, 1928, Available in the Century of Progress Archive, University of Illinois, Chicago.</ref> Local architects on the committee included [[Edward H. Bennett|Edward Bennett]], [[John Augur Holabird|John Holabird]], and Hubert Burnham. [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] was specifically left off the commission due to his inability to work well with others, but did go on to produce three conceptual schemes for the fair.<ref>Raymond Hood to Frank Lloyd Wright, Letter, February 16, 1931, Taliesin Archives, Avery Library, Columbia University.</ref><ref>For more on Frank Lloyd Wright and the Century of Progress see Lisa D. Schrenk (2007). Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair. University of Minnesota Press. p. 188-199 {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}</ref> Members of this committee ended up designing most of the large, thematic exhibition pavilions.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 70. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref>

From the beginning, the commission members shared a belief that the buildings should not reinterpret past architectural forms – as had been done at earlier fairs, such as Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition—but should instead reflect new, modern ideas, as well as suggest future architectural developments.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 47. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> Because the fairgrounds was on new man-made land that was owned by the state and not the city, the land was initially free from Chicago's strict building codes, which allowed the architects to explore new materials and building techniques.<ref>S. L. Tesone to C.W. Farrier and J. Stewart, Memo, October 16, 1933, p. 65, Century of Progress Archive, University of Illinois, Chicago.</ref> This allowed the design and construction of a wide array of experimental buildings, that eventually included large general exhibition halls, such as the Hall of Science (Paul Cret) and the Federal Building (Bennet, Burnham, and Holabird); corporate pavilions, including the General Motors Building (Albert Kahn) and the Sears Pavilion (Nimmons, Carr, and Wright); futuristic model houses, most popular was the twelve-sided House of Tomorrow (George Frederick Keck); as well as progressive foreign pavilions, including the Italian Pavilion (Mario de Renzi and Adalberto Libera); and historic and ethnic entertainment venues, such as the Belgian Village (Burnham Brothers with Alfons De Rijdt),<ref>Coomans, Thomas (2020). A Complex Identity Picturesquely Staged. The 'Belgian Village' at the Century of Progress Exhibition, Chicago 1933, ''Revue Belge d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de l'Art'', 89, p. 141-172. {{ISSN|0035-077X}}.</ref> and the Streets of Paris (Andrew Rebori and John W. Root) where fan dancer [[Sally Rand]] performed.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 265. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> These buildings were constructed out of five-ply Douglas fir plywood, ribbed-metal siding, and prefabricated boards such as Masonite, Sheetrock, Maizewood, as well as other new man-made materials.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 130-131. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> The exhibited buildings were windowless (but cheerfully lighted) buildings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|title=World Fairs 1933–1939|date=February 25, 2019|website=Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression, Encyclopedia|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307173746/https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|url-status=live}}</ref> Structural advances also filled the fairgrounds. These included the earliest catenary roof constructed in the United States, which roofed the dome of the Travel and Transport Building (Bennet, Burnham and Holabird) and the first thin shell concrete roof in the United States, on the small, multi-vaulted Brook Hill Farm Dairy built for the 1934 season of the fair.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair. University of Minnesota Press. p.40. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}</ref>