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Libraries and Schools in 1888 August 31 2015

This is the thirteenth installment in our series of posts comparing significant events from a year in United States history with a few of our unique architectural plans from the same period.  1888, the topic of this installment, subsequently marks the thirteenth year of the American Architect and Building News' existence.

Click on the pictures to find the plans below in our store! 

The Library of Congress was first conceptualized by James Madison in 1783, but didn't begin to resemble the majestic research facilities we know now until over a century later.  The first of these buildings to be constructed was Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, DC.  Though construction on the building didn't begin until 1890, by 1888, plans were already in full-swing for the building. Below is an early original of Paul J. Pelz and John L. Smithmeyer's plans for the Jefferson Building, which looks fairly close to the final version of the building that we know today.

Library of Congress Building, Washington, DC, 1888, Smithmeyer & Pelz

 

On January 12, 1888, the Midwestern states were hit by an extreme blizzard seemingly out of nowhere.  Dubbed the "Schoolhouse Blizzard", it sprang up on the afternoon of a relatively warm day and hit with such severity that 235 people were killed, many of them children on the way home from school.  In Minnesota, one of the states hit worst by the blizzard, this hotel at Little Falls would have been right in the epicenter of the storm.  It's beautifully detailed plan was designed by architects Gilbert & Taylor.

Ground Floor Plan of the Hotel in Little Falls, Little Falls, MN, 1888, Gilbert & Taylor


Newspapers and Explosions in 1878 August 07 2015

This is the third installment in our series of posts comparing significant events from a year in United States history with a few of our unique architectural plans from the same period.  1878, the topic of this installment, marks the third year of the American Architect and Building News' existence.

Click on the pictures to find the plans below in our store!

In January, Yale University students found The Yale Daily News.  The News is still celebrated today as the oldest daily college newspaper within the country, but not without contest.  A number of colleges, including Harvard, Rutgers, Dartmouth, California and Cornell, all lay stake to their own claim of the oldest newspaper.  However, Yale's tends to be the most frequently recognized as the holder of the crown.  Regardless, newspapers were how the majority of Americans stayed on top of things at the time, as evidenced by this 1878 building for the Cincinnatti Gazette by an unknown architect. Be sure to also take a look at our collection of Yale plans.

Gazette Building, Cincinnati, OH, 1878, n/a

 

May of 1878 saw a tragedy in the midwest of country.  The Washburn "A" Mill, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, exploded, killing 18 workers.  A loose spark caused the highly flammable floating flour particles to combust, creating a gigantic explosion that leveled the mill.  Today, the ruins of the mill still stand and can be explored via a museum built around them.  Nearby, this house at Dellwood for Mr. A Kirby Barnum in Saint Paul, Minnesota was built based on a design by the legendary Cass Gilbert.

House at "Dellwood" for Mr. Barnum, St. Paul, MN, 1885, OrigPlan. Cass Gilbert.