ROOKERY BUILDING
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Renovated Prairie style atrium enjoying pure beauty with 2 wrought iron staircases that meet on the second floor.
Built by architects Daniel Burnham and John Root from 1885 to 1888, it incorporates traditional masonry styles and the new technological prowess brought about by the use of structural steel. On the exterior, note the details of the decorations designed by Root; on the interior, observe the atrium (Light Court) redesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. Originally, this atrium was much darker. Wright brought in the marble, as well as elements of fluidity and light that characterize his Prairie style. On the left, as you enter the atrium, you notice a difference in color on the floor: a mosaic rectangle is darker than the rest of the room. This is because when the building was renovated in 1988, there was a newsstand in this location, which has since been removed. In the same location, an open column can be seen, which contains an original post, prior to Wright's 1905 intervention. The two wrought iron staircases that meet on the second floor are pure beauty. They are called "floating" because they are self-supporting and do not need lateral bracing. The two small beams that seem to support the structure were only added at the request of the public who visually did not understand how the staircase could stand alone. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, it is no longer possible to visit the entire structure; one enters in small groups and visits only the first floor.
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