Daniel Burnham


Daniel Burnham was an urban planner and architect who oversaw the design of Chicago's 1893 World's Fair and wrote the 1909 Plan for Chicago. He also designed New York's Flatiron Building, the Dime Building in Detroit, and Union Station in Washington DC. 

He also planned the urban architectural future for Cleveland, Manilla, Washington DC, and San Francisco, work which is now seen as the beginning of modern city planning. Burnham Park on Chicago's Lake Michigan shore is named in his honor.

Unable to attend college, Burnham worked as a salesman, then prospected for gold in Nevada, before going to work as an apprentice draftsman in a Chicago architect's office. He befriended another draftsman, John W. Root, and in the construction rush after the Chicago Fire, they formed a new architectural agency called Burnham and Root. Their Montauk Building in Chicago, built in 1882 and torn down in 1902, was one of the first buildings described as a "skyscraper" -- ten stories tall, built of a daring steel-frame construction. In 1892 Burnham constructed the Masonic Temple Building, 22 stories rising 302 feet, which for two years was the tallest building in the world.


  1. Daniel Burnham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham
    Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. He was the Director of Works for the World's ...
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  2. Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City : PBS

    www.pbs.org/programs/make-no-little-plans/
    Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City is a film airing on PBS that tells the story of a dreamer who shaped some of America's best-known ...
  3. Daniel Hudson Burnham - Historic Architect - ArchiTech

    www.architechgallery.com/arch.../daniel_burnham_bio.html
    Biography of Daniel Hudson Burnham, historic architect from Chicago. Buildings include the Rookery, designs for Chicago's Lakefront.
  4. Daniel H. Burnham (American architect) -- Encyclopedia Britannica

    www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/.../Daniel-H-Burnham
    American architect and urban planner whose impact on the American city was substantial. He was instrumental in the development of the skyscraper and was ...
  5. Daniel H. Burnham - NNDB.com

    www.nndb.com/people/955/000160475/
    Daniel Burnham was an architect who oversaw the design of Chicago's 1893 World's Fair, and designed New York's Flatiron Building, the Dime Building in ...
  6. Daniel Burnham - Wikiquote

    en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham
    Daniel Burnham. From Wikiquote. Jump to: navigation, search. Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood... Daniel Hudson Burnham (4 ...
  7. Daniel Burnham news, photos and video - chicagotribune.com

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    Items 1 - 12 of 75 – News, Photos and Information about Daniel Burnham.
  8. Daniel H Burnham - Chicago Planner - Architecture - About.com

    architecture.about.com › ... › Famous Architects › Architects A-Z
    Discover the life and works of Daniel Burnham, who helped shape the Chicago we see today.
  9. Daniel H. Burnham — Historic Detroit

    historicdetroit.org/architect/daniel-h-burnham/
    Daniel Burnham is regarded as one of the greatest American architects, a father of the skyscraper and one of the most influential minds behind early 20th ...
  10. Daniel Burnham - Random House

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    "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood" Daniel H. Burnham, Director of Works, Columbian Exposition, 1893. Daniel H. Burnham was born in ...