Elevator Grille, from the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, Chicago, Illinois
- Date
- 1893–95
- Material
- Cast and forged iron
- made in
- Chicago, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Architectural elements, metalwork
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 74 1/8 x 58 1/2 x 1 in. (188.3 x 148.6 x 2.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of The Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 45:1975.2
NOTES
The graphic pattern of this elevator grille—small spheres on radiating arms set within circles and ovals—is meant to embody the energy and embryonic life force of seeds. In the 1890s, when this grille was made, soaring skyscrapers were compared to growing plants, and their rising heights were facilitated by elevators. This grille element enclosed elevators in the Chicago Stock Exchange, a 13-story building designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan.
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