Elevator Transom Grille from Chicago Stock Exchange Building
c. 1893
Designer
- Louis Henry Sullivan, American, 1856-1924
- Born: Boston, MA
- Work Locations: Chicago, IL
- Dankmar Adler, American, 1844-1900
- Born: Germany
- Work Locations: Chicago, IL
Manufacturer
- Winslow Brothers Co.
- Work Locations: Chicago, IL
- Active Dates: 1887-1921
Locale
Chicago, IL
Country
United States
Object
elevator, grate
Medium
Wrought iron
Accession Number
2015.662
Credit Line
Gift of Jean P. Lehmann and Raymond E. Nelson
Louis Henry Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, Elevator Transom Grille from Chicago Stock Exchange Building, about 1893. Wrought iron; 15 x 66 3/4 in. Manufactured by Winslow Brothers Company, Chicago. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Jean P. Lehmann and Raymond E. Nelson, 2015.662.
Dimensions
height: 15 in, 38.1000 cm; length: 66 3/4 in, 169.545 cm
Department
Architecture and Design
Collection
Architecture and Design
This object is currently on view
Louis Sullivan described the spheres within the design of this elevator grillwork as an abstract interpretation of a seed, an homage to the Chicago Exchange, the nation’s largest agricultural stock exchange at the time. Sullivan believed that all ornament should be derived from natural sources and reflect nature’s underlying geometries.
Known Provenance
Purchased about 1972 by Virginia Payne Lehmann; inherited 1990 by Jean Lehmann; gifted 2015 by Jean Lehmann and Raymond Nelson to the Denver Art Museum.
Exhibition History
- “By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects” — Denver Art Museum, 10/24/2021 – 1/1/2024
- “By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects (1st Rotation)” — Denver Art Museum, 12/16/2022 – 1/31/2024
- “By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects (2nd Rotation)” — Denver Art Museum, 2/5/2024 – 2/5/2025
