Late Entries to the Chicago Tribune Competition Collection, 1980

In 1922, the editors of the Chicago Tribune, Colonel Robert R. McCormick and Captain Joseph M. Patterson, hosted a competition to redesign the Chicago Tribune Tower in hopes of creating an architectural representation of the radical philosophies held by the editors. The original competition not only offered the honor of the design of the building, but also a $50,000 prize. This 1922 competition was thought to represent the contemporaneous state of architecture and has always been regarded as a milestone of American architecture. The rules required participants to respect the structural module and height limitations established by the Tribune. The contestants, who came form all over the world, borrowed freely from the Greeks, Romans, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The winner of the 1922 competition was the American John Mead Howells.

The 1980 counterpart to the Tribune competition was not intended as a competition at all, but as an exhibition of architects from all over the world. Unlike the original competition, this was an invitation only endeavor, and over 100 architects were invited. The exhibition, "The Late Entries to the Chicago Tribune Competition," was an idea by architect Ben Weese further developed by architects Stanley Tigerman, Stuart E. Cohen and the owner of the Young Hoffman Gallery in Chicago, Rhona Hoffman. The exhibition opened on May 31, 1980. The developers wanted each competitor to represent a point of view or theoretical position, as well as represent a cross-section of progressive western thought. The outcome was that the styles, media, colors and intentions ranged greatly. Submissions to "Late Entries" did not limit themselves to functional buildings, but also to metaphorical and imaginary designs.

The Late Entries to the Chicago Tribune Competition Collection includes photographs of submissions, color slides of selected submissions, magazine articles and condition reports of the original pieces. These items document some of the history of the competition, submissions from architects to the exhibit, and paperwork on the condition of the original pieces in the exhibition as it was moved from Chicago to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ft. Worth. Materials date from 1980.

SERIES I: PHOTOGRAPHS, SLIDES AND CONDITION REPORTS. Black and white photographs of submissions of the 1980 competition, color slides of some of the submissions and the condition reports of the original works submitted to the Ft. Worth Museum of Contemporary Art where the exhibit was once housed.

SERIES II: PUBLICATIONS. Magazines containing articles delving into the history of both the original 1922 competition and the 1980 exhibit.

• Subject
  • Architecture -- Competitions -- United States.
  • Architectural drawing -- Exhibitions.
  • Tribune Tower Competition.

BOX.FF

c.

n.d.

Chicago Tribune Tower collection, 1922-1953, 00.3.

Tigerman McCurry Archive, 1930s-2017 (bulk 1963-2012), 2017.3.

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Late Entries to the Chicago Tribune Competition Collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

This collection was a gift from Rhona Hoffman of the Young Hoffman Gallery in Chicago to the Ryerson and Burnham Library in 2002.

This collection was processed in November 2007 by Jessi Collier.

New materials may be added to this collection on an irregular basis.