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Essential Architecture- Chicago
Loop South Site of the Origin of the Chicago Fire of 1871 |
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architect |
Sculptor: Egon Weiner |
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location |
Dekoven and Jefferson Streets |
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date |
Fire started on October 8, 1871; "Pillar of Fire" sculpture
erected 1961 |
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type |
Monument |
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Sometime between 8:45 and 9:30, on the night of October 8, 1871, a fire
started in a barn owned by Catherine and Patrick O'Leary on DeKoven
Street, 1-1/2 miles southwest of the downtown. Fanned by a strong wind,
in a city largely built of wood structures, the blaze raged for nearly
30 hours. Flames spread as far as the city's northern limits (near
Fullerton Avenue) before finally dying out in the early morning rain of
Tuesday, October 10. Much of the downtown and surrounding areas lay in
ruins; 300 were dead and a third of the city's population of 300,000 was
left homeless. Ironically and appropriately, Chicago's Fire Department
Training Academy stands on the site. |
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links |
With special thanks to the City of
Chicago website,
www.egov.cityofchicago.org , for much of the info on this page.
Photos copyright City of Chicago. |
| www.essential-architecture.com | |