Documentary Film Daniel Burnham

FAIN: GN-50674-05

Archimedia Workshop NFP (Chicago, IL 60605-1303)
Judith P. McBrien (Project Director: March 2005 to August 2005)
Judith P. McBrien (Project Director: August 2005 to October 2006)

Consultation with scholars on a two-hour television documentary on the life and work of American architect Daniel Burnham (1846-1912).

American cities in the late 19c were chaotic, exploding with growth and change as the economy shifted from an agrarian to an industrial basis. In the midst of these forces was architect and urbanist Daniel Burnham whose powerful vision of what a civilized American city could be in a democratic society would transform Chicago and cities across our country. His ideas provided a model for Americans to make sense of the world around them at a critical point in our nation's history. Burnham's legacy is fascinating and complex.We seek the NEH's support to develop key humanities issues for a two-part PBS documentary about the life and work of an enormously influential but often misunderstood American cultural leader, architect Daniel Burnham.