Abstract
WITH THE Lost Cause and the Sell Out hypotheses hardly filtered out of the history of the World's Columbian Exposition, another conjectural matter is put forth. At issue is the authorship of the design of the trusses for the great roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts building.1 While it is tempting to attribute them to George B. Post, the member of the Commission of Architects who designed its fagades, it is not likely that the engineering aspects of the design were under his direction. The purpose of these notes is to attempt a clarification by calling attention to preconditions the Commission of Architects accepted at the time of appointment, by reviewing the building's development, and by affirming Edward Clapp Shankland's role in that development. These views will indicate the workings of D. H. Burnham's organization of the exposition's Bureau of the Chief of Construction, as they will also confirm Burnham's record that the design of the trusses came from the Bureau rather than Post's office.2 I
Published Version
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