sullivan-designed auditorium theater proscenium vault domes now available through bldg. 51 museum

the bldg. 51 museum is offering a first-ever, limited edition line of faithfully recreated cast plaster auditorium theater (1889) proscenium vault perforated domes designed by architect louis h. sullivan and executed by chicago-based decorators supply company.

the full-scale "beehive" domes were made possible through a collaboration between the bldg. 51 museum and decorators' supply company. earlier this year, after i was given a replica during my visit to their facility (cast from an auditorium theater original to replace several domes that had been damaged over the years), i placed an order to have additional domes cast from the decorators' master model.

i was energized by viewing such a visually striking artifact representing a collaboration between architect louis h. sullivan and modeler james legge; i wanted to make them available to other like-minded individuals and institutions equally interested in possessing domes that would otherwise not be available (since the building remains standing with the majority of the the original domes still intact and in use).

the cast plaster domes are virtually identical to the theater's originals - both in size and design. each dome has been numbered and stamped on the underside, and are presented untreated in order to allow any and all prospective clients choose a finish that suits their needs. the limited edition of domes is a one time offer (oto), and no additional domes will be fabricated once the initial series sells out.

historic background:

adler & sullivan's auditorium was one of the earliest theaters to be both heated and air conditioned, allowing it to function year round. the air intake was located south of the stage, where it was then heated or cooled in the basement before being circulated into the theater's ornamental cast plaster domes located throughout the theater. the presence of domed vents in the upper galleries as well as on the main floor supported ferdinand peck’s ideal of democracy.

during chicago’s winter months, air was drawn into the theater where it was then washed with sprays of water, humidified, and forced over hot radiators before being circulated into the auditorium. in the summer months, the air cooling system required approximately fifteen tons of ice blocks, delivered through massive sidewalk vault doors on a daily basis. the ice blocks were first crushed and salted before being placed in large holding vats. air drawn in from the theater's south side intake was sprayed clean, then cooled through a forced path through these vats and then out into the theater.

james legge, louis sullivan, and the auditorium's ornament:

the auditorium theater's plaster ornament was fabricated onsite under guidance of master sculptor james legge.

in a race to get the ornamental plaster patterns completed in sync with a challenging construction schedule (where drawings for the building's interior details were being executed as the exterior walls were rising!), head architectural sculptor james legge set up a team of modelers to create the clay master patterns within the building's unfinished interiors.  a complete in-house plaster shop was created to make molds and castings in mass production as soon as the sculptors completed their work.  among the team of sculptors was a young norwegian immigrant named kristian schneider, who louis sullivan found to be especially adept at interpreting the fluid nature of his ornamental drawings. schneider became sullivan's sculptor of choice, and executed most of his ornamentation for the buildings designed and built throughout his architectural career (primarily while working for the northwestern terra cotta company) , spanning the late 19th and early 20th century.

although most architectural historians and enthusiasts are familiar with sullivan's richly sculpted ornamentation (such as his three-dimensional fusion of geometric and organic forms), sullivan's ornamental mastery also included dynamic linear designs, as seen in his patterns created for painted stencils and perforated fret sawn wood panels. the oversized cast plaster domes that serve as ventilators on the auditorium theater's dramatically gold leafed arches are superb examples of sullivan's liner ornamental style, and unique in the way they address a contoured shape.

to purchase a limited edition auditorium dome click here.