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Woman's Building

Architect
Sophia Hayden Bennett
Year
1892
City
Chicago, IL
Woman's Building
Photo: The Field Museum Library, No restrictions
See it on the map

The Woman's Building was designed and built in 1892 for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, planned, designed, and decorated entirely by women under Chicago's Board of Lady Managers. It was the first of the fair's twelve main buildings to be completed, holding exhibition space, an assembly room, a library, and a 70-foot Hall of Honor devoted to showcasing women's achievements.

the building

The Hall of Honor. The building's Hall of Honor rose 70 feet, the centerpiece space for displaying the work of women gathered from around the world for the fair.

A competition among women. Fourteen women architects submitted designs for the commission. The Board of Lady Managers selected Sophia Hayden's scheme: a three-story, Italian Renaissance-style building fronted with Corinthian columns.

the style

Hayden's design was Italian Renaissance in style, a three-story composition with Corinthian columns, giving the building a formal, classical presence among its eleven fellow Exposition buildings.

the architect

Sophia Hayden Bennett won the competition among fourteen women architects to design the Woman's Building, making her one of the first women to design a major American public building.

significance

The Woman's Building was demolished after the World's Columbian Exposition closed.

nearby

All 382 buildings in Chicago