Cornice section from the Gage Building, Chicago, Illinois 1898 - 1899

This bronze cornice section comes from the Gage Building in Chicago, designed by Louis H. Sullivan, a key figure in the late 19th and early 20th century architectural innovation. Sullivan was at the forefront of the Chicago School, which advocated for an architecture that broke with European traditions. Sullivan believed that form should follow function, but he also passionately believed in ornamentation. Look closely and you will see the rich detail of the organic, flowing patterns. His designs were radically democratic. "It should be a tall and soaring thing, expressing pride and power, glory and might," he said, "a new thing!" The Gage Building, completed in 1899, embodies these ideas, reflecting the economic optimism and industrial might of the United States at the turn of the century. Ornamentation like this, once part of a towering structure, invites us to consider the relationship between art, commerce, and the American dream.