D.H. BURNHAM and CO. The Heyworth Building

AN ELEGANT COMBINATION OF ORNAMENT AND STRUCTURE.

My sense of of D.H.Burnham and Company's Heyworth Building is that Frederick Dinkelberg, the building's designer knew exactly what he was doing. And that his sense of scale was "spot on." The building "reads" first as an elegantly proportioned mass. Then its components (those Chicago School staples) the bottom, middle, and top come into play -- where the middle is particularly ordered (no missing the steel frame construction here) and the arched top and cornice is particularly well proportioned. Note that Dinkelberg did not rely on contrasting materials to emphasize his point: he used depth, shadow and a contrast of geometry. And finally there is ornament. Beautifully detailed ornament. Applied with full knowledge that the Heyworth would stand next to Louis Sullivan's Schlesinger and Meyer.

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Though the selection of red terra cotta for the Heyworth's facade was no accident, its reason remains speculation. My vote is that Dinkelberg chose the darker color in deference to the designer next door he so clearly respected.

Credit due Pat Sabin for the Heyworth's postcard image.

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