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William Borden Residence, Chicago, Illinois, South Elevation

Richard Morris Hunt

1886

William Borden Residence, Chicago, Illinois, South Elevation by Richard Morris Hunt

Medium

Watercolor on hectographic print, mounted on linen

Dimensions

64.5 × 67.5 cm (25 3/8 × 26 9/16 in.)

Classification

working drawing

Department

Architecture and Design

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Accession Number

236534

Art Historical Context

Step into the opulent world of Gilded Age architecture with Richard Morris Hunt's *William Borden Residence,, Illinois, South Elevation (1886). This working drawing captures the south facade of a grand home designed for William Borden, son of a prominent Chicago merchant prince. Hunt, America's pioneering Beaux-Arts architect trained at Paris's École des Be-Arts, infused the design with classical symmetry, ornate detailing, and French-inspired elegance—hallmarks of his style that elevated American residential architecture. Created during Chicago's explosive post-fire rebuilding boom, the draw...

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