The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The fair also had an impact on the national consciousness, informing Disneyland, the creation of Oz, and the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Ferris wheel, AC lamps, and shredded wheat were among the inventions first seen at the fair. Neoclassicism continues to pervade as an architectural style, and the White City became a model for civil planning. The Palace of Fine Arts still stands in Jackson Park. Burnham left his mark on other cities, while Louis Sullivan was initially less successful. Wright befriended Sullivan and as their celebrity rose, Burnham’s waned. Even though they had formerly rejected him, Harvard and Yale granted Burnham honorary degrees. Among his designs was New York’s Flatiron Building, constructed in 1901. He also socialized with the Wrights.

Olmsted and his family became increasingly aware of his dementia. He was housed at McClean Asylum in Massachusetts. Ferris’ wheel was relocated, though it was some years before it would again be a commercial success. Its designer died at 37 of typhoid fever. Sol Bloom lost all his money on a failed business venture, but he went on to craft the charter behind the United Nations and became a congressman.