Dome

View looking up, at the southwest corner, depicting the building shaft (note varying widths of vertical bands composed of windows, mullions and piers); The conflict of tradition and innovation taxed the assessors' skill and nerve in the most important competition of the first quarter of the century, that of 1922 for the Chicago Tribune Tower. The promoters sought 'the most beautiful and distinctive office building in the world'. From 204 international entries the American assessors confidently selected the submission from Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells before all the overseas entries were in. On the eve of closing, an outstandingly original entry from Eliel Saarinen caused consternation; despite support from Louis Sullivan, it was eventually placed second, causing considerable resentment. Other entries from Europe that showed the way forward, away from eclecticism and historicism, included Walter Gropius's and Adolf Meyer's functional abstraction, Bijvoet & Duiker's de Stijl design and the Expressionist scheme of Bruno Taut. As was the case with most of Hood's projects, the sculptures and decorations were executed by the American artist Rene Paul Chambellan. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 11/19/2007)