The Gray City Unbuilt: Architectural Proposals for the University of Chicago

September 1–December 6, 1992

The University of Chicago’s exterior has undergone multiple transformations over its century-long existence. These transformations were the subject of the Smart Museum’s exhibition of Fall 1991, The Gray City: Architectural Drawings of the University of Chicago.

Equally interesting, however, are the designs of buildings that for one reason or other, never materialized. Architect’s renderings of these unbuilt parts of the Gray City make up the exhibition, which has been selected from the archives of the Office of Facilities.

The exhibition spans from 1928-1989, and many of the drawings date from the Depression era, when building projects were cancelled and not begun again until after World War II with Holabird, Root and Burgee’s Administration Building, the first non-Gothic structure built on campus. The design was such a drastic change in the school’s architectural identity, that an alternate design for the building was also commissioned, which was displayed in the exhibition. Monetary considerations have also affected building plans. Such away the case for the proposed centralized arts center, the Cochrane-Woods Arts Complex. Designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1972, it was meant to include a music performance hall, music department office, art history library, and a larger version of the Court Theatre, in addition to the Smart Museum, the Art History Department, and a scaled-down version of the Court Theatre which comprise the complex today.

In addition to presenting various development and architectural proposals, The Gray City Unbuilt documents the evolution of architectural rendering techniques. Often influenced by contemporary art, graphic styles, and printing techniques, architectural drawings have been transformed through the years from realistic descriptions in pencil and watercolor to abstractions composed with colored pencils, markers and Photostats.

The title of the exhibition refers to the moniker given to the University in the late 19th century when its campus rose alongside the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, which stood nearby on the Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park. The grand, Neo-Gothic gray structures of the University contrasted sharply with the temporary, Neo-Classical “White City” of the Exposition, and the campus quickly became known as the “Gray City.” 

Curator: Richard Bumstead, University Planner in the Office of Facilities Planning and Management

The exhibition was funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.