Cold Storage Building Fire atWorld's Columbian Exposition

Cold Storage Building Fire at World's Columbian Exposition

World's Columbian Exposition

Illinois--Chicago

Chicago (Ill.). Fire Department

Cold storage

Architecture

Crowds

Fire fighters

Fire extinction

A large crowd gathers as the Cold Storage building is engulfed in flames at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. The building, which was one of the fair's largest, stored perishable food used by fair vendors, and contained an ice skating rink. During the building's design phase officials felt the large smokestack clashed with the other architectural wonders at the fair. To remedy this problem, a wooden structure was built around the smokestack to hide what was considered to be an eye sore. When the fire broke out, firemen from the World's Fair Fire Department, as well as the Chicago Fire Department, rushed up the tower to extinguish the flames. Fourteen firefighters lost their lives when the tower collapsed into the building.

Kilburn, B. W.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

1893-07-10

jpg

eng

401550

Miscellaneous Collection

Vertical File Stereograph Collection

stereograph

b&w

1

9 x 18 cm