Ray, and my other great friend of the White City, a question has come up in another forum in the Living History of Illinois. The question is whether or not the Museum of Science and Industry is, for all intents and purposes, the same Palace of Fine Arts building from the Fair. Some seem to believe that the original building was completely torn down after the Museum of Natural History moved in 1920 to the Field Museum location, and then rebuilt to the same specifications for the Museum of Science and Industry. I always thought that the building is the same and was built to be fireproof because of the vast treasures it held during the fair. I know it fell into disrepair for years before it was restored, but was it totally demolished before being comepletely rebuilt, or were there just some basic fix ups to accomodate the new museum? Any reliable information and sources would be appreciated.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 21:02:14 +0000