The Devil in the White City

Required reading for residents of Chicago. Two stories for the price of one:

1. Chicago’s preparations for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair)—the Architectural Tour will come to life after the history lesson
2. the grizzly tale of the o.g. US serial killer H. H. Holmes.

There are similarities among these world’s fairs/expositions. In fact, San Diego’s “Panama–California Exposition” (1915-1916) bears resemblance to the Chicago World Fair in a number of ways:

1. But they both did much to envangelize and elevate these cities in this pre-global communication age.
2. Both born out of an ambition for recognition relative to a more prominent sibling: Chicago relative New York; San Diego relative to San Francisco.
3. Both were rush jobs. Devil in the White City emphasizes the sprint it was to complete all the preparation…including the buildings. And it was said of the Panama-California Exposition that there was a fair amount of “slapping plaster on chicken wire”).

— ᴘ. ᴍ. ʙ.

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