#bruce graham

The Killing of Two Lovers

September 3rd is National Skyscraper Day, a date chosen in honor of the birthdate of architect Louis Henry Sullivan (1856-1924) “the father of modern skyscrapers”. Sullivan also introduced and popularized the principle of “form follows function” to late 19th and early 20th century architecture and industrial design, though he attributed the concept to 1st century B.C.E. Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio.  This ca. 1972 photograph documents the construction of the Sears Tower skyscraper (now Willis Tower) in Chicago, Illinois. Designed by Peruvian-American architect Bruce Graham (1925-2010) and Bangladeshi-American architect Fazlur Rahman Khan (1929-1982), the “father of tubular high rise design”, the skyscraper was the tallest in the world at the time of its completion in 1973.