Chicago Tribune, September 11, 1892
At the meeting of World’s Fair officials, representatives of the municipal government, and owners and lessees of large buildings Friday night to take the preliminary steps towards an organized plan of action in decorating the city for the dedicatory exercises in October. F. D. Millet, the artist, by invitation submitted some suggestions. Though he says they were hastily prepared Mr. Millet seems to have had a happy idea. Speaking about decorations in general he said, among other things:
The ordinary failure made in decorating streets and buildings is in trying to make a harlequin effect. If you remember the decoration, at the time of the death of President Lincoln, where the people only used black and white you will recall how striking, impressive, and artistic was the general effect. Now, in general terms, the facade of a building is best decorated with one color alone or with two or three colors properly arranged without any special regard to the employment of tbe red, white. and blue. A sufficient of prominence may be readily given to patriotic decoration by the introduction in appropriate places of a group of American flags, or of streamers and rosettes, or anything of the kind introducing the three colors. It must not be forgotten that one great principle of decoration is that is to say. a great deal is gained by having a wealth of any chosen form, flag, ornament. But at the same time nothing can be worse in street decoration than the red. white, and blue printed stuff, covered with small stars, which is now on the market.
Mr. Millet then went on to say:
Almost all European cities have chosen colors, as the universities and colleges have done, and these are called the “municipal colors.” Would it not be now to see if the authorities of Chicago will not select a color or of colors as the “municipal colors” for the city? If this is done it will simplify thoe whole matter of civic decoration very and afford a which will, I am sure, be followed in all great cities of the Union.
This suggestion of Mr. Millet seems to have caught a public fancy, as will be seen from the interviews given herewith.
To all the good work The Tribune offers a prIze of $100 for the best of a color or of colors for at “municipal color” for Chicago. The suggestions will be judged by a committee of artists, and the conditions will be announced later on.
The idea of a “municipal color” is catchy. There is both interest and sense in it. Harvard has its crimson, Yale its blue, Ann Arbor its yellow and blue, Princeton its orange, in fact, every college and university in the land has its color and loyal alumni glory in the colors of their alma mater.
Chicago’s unparalleled progress has been in no small degree due to the intense local pride and loyalty of its citizens of all classes. “Shoulder to shoulder, close ranks ” has always been the , and tne consequence is a vast of justifiable civic pride which would doubtless welcome a to display itself in the display of a “municipal color.”
Following are interviews on the subject:
Everybody Favors It.
I. K. Boyeaen, Master of Chancery—Tho idea of a municipal color is exceedingly pretty and I strongly favor it. I am against any combination of colors. To my mind violet would be the best color. It is a blending of many shades, and certainly the population of Chicago is a blending of as many nationalities as you will find anywhere on earth. I believe the adoption of a municipal color would tend to stimulate local pride, and that is a good thing.
Dr. T. N. Jamieson, City Sealer—The suggestion is a good one and I am for it from first to last. I believe that the citizens of Chicago would grow to have a deep love for their municipal color and take pride in displaying it. To my mind there is only one color that would be appropriate or symbolical of the city. That is sad. There is no hesitation, no backwardness. nothing half way about Chicago. The municipal color should be positive, decisive. Red is just that.
Charles L. Willoughby of Willoughby. Hill & Co.—Yes, let us have a municipal color. The suggestion is excellent. I am for a combination of colors. Blue would not do. It is too mild. Yellow would be out of the race. It savors too much of the cholera. Red, too, is out of the question. It’s against the city ordinances; at least the police won’t let tbe red flag be carried here. I am not sure but that the colors Columbus sailed under would be the most appropriate emblem we could select.
Henry Sherman Boutell of the Chicago and Northern Pacific railroad—I want a city emblem or color. I’m a Harvard man and of course favor crimson. No weak, irresolute, or indistinct color should be selected. Red or crimson is all that and is besides the color of strength and bravery. In heraldry the color red or crimson is designated in uncolored by vertical lines and is known as the tincture gules. Gules is represented by the gem ruby and by the planet Mars. There is something appropriate in taking red or crimson as the municipal color, which is symbolized by the beautiful and priceless ruby, and by “the star of the unconquered will,” as Longfellow calls the brilliant planet Mars. In Roman mythology Mars was not so much the god of war as the protector of the city, the god of the land, of agriculture, and of flocks. He most often worshiped in this character as Triumphater. Surely Chicago ought to wear the color that symbolizes courage, strength, and triumph.
H. P. Wadhmams—A good scheme. I am glad the suggestion was made. I hesitate to recommend a color, for I think that should be be done with extreme care. I am not an admirer of red, yet I think it would be a good color-strong positive.
Malcom Boddie—The suggestion to adopt a distinctive color for Chicago is good and I will do all I can to further the scheme. I am opposed to all combinations. I want a single color and that a strong, positive one. Red is good.
Theatrlcal Managers Differ.
Manager Sharpe of McVicker’s—The color theme should by all means be taken from the sunset. Let gold be tbe basis, which may be softened to a cream tint or heightened to tan. Now it is generally admitted that the decorations of McVicker’s Theatre are the most-
Manager Powers of Hooley’s—For a municipal flag the State arms might serve, or something might be made of the city seal. O, a primary color, oh? WelL how would green do? lt ought to favorably strike a majority in the Council.
Manager Henderson of the Chicago Opera House—Artists should compete in making designs which could be to taste. The strongest combination of colors is composed of red, white, and blue. They are the national colors of this and several countries. Besides we use those colors in our posters. Let me point out to you in this three-sheet of “Ali Baba”-
Manager Davis of the Columbia—Yellow symbolizes the grain which is the staple of the west; it is also the color of thle golden rod, which has many advocates as the national flower,
Manager Harry Hamlin of the Grand Opera—I’m for red. That’s the color we always celebrate with in Chicago.
Goorgo R. Davis, Director General World’s Fair—I think it is a first rate suggestion. It is an idea generally adopted abroad and I see no reason why Chicago should not do so. Black and white form a striking combination, but we want no mournful colors, so I think I would prefer red and white.
County Commissioner Ballard—It is a good idea. I have seen some suggestions of yellow and black. I believe tho ladies know more about it than we do. I would follow their suggestion, which, I understand, is yellow and black.
(County Commissioner Spofford—I anm in favor of working in the colors of red, white, and , principally red and blue, By all means make it uniform throughout the city. I like the idea.
Eli Moutgortery—Let us decorate toe streets witi a uniform color. I think that red and white would be good color. I think that red and white would make a pleasing effect and be satisfactory to every one,
A. O. Cooper, President Twelfth Ward Republican Club—The idea should be promoted by every one, and I hope that a uniform color will be established. Red, white, and blue, the national colors, are always good enough for me under any circumstances, and I hope these colors will be the ones decided upon.
Col. L. H. Whitney—Quote me as favoring the scheme and let us have uniform colors. I believe we cannot improve upon the national colors. They are appropriate as well as . beautiful. A committee should be appointed in each section of the city to look after this matter.
T. C. Matlack—No better plan could be adopted than decorating the city, and let us have no variance in decorations. While I have no particular choice and have the matter over but little I will say that at present I favor red, white, and blue.
Charles C. Reed—I think it is all excellent idea, and also an appropriate one. I have not given the matter much thought and am not decided as to colors, but I think a combination would be better than a solid color. It strikes mr that blue and gold would be appropriate.
Willis Jackson—I heartily concur in the idea amd think it a good one, but my artistic taste is not cultivate4 to permit a suggestion as to the color or colors that should-be adopted.
C. L. Rising—I am in favor of the idea. I liko tho sentiment and think of this character should be adopted by all means. I do not know what colors should be selected, and before expressing an opinion would want to give the matter some thought.
Chicago Tribune October 1, 1892
Terra-cotta and white is The Tribune’s suggestion for “municipal colors” for Chicago—the World’s Fair City. The design is a field of terra-cottaveither flag, banner, or shield—divided in three parts by a band of white. This combination of colors and the design are the suggestion of The Tribune’s prize “municipal color” contest.
The winner is Alfred Jensen Roewad, and his suggestion, No. 17, is as follows:
The three parts indicate the three Chicago divisions—North, West, and South—united with a white or silver band—the river. Red and white are the best colors for decorating, both with house fronts and green leaves as backgrounds.
A.J. ROEWAD.
Accompanying this suggestion are two colored designs—a banner (triangular flag) and shield, as shown herewith. The flag which is shown was drawn by F. D. Millet, the artist, after Mr. Roewad’s design, as showing how it could be applied to flag form.
Following is the award of the committee appointed by the Citizens’ World’s Fair committee:
We, the undersigned, the committe appointed by Mr. F. D. Millet, to examine the suggestions for “municipal colors,” sent us by The Chicago Tribune, would say that among the said suggestions the colors which seem to us the most suitable for decorative purposes are red and white, as being forcible, gay, durable, and of great simplicity. Seen against the blue sky they would also suggest the national colors. Silver could be used as an occasional variation upon white and gold as an accessory on staffs, stars, eagles, etc.
Among the several suggestions for red and white, the most decorative, in our opinion, is Number seventeen (No. 17).
WALTER SHIRLAW,
WALTER McEWEN,
E. H. BLASHFIELD,
Committee.
What Artist Millet Thinks.
Mr. Millet’s communication concerning the award is as follows:
CHICAGO—Sept. 30—(Editor of The Tribune.)—
Please find enclosed the report of the Committee of Artists who have been judging the competitive suggestions for a municipal color. They desire me to call to your attention to the fact that a great proportion of the suggestions referred to designs for a flag or some other device and comparatively few stuck to the point of color alone. In the opinion of the Committee the design for a municipal flag suggested by No. 17, to display the proper combination of colors, is ingenious, appropriate, and decorative. It is significant and simple, and recalls a heraldic device, or rather, is reminiscence of the way coats of arms and banners were designed in the days of chivalry. The Committee further approves of suggestion No. 166, or a modification of it, as also decorative and appropriate. This is a phoenix in red flames on a white ground.
Yours faithfully,
F. D. MILLET.
Red is a color that includes many shades and variations, and one of these is terra cotta. In view of the fact that since The Tribune made its offer of $100 for the best suggestion for “municipal colors” the Citizens’ World’s Fair committee has adopted terra cotta as a background for decorations for the dedicatory exercises it has has been thought best by The Tribune to select terra cotta as the red in combination with white.
Mr. Roewad had intended the use of a brighter red, but said last night:
I consent to the use of terra cotta in my design. On second thought I approve it, for the reason, among others, that it has no likeness to colors used by any nation.
The Tribune competition was opened Sept. 11. It was started in accordance with the paper’s desire to stimulate the invention of Chicagoans in devising a municipal color, the need of which was described by Frank D. Millet before a meeting of the World’s Fair officials, municipal officers, and owners of large buildings. The meeting was held to consider the subject of decorating the city during the World;s Fair dedicatory exercises. This is what Mr. Millet said:
Almost all European cities have chosen colors, as the universities and colleges have done, and these are called the “municipal colors.” Would it not be now to see if the authorities of Chicago will not select a color or of colors as the “municipal colors” for the city? If this is done it will simplify thoe whole matter of civic decoration very and afford a which will, I am sure, be followed in all great cities of the Union.
Left to Right: Mr. F. D. Millet, Mr. Roewad’s Banner and Mr. Alfred Roewad
The Tribune’s Proposition
The idea seemed to be an excellent one, and it met with immediate favor. The Tribune opened the competition with this announcement:
For the best suggestion of a color or combination of colors for a “municipal color” for Chicago $100 in cash. The suggestions will be judged by a committee of artists who will not be aware of the names of the persons competing. The contest is open to all persons. No suggestions will be received after Sept. 20.
Two days later ninety-eight suggestions had been received. Among them was Mr. Roeward’s. Sept. 15 the list had swollen to 164. Suggestions continued to come rapidly, and Sept. 21, when the competition closed, 829 had been received. Each as it arrived was numbered and its points were briefly described in The Tribune. Many of the suggestions were accompanied by long explanations, others were straight to the point. Numerous sketches were received, nearly all of which showed cared in the execution.
All Sent to Mr. Millet.
The 829 letters, notes, and sketches were tied up in a big bundle and sent to Frank D. Millet at the World’s Fair grounds. He arranged the brief synopsis of the suggestions which The Tribune had published in a convenient ahape and then called in jis committee of artists, Walter Shirlaw, Walter McEwan, and R. H. Blashfield, co-laborers of Mr. Millet in the work of decorating the World’s Fair buildings. The committee went to work over a week ago. They studied the suggestions with care and took time to do it thoroughly. The whole list was gone over first and every suggestion which was meritorious was marked with a blue pencil. Then in turn these were examined and the best winnowed out. These last were then examined and reexamined until finally No. 17 was fixed upon as the best.
The committee communicated their decision to Mr. Millet. He opened the bundle and hunted through the mass of papers until the envelope marked No. 17 was found. Then he wrote the letter to The tribune which is published herewith, inclosing with it the artist’s written award and Mr. Roeward’s water-color sketch. He handed his letter and the enclosure to a reporter yesterday afternoon.
Is an Excellent Suggestion.
“It is an excellent suggestion,” said he, “excellent for several reasons. The colors blend beautifully; they are genial, and they will appear bright against and background. They will deck the city with that gay and joyous air which suits the grand occasion next month. I like the device very much. It is heraldic and may be used in either a flag, shield or a banner. The device is so simple that it may be made at home. Hardly any skill is required. The colors are too easily procurable. The committee had in mind these two conditions because the artistic sense will be gratified if something like a uniform scheme of decoration is pursued. And for the reasons I have just stated suggestion No. 17 makes this possible.”
Mr. Millet said there were some really excellent ideas included in the suggestions. It was plain that many were made by younfg people, but plenty of them showed a color sense that was noticeable. Walther Shirlaw, one of the committee, told a reporter that the design and the combination of colors were excellent. They were bright and gay and they were capable of being combined with other tints in a harmonious whole.
Triumphal Arch
Columbian Exposition Dedication Ceremony
October 20, 1892
Career of the Winner.
Although Mr. Roewad said with a smile last night that he had never earned $100 so easily before, it is evident from his career that he has the ability and purpose to earn many hundreds of hundred dollars before he dies. His history, and be is still a young man, is interesting. With his design he inclosed the following card:
A. J. ROEWAD
ARCHITECT,
WORLD’S FAIR, BUREAU OF CONSTRUCTION,
AND
905 N. WASHTENAW AVE.
Alfred J. Roewad (Rõvad in Danish) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 10, 1848, and lived there until two years ago, when he came with his wife and four children to Chicago, arriving here in May, 1890. He is an architect and civil engineer by profession, and upon his arrival here was much interested by that purely American idea—iron and steel construction. He turned his attention to a study of this method of construction, and secured employment with the Keystone Bridge company. From it he went into the office of A. Gottlieb, who was at that time World’s Fair Supervising Architect. He then went to the World’s Fair, entering the Bureau of Construction. His work has been highly successful in this department, inasmuch as he made most of the detail drawings for the immense trusses of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building.
Mr. Roewad speaks and writes good, English, has taken out his first papers, and intends to live the rest of his years in Chicago.
Speaking of his design, he said last night:
In regard to the special colors for Chicago, I think it is right to give a heraldic and graphic expression of Chicago, as it is and always will be divided by the river in three sides—North Side, West Side, and South Side. The brightest colors should be used, Red, white and blue are the national colors. From these bI thought it right to select red and white, as the brightest and most practical for decoration. Red and white stand well together, but any other color beside the red changes it and it looks less bright. Red and white stand well with green leaves on trees, the blue sky, and the different house fronts. The third national color, the blue, is generally too dark in any other combination than the Stars and Stripes. We can always get red and white in good stuff with fast colors for flags, and other decorations, but not as well the blue.
Therefore I selected red and white for my suggestion—I handed in another later on. The ‘municipal’ part of the idea naturally suggested the North, West, and South Sides, and, of course, the river is the dividing line between them. So there’s nothing startling about the design.
My other suggestion consisted of three triangular banners—one blue with a white star, one rem and one white. My idea was to use these banners—the national colors—in groups.
Why He Came to Chicago.
In spite of my love for my country I decided my ideas and work were too American to agree with the slow Danish development. After a struggle I sold out everything and started to find the center of the world and its civilization. I was sure the westward growing civilization had its headquarters in the United States, but where in this country was center? I thought it would be in Chicago, but nobody could be sure of this, and it was a kind of lottery to select any place. As soon as the World’s Fair question was settled I came to Chicago at once.
Of course it is a serious thing to shift nationality. A thousand questions streamed into my soul. You are too American for Copenhagen, are you American enough for Chicago? I had been studying in Paris, Vienna, and other cities, and it was plain every place had its originalities, and of course Chicago had its. I will see London and see how Chicago and Chicagoans look. I knew that the women of the other European metropolises were most characteristic of the inhabitants. I will look at the women of London and see how they compare with my ideal. I staid there a week, but it is far more difficult to find the English types than those of other cities. Homely faces, short, and clumsy figures, dressed without taste, were the ruling features. Either a special nose fostered by the fog and smoke or the remains of the Celt.
Arriving here my first task was to seek the American type as it expressed itself in the street passengers. Who can reveal my joy! I looked and was afraid it was a dream. I saw the most beautiful and vivid type of man. These slender, lovely girls, with small hands and feet, natural and healthy, with brighter eyes tahn I ever saw before, expressed my ideal in better form. This was my first impression and it has grown stronger since. I have been studying Chicago’s history, its resources. I am happy whenever it makes a step forward.
Is Also an Author.
Though Mr. Roewad does not complain it is plain that his struggle for life in the old country was severe. He tried his hand at authorship, and published a number of pamphlets on art and construction. Some of them are: “A Proposition for a Building Law,” Ventilation,” “Art and Art Institutes,” “A National Museum,” “A Ship Canal Through Copenhagen,” and “Workmen’s Homes.” He also wrote for the magazines.
Suggestion No. 166 received honorable mention at the hands of the Committee of award, by which it meant to say that No. 166 was the second best for decorative purposes. The suggestion follows, but the man who made it has a signature like a bank cashier. The consequence id that his surname may be Janney, or anything else beginning with “J” and ending with “Y.” This is his suggestion:
CHICAGO—Sept. 13—(Editor of The Tribune.)—
For the municipal colors I would suggest white with flames or a bar of red. For a design to accompany these colors a phœnix and nest of flames on a white field.
R.E. JANNEY.
Mr. Millet was a Titanic Victim.
Mr. F. D. Millet’s ancestors ancestors arrived on the Mayflower and he was born November 3, 1846 in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.
On April 10, 1912, Mr. Millet boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg, France, bound for New York City. Some reports of survivors seem to indicate that the last acts of Mr. Millet and his friend Major Archibald Willingham Butt before the last lifeboats were boarded were to give their life preservers to the last women to leave the ship. His body was recovered after the sinking by the cable boat Mackay-Bennett and returned to East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, where he was buried in Central Cemetery.
From Picturesque World’s Fair, An Elaborate Collection of Colored Views
PUBLISHED WITH THE ENDORSEMENT AND APPROVAL OF George R. Davis
PUBLISHED BY W. B. Conkey Company,
OFFICIAL PUBLISHERS OF THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION CATALOGUE, ETC.
CHICAGO.
INTERIOR OF THE WOMAN’S BUILDING—The interior of the Woman’s Building, viewed from the gallery end, presented an exceedingly attractive appearance. The great space was admirably lighted from the skylight over the central court, and the objects on display were visible with exceptional distinctness. Very curious and interesting were many of these objects, the character of which may be vaguely discerned in the illustration. A feature of the exhibits in this building was that many of them had a personal interest of exceptional character. For instance, there was a painting by Queen Victoria, one which, if painted by anyone else would have been pronounced but crude and commonplace, but which, having been painted by a queen, attracted vast attention. There was a painting of two boys—Paris gamins—by Marie Bashkirtseff, an admirable thing in its way; and there were quaint old tapestries and portraits of famous dames; there were a thousand things in the way of what might be expected, too, that is, in the display of those dainty things which make the difference between the houses of the cultivated and the uncultivated; there was a beautiful exhibit of old plates and delicate Chinaware, and a host of things that a woman loves and which affect the man insensibly, though perhaps he could not tell just how. Interesting not to women alone but to men, was a visit to this building, because of its gentle curious if for nothing else. Because of the skylight, everything was pleasant and of bright womanliness. It was a very cheerful place.
Chicago Tribune, November 9, 1999
Fads come and go, like arty cows and splashy logos. But Chicago’s “Y” symbol, nearly 107 years old and counting, is the stuff of history (and at least one famous Loop theater marquee).
Only it won’t be part of upcoming millennium festivities.
Y not? For a millennium logo, the city instead has hitched its wagon to a star — a roughly drawn, six-pointed star, to be exact.
“We felt our (millennium) logo derived from a very strong symbol of the city, the flag, but gives it a new twist,” says Eva Silverman, millennium celebration coordinator for the Department of Cultural Affairs.
Planners were “looking for something new and exciting that will catch people’s eyes, because it’s partly a marketing tool” as well as a symbol, says Silverman.
The stolid old Y, on the other hand, is a civic symbol pure and simple. For decades, the city put it on schools and other public buildings, bridges and its big municipal pier.
Why a Y? Because the man who conceived it in 1892 said the letter’s arms represented the branches of the Chicago River. And as the city’s first resident, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, knew, geography is indeed destiny.
Is a symbol that old still relevant? Carroll William Westfall, chairman of the architecture department at the University of Notre Dame, calls the Y a reminder that the river was Chicago’s first real link to the outside world. “That’s what a symbol can do,” he argues.
Some city agencies would seem to agree. The Chicago Public Library displays the Y prominently on its Web site and the Board of Education has built at least one school addition this year with Y symbols resplendent in limestone. Upcoming projects at the Department of Transportation may also sport a Y or two, according to agency sources.
But it hasn’t rubbed off on that part of city government in charge of things millennial. The official star logo (done gratis by several prominent members of the Chicago graphic design community) consists of the letter M repeated three times. The M’s stand for the immediate past, present and future millennia. A thick blue line under the star represents the lake while four small stars crowning the big one are borrowed from the Chicago flag.
It was a fair, represented by one of those stars on the flag, that prompted the creation of no less than three of our city symbols. In 1892, the approaching Columbian Exposition spurred the Chicago Inter-Ocean to sponsor a contest for the best image “typical of (Chicago’s) spirit,” as one of the newspaper’s editors put it. So was born the “I Will” woman.
“I Will” — Chicago’s longtime motto, which contrasts with the millennium celebration’s frothy slogan, “For the time of your life” — was meant as a testament to civic gumption and perseverance.
Both woman and motto were the product of contest winner Charles Holloway, a prominent Chicago artist. Holloway created a figure that was a mix of Helen of Troy and Dame Liberty, with a helping of Chicago attitude. She wore a breastplate adorned with the phrase “I Will.”
Westfall sees the transition from motto to slogan as a decline in civic spirit: ” `I Will’ is a characterization that the city will do something. `For the time of your life’ is a private indulgence. It’s hard to see how we could embrace community or citizenship around a tagline like that. At least in the song (“Chicago, Chicago”), the man dances with his wife.”
On the heels of the Inter-Ocean’s competition, the Chicago Tribune sponsored its own contest, seeking “municipal colors.” The winning entry came from Danish immigrant A.J. Roewad, who designed an emblem featuring an inverted Y.
“The three parts (of the design) indicate the three Chicago divisions — North, West and South — united with a white or silver band, the River,” Roewad wrote in the paper. The Y proved far more popular than his proposed color scheme of white and terra cotta, which were quickly dismissed as resembling “liver and lard.”
Even though both papers expected circulation gains from their efforts, this interest in city symbols was serious business. Tim Samuelson, curator of architecture at the Chicago Historical Society, sees it as “the city searching for its cultural identity. That’s why you get a building like the Auditorium being constructed along with the establishment of a cultural institution like the Art Institute.
“Chicago wanted to be taken seriously and wanted something
that would assure its stature among big cities,” says Samuelson.
To University of Illinois at Chicago historian Perry Duis, “It was an age when people were interested in these kinds of symbols, like Paris with the Eiffel Tower. Chicagoans thought they should have something like that.”
And, nearly 100 years before Ald. Robert Shaw charged that the city seal — yet another image — was a symbol of institutional racism, Chicagoans wanted something else.
Says Duis, “Our city seal (with standing Indian, sailing ship and an infant sitting in a large shell) never functioned all that well. Somebody once called it `a kid on the half-shell.’ ”
The seal had another drawback — it was reserved for official business and not to be used as architectural ornamentation.
Of the three symbols from 1892, the Y — which over time tended to be shown right side up — proved the most durable. It could be found on everything from postcards and hotel china to the marquee of the Chicago Theater.
In time, the Y became part of the municipal code. On April 5, 1917, the City Council passed — without dissent — an ordinance creating various civic symbols. The Y was designated “The Chicago Municipal Device,” “for use by the varied unofficial interests of the city and its people.”
It may have been the only time that Hyde Park-respectable Charles Merriam found himself voting on the same side with those legendary boodlers of the 1st Ward, Bathhouse John Coughlin and Hinky Dink Mike Kenna.
The Chicago Public Library incorporated the Y into its seal, and the seal adopted in 1959 by the Chicago Housing Authority — two clasped hands in front of two buildings — form a distinct Y. The Chicago Association of Commerce is yet another body that cast its seal in the shape of a Y.
Downtown, the Y is nearly as ubiquitous as the departing bovine art. It is part of the ceiling mosaic in the lobby at City Hall and shows up on the traffic control box at Lake and LaSalle. The roofs of all four bridge houses of the LaSalle Street bridge are adorned with Y medallions some three-feet tall.
Another place to catch the Y is at the Cultural Center, headquarters for millennium celebration planning. As the former central library, the building includes the symbol in several mosaics. Samuelson points to the Y’s use in brick or terra cotta on firehouses and ward offices, and on the bridge at Division and Halsted Streets, which has the inverted letter perforated into its steel members. The Y also can be found on Navy Pier.
“The Y was a symbol everyone could understand and was easy to delineate,” Samuelson explains — in contrast to the “I Will” woman who “in flowing robe and headdress started to look dated.
“The Y was much more streamlined, abstract and contemporary looking.” ‘
Samuelson thinks the Y was a casualty of Vietnam. “I heard that the city hesitated to use it later because in the 1960s it looked like the peace symbol with the Y upside down.”
The millennial snub does not seem to be stopping the Y from staging a mini-comeback. It’s alive and well on the CPL Web site and the Chicago Theater’s new marquee. On the Northwest Side, the new addition to the Locke Elementary School features two large Y’s etched into limestone medallions. At the city department of transportation, a spokesman said the Y is to be incorporated in the massive Wacker Drive reconstruction.
Chicago architect Howard Decker, whose firm, DLK Architecture, twice has proposed designs to the city incorporating the Y, calls the Y “a fundamentally powerful graphic depiction of Chicago’s geographic circumstance. I’m sure that all of us who’ve thought about the city have said we’re here because the river’s here.”