Few individuals have had more impact on the American city than architect and planner Daniel Hudson Burnham. In the midst of late nineteenth century urban disorder, Burnham offered a compelling  concept of what a civilized American city could look like that provided a powerful framework for Americans to make sense of the world around them. But not all would agree with his vision. Burnham’s firm built some of the first skyscrapers in the world, directed construction of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition that inspired the City Beautiful Movement and created plans of Washington, DC. San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland and Manila all before the profession of comprehensive urban planning even existed. In fact, some say he invented it. At the center of it all was the idea of a vibrant urban community. Among his firm’s best known works are the Flatiron building in New York, Union station in Washington, DC and The Field Museum in Chicago.

Directed by Judith Paine McBrien | Produced by The Archimedia Workshop in consultation with Kartemquin Films

50 minutes/color/documentary