House and Garden 
THE MARQUrSE OF THE SCHLESTNGER & MAYER STORE 
limiting conditions which others accept per¬ 
force and compromise with as much as they 
dare in order the better to conform with tra¬ 
ditional ideas of architectural beauty, he ac¬ 
cepts willingly, even eagerly, achieving his 
best effects not in spite of the imposed limi¬ 
tations, but by means of them. 
In order to understand the quality and the 
degree of Mr. Sullivan’s success in this held, 
the conditions governing the problem of the 
modern office building must be briefly stated. 
In its last analysis it is a hive, a system of 
cells,—hundreds of similar rooms side by 
side and superimposed, all, so far as possible, 
equally desirable, equally well lighted. It 
must be lofty, because while its horizontal 
dimensions are limited by the size of the lot, 
and the size of the lot by the cost of land, 
its vertical height is limited only by its sta¬ 
bility, and the stability of one of these steel 
frame buildings is enormous, for it is, in 
effect, a truss planted upright in the earth. 
This steel framework must be protected from 
the corroding action of the elements, and 
especially from fire, which destroys it. The 
building must have natural light in every 
part, and (usually) great display windows in 
the first storey. 
Let us see, now, by means of a typical 
example, in what manner Mr. Sullivan has 
translated this thing of utility into a work of 
architectural art. The Prudential Building, 
in Buffalo, affords a good illustration of his 
method. “What,” he demands, “is the 
chief characteristic of the tall office building? 
It is lofty. This loftiness is to the artist- 
nature its thrilling aspect. It must be tall. 
The force of altitude must be in it. It must 
be every inch a proud and soaring thing, 
rising in sheer exultation, that from bottom 
to top it is a unit without a dissenting line.” 
And he has, therefore, enhanced the height 
