Louis Sullivan, one of Chicago's most influential architects, developed a unique form of decoration that he used for many of his buildings, beginning in the 1890s. This Sullivanesque style was imitated by other architects, using terra cotta designed and manufactured by the Midland Terra Cotta Company in Chicago. Sullivanesque buildings can be found in the Loop, Lincoln Square and North Lawndale. Common characteristics are:
- masonry walls
- terra cotta ornament composed of lushly intertwining vines and leaves combined with sharp-edged geometric figures
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