Chicago architect Louis Sullivan is noted as a pioneer of distinctly American architecture, which he dressed in Art Nouveau details, and for his styled forms that promoted a uniquely American vision of that style. His motto was "form must follow function", meaning that buildings should first be designed for use and "not for ornament" (Larson 24). However, once Sullivan had established the functional design, he added memorable ornamentation.

Louis Sullivan studied in Boston and worked for Frank Furness in Philadelphia, before joining the engineering firm of Dankmar Adler in 1880, where he became a partner in 1883. In the late 1880s they built steel-framed skyscrapers that combined Adler's engineering skills with Sullivan's decorative...