Despite the fact that the Plan of Chicago is sometimes referred to as
"The Burnham Plan," many other individuals contributed to its ideas,
as well provided the means for its production. The hundreds
of pages of meeting minutes and correspondence between members of the
Merchants and Commercial Clubs, prominent businessmen, and special
interest groups attest to the truly collaborative effort expended on
the Plan.
This section is divided thematically into two parts: The Planners,
which includes internal correspondence and meeting minutes (1906-1909) showing the work of the planners, especially concerning
organization and strategy; and Research,
Outreach & Publication, also consisting of incoming and outgoing correspondence (1906-1909)
concerning the Plan's content and demonstrating the range of input from
various interest groups.
Together, these bodies of material present a broad picture of who the
planners were and their methodology for undertaking a project of such
magnitude. While Burnham's influence remains throughout,
these documents present a more complex and communal side to the
planning process.
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