The Aquarium

A year before his death in 1926, John G. Shedd, former president and chairman of the board of Marshall Field Co., agreed to provide $3 million for the construction of an aquarium adjacent to the new Field Museum of Natural History. When it opened in 1930, it was the first in the United States to maintain a collection of both freshwater and saltwater aquatic life. The firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, which had also designed the Field Museum and such Chicago landmarks as the Wrigley Building and the Merchandise Mart, received the commission. Chief designer Peirce Anderson used his Beaux-Arts training to create a modified classical temple: a Greek cross with the corners partially filled in to create an octagon. An octagonal tower, roofed with a translucent skylight, rises above the central rotunda, around which lie a series of exhibit halls. The entrance portico on the west facade is based on a Greek Doric temple. The exterior, clad with white Georgia marble, mirrors the nearby Field Museum. The Oceanarium, designed by Lohan Associates in 1991, wraps around the rear of the building; its modern, steel-and-glass exterior contrasts strikingly with the original structure.
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