The Rookery · Chicago
The Oriel Staircase
Burnham & Root, 1888 — Light Court Renovation, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1905
Made from the 12th floor of the Rookery Building, this photograph looks down the historic Oriel Staircase from a slight angle rather than through its center. The viewpoint introduces a subtle tension while revealing the precise alignment of the marble steps, ornamental ironwork, and carved walls below.
My Optometry practice was located in the Rookery for more than twenty years, just off the Light Court. As a longtime tenant, I was welcomed upstairs whenever I wanted to photograph the staircase — and the upper landing offered me something rare within the building: a few quiet minutes alone with its architecture.
