An Architectural "Pumpkin"

As a special Halloween treat, I received a cool photo and some info about an architectural "pumpkin" from Chicago's Cultural Historian, Tim Samuelson. Find out more after the jump...

"Here's the lunchroom of the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which opened in 1941 at 1305 W. 105th Street in Chicago. Workers called it both 'The Pumpkin' and 'The Igloo', so it's an appropriate seasonal greeting either way. Created under the supervision of architect Winston Elting and the company's head, George T. Horton, it was a self-supporting shell of welded-together steel sheets, only 3/16" thick. Like an eggshell, it had no interior supports, reaching a height of 28 feet, and with a footprint 108' in diameter. It was designed to serve 150 employees. The interior was sprayed with a layer of insulation, followed by a coat of soundproofing. Claimed by its builders to be 'the first welded building without supports of any sort', it was included on a list given to IIT students of interesting buildings worth visiting in the Chicago area. Sorry to report, 'The Pumpkin' is long gone."

Image courtesy Tim Samuelson