CHICAGO METRO HISTORY FAIR

2019 SUMMARY STATEMENT FORM

Attach an annotated bibliography (AB) that is divided between primary and secondary sources.
Submit two copies of the SS and the AB at the competition. ​Please type.

Student name(s): ​Dennis Zaslavsky and Ramiel Yurkovsky

Title ​The Burnham Plan

Check if applicable (and respond to question 3)

☑​This project uses the 2019 National History Day theme, “Triumph and Tragedy in [Chicago/Illinois] History.”

Project Category:
□ Exhibit ☑ Website □ Paper □ Documentary □ Performance

Student composed Student composed Total word count Time: Time:

Word-Count: Word-Count: 724 (Excluding citations):

1. THESIS STATEMENT
Present the project’s argument or interpretation in two sentences. If you are using the NHD theme, you might want to
make it evident in your thesis statement.

The Burnham Plan, while not fully realizing its vision of remodeling Chicago, the Plan still successfully reconstructed
Chicago’s central area and became an important influence on future city planning.

2. SUMMARY OF PROJECT
Briefly explain your project and its conclusion. Include: How and why did change happen and what was the impact?
Why is it historically significant? What historical meaning or importance can we learn from your findings?

The Burnham Plan was a great triumph in the history of Chicago, the plan having some major success

and influencing Chicago’s future plans. This will be proven in our project through the description of different

aspects of the Plan that were implemented quickly, and developments in Chicago that were made decades later

that used advice from the Plan. These impacts will be showcased on a website that presents the different types

of influences the plan had.

The immediate impact was shown as parts of the Plan were realized in the years after it was published,

with the Chicago Union Station being built and the south branch of the Chicago River being rechanneled to help

railroad access, as both were recommended by the Plan. Several existing streets were widened and new streets
were made to help traffic flow as recommended by the Plan. The influence of the plan is shown as time went

on, as more and more of Lake Michigan’s lakefront was converted to parks over time, eventually leading to 25

out the 29 miles of lakefront being parkland. Along with this, even more streets were widened in the decades

after the Plan was published. While the Plan was not able to fully be realized immediately, it continued to

advise Chicago planning for decades to come.

3. Required for projects using the National History Day theme only.
Explain how this project integrates the NHD theme “​Triumph and Tragedy​ in [Chicago/Illinois] History” into its argument.

This project integrates the theme of Triumph and Tragedy as the Plan tragically failed in many of its aspects of
immediately changing the city of Chicago with its proposals. The triumph of the Plan, however, is its long term impact on
Chicago. For decades after the Plan, its recommendations were taken into consideration with various plans. The Plan at
its core didn’t triumph, but the ideas of the plan triumphed years after because of the Plan.

​4. PROCESS

A. What historical question did you start off with—and how did it change once you began doing your research?

What did the Burnham Plan do to organize Chicago?

What immediate and long term impacts did the Burnham Plan have?
How effective was the Burnham Plan in organizing Chicago?
How did the Burnham Plan ultimately change Chicago through its long-term legacy rather than its immediate
effects?

B. What kinds of sources did you use as evidence to develop your argument (for example, letters, photographs,
government documents, interviews, etc.)?

Letters, overviews, an interview, books, and multiple newspaper articles were used to cement various aspects of
the argument. The best source, however, was the book itself that was written by Burnham and Bennett.

C. Select one piece of evidence that you used and explain how it influenced your argument.

One piece of evidence that I used was the actual book ​The 1909 Plan of Chicago​ by Daniel Burnham and Edward
Bennett. This evidence influenced my argument as I was able to use it as a guiding point to see all it achieved
immediately, in the years following, and all the way through today.

D. List libraries (other than school), museums, and other institutions that you visited to do your research.

Cook Memorial Public Library.