Edward H. Bennett (1874–1954)
Bennett was born in Wiltshire, England on 1874. He is known for his civic contribution and his work in the area of Chicago. Bennett studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris from 1895 to 1902. After a short time in New York with architect George B. Post, Bennett moved to Chicago to assist architect Daniel H. Burnham in preparing a plan for the military academy at West Point.
1906 Bennett was hired full-time to work on his plan for Chicago. Bennett made Chicago his personal and professional headquarter for the rest of his career.
He served on the Chicago Plan Commission and developed a substantial private practice and a national reputation as a city planner. He also developed comparable plans for numerous American cities, including Minneapolis, Detroit, and Portland, Oregon.
Bennett's ideas about the marriage of technical and aesthetic idealsare important examples of urban utility and beauty in a democratic society because he realized the importance of transportation planning, the placement of government and civic structures and the creation of parks and public spaces for public enjoyment.
After Bennett had worked in nearly 20 states, from California to Florida, as well as in Puerto Rico and Canada, he closed his practice in 1944 and spent the final decade of his life in retirement.
Important works by Edward H. Bennett
- Civic Center Park, Chicago, Ilinois
- Plan of Chicago, Ilinois
- Plan for Ottawa
- Peristyle at Millennium Park, Chicago, Ilinois
- Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, Ilinois
- Buckingham Fountain in Chicago
