Madlener House, Chicago, Illinois, South Elevation

The Madlener House demonstrates the variety of influences found in early Prairie School designs, breaking with the horizontal lines typical of much of the group’s work. The square brick massing recalls Schmidt’s own roots in 19th-century Germany as well as the German heritage of the clients. At the same time, Hugh Garden’s treatment for the facade references local influences, including Louis Sullivan’s famed floral ornament. Garden’s abstracted and planar ornament effectively modernized the ideals of the previous generation for a new era.