Adler & Sullivan are most associated with being an innovative and progressive architectural practice, forwarding the idea of an American style and expressing this in a truly modern format. Their work was widely published and at the forefront of building construction. Their buildings and especially their multipurpose structures . . . were unequaled. Furthermore, the expression of a tall building, its structure with a definite base, middle section or shaft and top or cornice was a new approach for the high building design. These types of tall structures developed into a format. . . . Even today, the vertical expression of a building employs these design principals.[4]
Adler, with his engineering prowess and facility with acoustics became seen as the business genius of the partnership, while Sullivan, known for his great design talent, is recounted as the artist.[5]
