John Root was given the important task of coordinating the event. After deciding on the location of the Fair and doing the preliminary plans of the site, he decided that "No one architect should design these buildings, but a number of the best architects in the United States, all working together as one commission." Hence, the greatest architects of the time were invited to participate in the design of the World's Columbian Exposition. Root died in 1891, leaving his greatest project incomplete. Daniel Burnham, despite only having practical experience and no formal training in the field of architecture, was then given the responsibility to finish coordinating the fair. When it opened for six months, from June to November 1893, it was a complete success. The Exposition was home to many innovations, among which the first Ferris wheel, which was the result of a challenge set out by Burnham to design "a structure of comparable ingenuity and novelty." Following his success and the loss of his business partner, Burnham continued to operate under the name D. H. Burnham and Co. The projects begun by Root were completed, including the Masonic Temple in 1892, which was for a short period the tallest building in the world at 22 stories. It is then that Burnham's architectural talent became the driving force of the business, resulting in such iconic buildings such as the Flatiron Building in New York City.<ref>The Chicago School of Architecture : Early followers of Sullivan and Wright. London : Phaidon Press, 1964, page 24.</ref> Burnham was unable to maintain the architectural progress made by Root, but he demonstrated great versatility in his style. Burnham died in 1912 while vacationing in Germany. Selected Burnham and Root buildings Old Chronicle Building (San Francisco, CA) Montezuma Castle (hotel) Rookery Building Heyworth Building Luzon Building Montauk Building Masonic Temple (Chicago, Illinois) Monadnock Building Pearsons Hall of Science Phoenix (Phenix) Building, Chicago, IL Rand McNally Building (1889, the first all-steel framed skyscraper) Sydney Kent House Great Northern Hotel, Chicago (1892) Equitable Building (Atlanta 1892) Emmanuel United Methodist Church (Evanston, IL 1890) Notes References Hines, Thomas S. Burnham of Chicago, Architect and Planner. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. Peisch, Mark L. The Chicago School of Architecture : Early followers of Sullivan and Wright. London : Phaidon Press, 1964. Condit, Carl W. The Chicago School of Architecture: A history of commercial and public buildings in the Chicago