November 9, 1937 -- Walter Gropius Defines a New Ethos

November 9, 1937 – Dr. Walter Gropius, a professor of architecture at Harvard University, speaks before the members of the Association of Arts and Industries at a dinner held in his honor at the Palmer House.  Gropius tells the assemblage, “The development of machinery in the last century forced the craftsman and the artist into separate fields, but the artist today must appreciate the technical as well as the artistic value of his work.  He must adopt the machine as the modern vehicle of form.”  [Chicago Daily Tribune, November 10, 1937]  The lecture of Dr. Gropius is part of ceremonies that accompany the dedication of the New Bauhaus, a school of design located in the former mansion of Marshall Field at 1905 Prairie Avenue, pictured above.