Chicago and Liverpool: a talk by Tony Murphy

Name: Chicago and Liverpool: a talk by Tony Murphy
Start: 2026-03-14T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-14T16:00:00+00:00
Location: The Quaker Meeting House

Schedule

Sat Mar 14 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Quaker Meeting House | Liverpool, EN

A talk exploring links between Liverpool & Chicago in the 19th century and features that connect the skyscrapers of America with Liverpool.
About this Event

Two Liverpool buildings designed by architect Peter Ellis - Oriel Chambers and 16 Cook Street - were constructed in the mid-19th century using innovative building techniques. Oriel Chambers was completed in 1864 and is considered one of the most influential structures of its time, inspiring a breakaway from classical styles and paving the way for a modernist movement in the construction of commercial buildings around the world. This occurred many years before these innovations were introduced in Chicago, which is itself regarded as the home of the first skyscraper.

Tony will consider the influence these buildings might have had on the work of Chicago architects, including John Wellborn Root, who lived in Liverpool during the construction and completion of Oriel Buildings and 16 Cook Street. Upon his return to Chicago, Root developed his architectural practice in the city and was responsible for several notable buildings. The skyscraper concept evolved, and further innovations were introduced in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S.A. Several factors contributed to the design of skyscrapers in Chicago and throughout the United States. Even so, both the early and modern-day skyscrapers share the same basic features introduced initially in these two buildings in Liverpool.

Tony Murphy will trace the history of influences on those two early Liverpool buildings and the development of the skyscraper in Chicago.

Tony Murphy, a former chair of the Liverpool Group of the Victorian Society, has been involved with the Victorian Society for many years. Studying in Rome, Oxford, and London certainly expanded his architectural horizons, but it was the views from the sidewalks of 1950s and 1960s Liverpool that first opened his eyes to the Victorians and their successors, and to a wider world, which in time included Chicago and its own unforgettable impact.