Adler, Dankmar (1844-1900), was an American architect noted primarily for his association with architect Louis H. Sullivan. The two formed the partnership of Adler & Sullivan in 1883. Together they designed such important structures as the Auditorium Building (1889) in Chicago and the Wainwright Building (1891) in St. Louis. These buildings helped define the influential Chicago School of architecture. In spite of Adler’s training as an architect, his responsibilities within the firm seem to have been limited to structure, ventilation, and acoustics, in which he was an expert. Adler was also an excellent business manager. The partnership was dissolved in 1895 following the construction of the Guaranty Building (1895) in Buffalo, New York.
Adler was born on July 3, 1844, near Eisenach, Germany, and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1854. He moved to Chicago in 1861 and served as an engineer in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Adler returned to Chicago in 1866. He died on April 16, 1900.
