In Burnham's early notes on estimated costs, the biggest single item is Bennett's salary, which Burnham thought would be more than half the wages required. The preparation of the drawings he was convinced were vital to getting public support for the proposals is also a significant item, as is the preparation of the final report. Note that Burnham includes a charge for rent of the space on top of the Railway Exchange Building. Burnham removed some of these items in the formal estimate he submitted to the Merchants Club. The Plan ended up taking over two-and-a-half years to prepare (rather than the one year assumed here), and it cost more than three times the total of this preliminary estimate.

Creator: Daniel H. Burnham
Source: Art Institute of Chicago