User:Mkoster1/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Louis Sullivan

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose it because it was one of the recommended articles for this assignment and I am interested in Louis Sullivan and Chicago architectural history. I already know a little bit about this topic.

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)

The lead section is pretty good, although I noticed a grammar error/missing word. "The phrase "form follows function" is attributed to him, although he credited the concept to ancient Roman architect Vitruvius (as it turns out never said anything of the sort)."

The talk page mentions a controversy about the spelling of Louis Sullivan's middle name (Henry or Henri). In the most recent edit they landed on "Henry" and addressed the controversy in note 1.

The section "Sullivan and the steel high-rise" doesn't seem to have enough citations. The first four paragraphs include a lot of technical information about skyscraper construction with no citations at all.

In the "Legacy" section, it seems like the editor is inserting their own opinion and visual analysis. These two statements should be removed: "Sullivan's built work expresses the appeal of his incredible designs" and "A visit to the preserved Chicago Stock Exchange trading floor, now at The Art Institute of Chicago, is proof of the immediate and visceral power of the ornament that he used so selectively."

The section "Sullivan in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead" seems out of place and over-emphasized. This section is longer than the "Legacy" section. Maybe the page should just make a brief mention of this connection and the extended discussion of the character and plot should be moved to The Fountainhead's wikipedia page instead. Right now, there is no mention of Louis Sullivan on The Fountainhead's page; actually that page claims that "The character of Roark was at least partly inspired by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright." Again, it seems like the editor is inserting their own opinion and textual analysis.

Overall, this article includes a lot of opinionated content that should be removed - especially in the Fountainhead section. There is also plenty of content that should be added. Louis Sullivan is a very important architect and a lot has been written about his work. It should be possible to add sections about his individual commissions.

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