Skip to content

word of the week: PENDENTIVE

2010 February 14
by Caroline Nye Stevens

Pendentive at the Chicago Cultural Center

PENDENTIVE: A curved triangle forming the transition from the circular plan of a dome to the polygonal plan of its supporting structure.

Here is a pendentive at the Chicago Cultural Center, which was originally the Chicago Public Library.  Click on the image to enlarge it.  Notice the letters “CPL” (Chicago Public Library) around a “Y” shape symbolic of the branches of the Chicago River.

Comments are closed.