Chicago school (architecture)
The Chicago School refers to two architectural styles derived from the architecture of Chicago. In the history of architecture, the first Chicago School was a school of architects active in Chicago in the late 19th, and at the turn of the 20th century. They were among the first to promote the new technologies of steel-frame construction in commercial buildings, and developed a spatial aesthetic which co-evolved with, and then came to influence, parallel developments in European Modernism. Much of its early work is also known as Commercial Style.
The Chicago Building by Holabird & Roche (1904–1905) is a prime example of the Chicago School, displaying both variations of the Chicago window
Historically unprecedented grid of wide windows, clear expression of structural frame, and minimalist ornamentation on the Marquette Building (1895).
A steel skeletal frame, like that of the Fisher Building (1895–1896), meant the height of a building was no longer limited by the strength of its walls.
Image: Montauk building
The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
Willis Tower
The Chicago Building is an example of Chicago School architecture.
Chicago Avenue Pumping Station and Water Tower in the Old Chicago Water Tower District
St. John Cantius, one of Chicago's 'Polish Cathedrals'
