Chicago
Chicago's skyline is more than just a collection of buildings; it is a
symbol of the city's resilience. After the 1871 fire destroyed
17,500 structures, the city used the disaster as a "blank
canvas" to rebuild bigger and bolder, cementing its
status as a global hub for trade and finance
Chicago architects pioneered steel-frame construction, which
replaced heavy masonry walls with a lightweight "birdcage" of steel.
The world’s first skyscraper was the 10-story Home Insurance Company on
the north west corner of LaSalle and Adams Street, designed by William Le Baron Jenney
and completed in 1884. The building is considered to be the first to use steel in its structural
frame instead of cast iron. Although its frame, or skeleton, was made partly of wrought and cast iron,
it also featured Bessemer rolled steel beams. Dressed in grand Renaissance terracotta and stonework,
this 138-ft-high building weighed only a third of an equivalent solid brick or stone buildings.
The city birthed movements that fundamentally changed how architects think about design. The First Chicago School pioneered steel-frame construction, allowing buildings to rise higher than ever before. Louis Sullivan coined "Form Follows Function" and argued that a building's design should reflect its purpose rather than just mimicking historical styles.
Daniel Burnham led The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition — his "White City" introduced Beaux-Arts and neoclassical styles to Chicago, influencing city planning and civic architecture for decades. Frank Lloyd Wright's Prarie School in the early 20th Century developed this uniquely American style, characterized by horizontal lines, open floor plans, and integration with the natural landscape. In the mid-20th century, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe brought the "less is more" modern minimalism International Style to Chicago, creating iconic glass-and-steel towers that defined post-war modernism.
Featuring stunning photographs from The Historic American Buildings Survey, this new collection of table trays celebrates some of Chicago’s most significant skyscrapers, theaters, bridges and parks.
