Manhattan Building, Chicago

Following the devastating Great Fire of 1871 that laid waste to downtown Chicago, ambitious architects swarmed the city, capitalizing on a unique opportunity: a multitude of eager clients demanding fresh designs, and a near absence of architectural constraints hindering daring experimentation. Even as the debris was being cleared, William Le Baron Jenney was at the forefront of shaping what would become the Chicago School of architecture.

As the senior figure among this group, Jenney made a seminal contribution to the style and the future of skyscrapers. He achieved this by pioneering the use of an internal steel frame, rather than thick external walls, as the primary support structure for a building's weight. Regrettably, his 1885 Home Insurance Building, often considered the world's first skyscraper, no longer stands. However, his 1891 Manhattan Building remains a compelling testament to his sturdy and practical architectural achievements.

Dubbed "Hercules" by awestruck visitors to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the Manhattan Building was a trailblazer in numerous aspects. It was the inaugural tall building to employ skeleton construction throughout, the first sixteen-story structure in the United States, briefly the tallest building worldwide, and the pioneer in incorporating a structurally advanced wind-bracing system. Its distinctive bay windows allowed natural light to penetrate interior spaces, and the combination of a granite facade for the lower floors and brick facade for the upper stories helped alleviate the strain on the internal steel framework. Moreover, the north and south bays were cantilevered to prevent overburdening the foundations of neighboring buildings.