Not only was the Home Insurance Building, located at the northeast corner of La Salle and Adams Streets, the first skyscraper in Chicago — it was the first skyscraper in the world. Designed by famed architect William Le Baron Jenney and completed in 1885, it rose 10 stories (and eventually 12, after an addition six years later),  its height made possible by its innovative steel-girder frame. Jenney supposedly got the idea when he saw his wife set a heavy book on a birdcage, which supported the weight.

In those years after the Great Chicago Fire, the Home Insurance Company wanted a structure that was fireproof but that also had room for plenty of small offices above the first floor. Previously, commercial buildings had been constructed entirely of masonry, which was heavier, limiting their height. And unlike masonry structures, this one could accommodate banks of windows.

Jenney’s innovation became the standard for tall buildings. So much so that the Home Insurance Building would not be tall enough to merit a lasting place in the Loop’s burgeoning skyline. In 1931, it was torn down to make way for the 45-story Field Building (also known as the LaSalle Bank Building). In the lobby is a plaque commemorating Jenney as “the true father of the skyscraper.”

Send your questions about the Chicago area to emcclelland@chicagomag.com.