First in Sky – The History of Skyscrapers
Just as man has always wanted to rise into the air, for centuries, the ambition of many builders been to erect buildings towering over their surroundings. The history of skyscrapers can be traced back to the biblical references of the Tower of Babylon, but is most often associated with the industrial revolution, which gave mankind the technology necessary to build high. But the era of the sky-high buildings did not begin with the glass and steel structures popularized in the second half of the 20th century. The history of skyscrapers has a ‘higher’ complexity to it. Before we jump into famous architects who revolutionized the way buildings looked, it is important to give credit to those who came up with the inventions to make skyscrapers functional. One of the most useful creations was the elevator, invented by American entrepreneur Elisha Otis in 1852. The elevator was first developed as a bottom-up crane and was surprisingly safe. Ever more important in the development of skyscrapers were structural solutions, like the durable and resilient steel skeleton, which allowed buildings to be “pulled upwards”. The production of super-strong steel beams, necessary for the construction of building skeletons dates back to 1855. This process was patented by British engineer Sir Henry Bessemer. The first building to be built entirely on a steel skeleton was The Rand McNally Building, built in 1889 in Chicago according to the design of the Burnham and Root architectural studio. That 10story building was demolished in 1911 to give way to a larger and higher structure. The first building to be considered a skyscraper was The Home Insurance Building, an office building and hub for various insurance companies. Designed by William Jenney in 1885, it was ten stories and stood in downtown Chicago at a height of 42 meters. Although it wasn't the tallest building in the city, it was still considered a skyscraper due to its steel structure. The new feature at the time was the use of walls that were much thinner, but still maintained a similarly strong and durable structure as buildings before it. Thanks to this innovative structure, the building weighed one-third of what it would have had it been erected in a traditional way. Legend has it that the project envisaged the construction of a few more floors, but the city authorities stopped the works, fearing that the building was too tall. These fears were obviously unfounded. The Home Insurance Building was demolished in 1931 to be replaced by a more modern and larger facility.