First Chicago School

this term has been disputed by scholars, in particular in reaction to Carl Condit's book The Chicago School of Architecture.

this term has been disputed by scholars

Historians have pointed out that the phrase suggests a unified set of aesthetic or conceptual precepts

Chicago buildings of the era displayed a wide variety of styles and techniques.

Contemporary publications used the phrase "Commercial Style" to describe the innovative tall buildings of the era rather than proposing any sort of unified "school".

Some of the distinguishing features of the Chicago School are the use of steel-frame buildings with masonry cladding (usually terra cotta)

Some of the distinguishing features of the Chicago School are the use of steel-frame buildings with masonry cladding (usually terra cotta)

Some of the distinguishing features are the use of steel-frame buildings with masonry cladding, allowing large plate-glass window areas and limiting the amount of exterior ornamentation.

the capital, with more ornamental detail and capped with a cornice.

Many Chicago School skyscrapers contain the three parts of a classical column.

The "Chicago window" originated in this school.

It is a three-part window consisting of a large fixed center panel flanked by two smaller double-hung sash windows.

. It is a three-part window consisting of a large fixed center panel flanked by two smaller double-hung sash windows.

The arrangement of windows on the facade typically creates a grid pattern, with some projecting out from the facade forming bay windows.

he Chicago window combined the functions of light-gathering and natural ventilation

a single central pane was usually fixed, while the two surrounding panes were operable

. These windows were often deployed in bays, known as oriel windows, that projected out over the street.

Architects whose names are associated with the Chicago School include Henry Hobson Richardson, Dankmar Adler, Daniel Burnham, William Holabird, William LeBaron Jenney, Martin Roche, John Root, Solon S. Beman, and Louis Sullivan.

The Home Insurance Building, which some regarded as the first skyscraper in the world, was built in Chicago in 1885 and was demolished in 1931

Sometimes elements of neoclassical architecture are used in Chicago School skyscrapers.

the capital with more ornamental detail and capped with a cornice.