When Was the First Skyscraper Built?

The Home Insurance Building, designed by William Le Baron Jenney, stood 10 stories (42 metres) tall when completed in 1885 in Chicago. While not the tallest building of its era, it was revolutionary because it was the first to use a metal (iron and steel) structural frame to bear the building weight, rather than thick masonry walls. This innovation meant that walls could be thin curtain walls (non-load-bearing), allowing more windows, more interior space, and theoretically unlimited height. The building was a direct response to Chicago need for office space after the Great Fire of 1871 and the high land costs that made building upward more economical. Combined with the safety elevator (perfected by Elisha Otis in 1852), steel-frame construction launched the skyscraper era. Chicago "First Chicago School" architects (Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, John Root) pioneered the skyscraper aesthetic. The Home Insurance Building was demolished in 1931, but its legacy shaped every city skyline on Earth.