Today is October 8, 2024. 153 years ago, the Great Chicago Fire began and burned until October 10th. The city was nearly obliterated. The fire claimed about 300 lives, destroyed some 17,450 buildings covering almost 3.5 square miles, and caused $200 million in damage. About one-third of the city lay in ruins, and an equal proportion of the population—nearly 100,000 people—was homeless.
The devastation provided an opportunity to redraw what a modern city could look like, as it had a fresh canvas. In the 1880s building technology advanced, while new innovated architects were drawn to Chicago. Names such as Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, William Holabird, Daniel H. Burnham, John Wellborn Root, and William Le Baron Jenney are well known to early skyscraper enthusiasts. These innovations were referenced as the Chicago School. Yet the innovations were not limited to the city limits. All buildings became fireproof. Buildings were reinforced by a steel skeleton rather than masonry, which had been the case for hundreds of years. If you are ever in Chicago, take a walk up from Dearborn Street Station to the Chicago River. When you walk, look up and you will see the history of architecture unfold before your eyes.
image from the Standard Club in Chicago of Edgar Miller’s Great Chicago Fire