Great Chicago Fire

[Mugwump]

...began this date..Oct 8th...



History, October 8, 1871: The great Chicago Fire begins. Following the fire, the construction of wooden structures was banned within city limits. This began an important developmental period in architecture as the first great skyscrapers were built. These early skyscrapers include several NHLs such as the Auditorium Building, Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Store, Leiter II Building, Marquette Building, Reliance Building, Rookery Building and the South Dearborn Street-Printing House Row Historic District. Today we feature the South Dearborn Street-Printing House Row Historic District. This small area near the southeastern corner of Chicago?s famous downtown ?Loop? contains buildings pivotal in the city?s growth and in American architectural history. The Manhattan (1891), the Old Colony (1894), and the Fisher (1896) buildings are all prime examples of the ?Chicago School.? The most famous is the 1889-1893 Monadnock Building. One of the largest masonry bearing-wall towers ever built, it is notable for its sheer unadorned stone and brick wall surfaces.