![]() ![]() ![]() The decoration of the Manhattan Building is also heavily ornamented with masks and vegetative detailing. As a means to maximize the amount of natural light into the building, Jenney designed the façade to feature oriel windows. The height of the building also required both wind-bracing techniques to be incorporated in its design and an original foundation system, which became the standard for high rise structures. Because it was still unknown how safe these new tall buildings were, he deliberately constructed the Manhattan Building with horizontal sections and setbacks as a means to lessen the appearance of 16 stories. Reaching a staggering height of 16-stories, the first skyscraper to reach such a height, the Manhattan Building became Jenney’s greatest achievement. Jenney’s innovative steel-frame building structure provided the means for some of Chicago’s most famous historic buildings. The Home Life Insurance Building was unfortunately demolished in 1931, set the new standard for urban architecture. His use of a steel and iron structure meant that the building weighed 1/3 less than it would have with a load-bearing masonry structure, the weight change allowed for a taller building to be constructed. With the completion of the 10-story Home Life Insurance Building in 1885, Jenney is credited with designing the world’s first skyscraper as the building was supported entirely by a steel frame. His career and contributions to the development of modern architecture are often underacknowledged. Over the course of the war, Jenney designed fortifications for Sherman and Grant, and earned the ranking of Major.Īfter the war, Jenney moved to Chicago, IL where set up his own architectural firm. When he returned to the US in 1861, Jenney joined the Union Army as an engineer. Jenney graduated from the Ecole Centrale one year after Gustave Eiffel, architect of the Eiffel Tower. He began his education at the Philips Academy in Andover, then attending the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard but transferring to the Ecole Centrale Paris where he studied engineering, architecture, and iron construction methods. Jenney was born in Fairhaven, MA in 1832 to a wealthy family. William Le Baron Jenney is considered one of the architects responsible for developing the modern skyscraper, which earned him the nickname Father of the American skyscraper.
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