Monadnock Building
Critics in 1891 called it extreme and lacking in style — it is also the tallest load-bearing brick structure ever raised.
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At 215 feet, this 1891 Burnham & Root tower holds two firsts: the US's first portal wind-bracing system, and the first structural use of aluminum in a building (the ornamented staircases). The 1893 south half by Holabird & Roche adds ornament and a copper cornice, making one address two competing architectural arguments in the same purple-brown brick.
What to look for
- The north half's brick mass, which flares outward at base and top rather than rising as a straight-sided tower
- Oriel windows running vertically the full height of both halves, projecting out to flood the interior with light
- The copper cornice capping the south roofline — compare it to the plain, unornamented crown of the north half beside it
53 West Jackson Boulevard, south Loop; surrounded by Printing House Row District neighbours — the Fisher, Manhattan, and Old Colony Buildings all share the same district.
Monadnock Building is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.