Home›Commercial and Office Buildings›Building Type›The SkyscraperConceptThe SkyscraperAlso Known As High-Rise BuildingBuilding Types and Traditions as ConceptsReference and ClassificationDevelopingThe very tall building as a type: born in 1880s Chicago and New York from the meeting of the steel frame, the safety elevator and expensive land, given artistic form by Louis Sullivan, competitive glamour by the Art Deco towers, corporate uniformity by the International Style, and global reach by the supertalls of Asia and the Gulf, Burj Khalifa above all. The building most often credited with originating the type, William Le Baron Jenney's Home Insurance Building in Chicago (1885), carries a live dispute over that very claim: the Chicago press of the day never called it the first skyscraper, and other iron-framed contenders, the 1870 Equitable Life Building in New York and the 1882 Montauk Building in Chicago among them, predate it, though the Home Insurance Building is credited as the first to carry its exterior masonry entirely on an iron frame in the way that became the worldwide standard.FactsThe SkyscraperConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsDisputedFormulated YearScholarly debate1885 31885 is the completion year of the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, often cited as the first skyscraper; the claim is disputed, per this atlas's own voice convention on the first-skyscraper question.DomainDomain (category)Well-attestedStructural 1Concept DomainWell-attestedBuilding type 2The SkyscraperFilter Results25 entriesBuilding FamilyAllSkyscrapers and Office Towers (23)PlaceAllBahrain (1)China (1)Italy (2)United Arab Emirates (1)United Kingdom (6)United States (13)StyleAllArt Deco (1)Brutalism (1)Chicago School (5)Deconstructivism (1)Gothic Revival (1)High-Tech Architecture (3)International Style (1)Islamic Architecture (1)Modernist Architecture (5)Neo-Futurism (1)Neoclassical Architecture (1)Postmodern Architecture (1)Completed YearAll1885 (1)1891 (1)1895 (1)1896 (1)1913 (1)1915 (1)1930 (1)1958 (2)1960 (2)1961 (1)1964 (1)1965 (1)1972 (1)1973 (1)1976 (1)1986 (1)2006 (1)2008 (2)2009 (1)2011 (1)2012 (2)2014 (3)Standing StatusAllDemolished (1)Standing (23)ArchitectAllLouis Sullivan (1)William Le Baron Jenney (1)GroupAllSkyscrapers and Office Towers (23)MaterialAllAluminum (1)Brick (2)Concrete (2)Concrete (2)Glass (5)Granite (3)Limestone (2)Marble (1)Reinforced Concrete (2)Stainless Steel (2)Steel (9)Stone (1)Structural Steel (1)Terracotta (4)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 25122 Leadenhall StreetThe Skyscraper20 Fenchurch StreetThe SkyscraperAl Bahar TowersThe SkyscraperAon Center, ChicagoThe SkyscraperBahrain World Trade CenterThe SkyscraperBroadgate TowerThe SkyscraperCBS BuildingThe SkyscraperCCTV HeadquartersThe SkyscraperChicago Board of Trade BuildingThe SkyscraperEquitable BuildingThe SkyscraperGuaranty BuildingThe SkyscraperHearst TowerThe SkyscraperHeron TowerThe SkyscraperHome Insurance BuildingThe SkyscraperJohn Hancock TowerThe SkyscraperLeadenhall BuildingThe SkyscraperLipstick BuildingThe SkyscraperOne Chase Manhattan PlazaThe SkyscraperPirelli TowerThe SkyscraperReliance BuildingThe SkyscraperTorre VelascaThe SkyscraperTransAmerica PyramidThe SkyscraperWainwright BuildingThe SkyscraperWillis Building (London)The SkyscraperWoolworth BuildingThe SkyscraperConnectionsAssociated WithArt Deco, Styles and Movements Well-attested Source Art Deco (Wikipedia)Charles W. Clinton, Architects and Designers Well-attested Source Charles W. Clinton (Wikipedia)Chicago School, Styles and Movements Well-attested Editorial link from the concept to a related style, element, milestone or figure; no citation attachedCompletion of the Burj Khalifa, Milestones Well-attested The Burj Khalifa is the current holder of the tallest-building record the concept of the skyscraper has chased since the 1880s.Completion of the Empire State Building, Milestones Well-attested Completion of the Petronas Towers, Milestones Well-attested Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Institutions and Organizations Well-attested Source WikipediaAdditional Source Council on Vertical Urbanism (Wikipedia)Lead sectionCurtain Wall, Elements and Materials Well-attested Editorial link from the concept to a related style, element, milestone or figure; no citation attachedLouis Sullivan, Architects and Designers Well-attested Source Encyclopedia BritannicaSafety Elevator, Elements and Materials Well-attested Without the safety elevator, height had no rental value.Source Encyclopedia BritannicaSafety Elevator, Elements and Materials Well-attested Source Encyclopedia BritannicaStructural Steel, Elements and Materials Well-attested Editorial link from the concept to a related style, element, milestone or figure; no citation attachedThe First Skyscraper, Milestones Well-attested Source Encyclopedia BritannicaWilliam Le Baron Jenney, Architects and Designers Well-attested Editorial link from the concept to a related style, element, milestone or figure; no citation attachedBuilding Type Of111 West 57th Street, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 122 Leadenhall Street, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 20 Fenchurch Street, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 22 Bishopsgate, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 23 Marina, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 270 Park Avenue, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 30 Hudson Yards, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 30 St Mary Axe, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 40 Wall Street, Buildings and Structures Well-attested 432 Park Avenue, Buildings and Structures Well-attested AHS Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Al Bahar Towers, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Al Hamra Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Almas Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Aon Center, Chicago, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Ascent MKE, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Source Ascent MKE (Wikipedia)Autograph Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Bahrain World Trade Center, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Broadgate Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Burj Khalifa, Buildings and Structures Well-attested CBS Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested CCTV Headquarters, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Central Park Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Changsha IFS Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Chicago Board of Trade Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Chrysler Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested CITIC Plaza, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Citymark Centre, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Edificio Copan, Buildings and Structures Well-attested El Cortez (Las Vegas), Buildings and Structures Well-attested Empire State Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Equitable Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Federation Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Gran Torre Costanera, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Guangxi China Resources Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Guangzhou International Finance Center, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Guaranty Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Hearst Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Heron Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Home Insurance Building, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Iconic Tower (Egypt), Buildings and Structures Well-attested International Commerce Centre, Buildings and Structures Well-attested International Finance Centre Hong Kong, Buildings and Structures Well-attested International Land-Sea Center, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Jeddah Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Jin Mao Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested John Hancock Center, Buildings and Structures Well-attested John Hancock Tower, Buildings and Structures Well-attested Showing 1 to 50 of 99 in Building Type Of, page 1 of 2.12Next →Sources1. Skyscraper (Wikipedia)intro: tall-building engineering conceptView the Source2. Encyclopedia BritannicaEncyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Concept Domain: Building typeView the Source3. WikipediaWikimedia FoundationFormulated Year: 1885Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Official SiteCouncil on Tall Buildings and Urban HabitatHeight criteria and building classification pageView the SourceHome Insurance Building (Wikipedia)tier 3Wikimedia FoundationHome Insurance Building, introduction sectionThe Home Insurance Building was an early skyscraper that stood in Chicago from 1885 to its demolition in 1931.Home Insurance Building, Status as first skyscraper sectionThe Chicago press at the time of its construction did not refer to it as the first skyscraper in Chicago.View the SourceAscent MKE (Wikipedia)Building Type Of: Ascent MKE, Lead, building typeQuote, Building Type Of: Ascent MKE, Lead, building typeis a mass timber hybrid high-rise apartment buildingView the SourceCharles W. Clinton (Wikipedia)Associated With: Charles W. Clinton, CommissionsQuote, Associated With: Charles W. Clinton, Commissionsa cluster of four early skyscrapers on Wall StreetView the SourceArt Deco (Wikipedia)Associated With: Art Deco, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Art Deco, Lead sectionArt Deco has influenced buildings from skyscrapers to cinemas, bridges, ocean liners, trains, cars, trucks, buses, furniture, and everyday objects, including radios and vacuum cleaners.View the SourceCouncil on Vertical Urbanism (Wikipedia)Associated With: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Lead sectionIts stated mission is to study and report "on all aspects of the planning, design, and construction of tall buildings."View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? 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