Chicago School
During the 1880's and '90s, Chicago architects designed buildings with exteriors clearly expressing their innovative steel-frame construction. These "Chicago School" buildings have been praised as important precursors to 20th-century steel-and-glass skyscrapers. In Chicago, most examples of the style are office buildings in the Loop. Common characteristics are:
- steel-frame construction
- masonry cladding, usually terra cotta, clearly emphasizing the steel framing
- distinctive three-part windows, with large central fixed panes flanked by smaller double-hung sash windows
- minimal use of ornament
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