Chicago's Window to the World
The word Chicago is used to describe any number of things. Chicago style pizza,
Chicago style hot dog, Chicago School of Architecture, and the Chicago window. It's hard to understand the impact of this window's design in this day and age, but a large window opening was a revolutionary idea back in the 1890s when a gas flame, and the rudimentary electric bulb, were the primary source of artificial indoor light. Think of yourself closed up in a closet for a period of time with a 25 watt light bulb over your head. Then, imagine how you'd feel once you came out of that stuffy space and into a bright, naturally lit, air filled room. This was the effect the Chicago window had on thousands of workers in the later part of the 19th century.
Defined as a window that fills the full width of a bay of a steel-framed opening, it is
divided into three sections: a wide fixed center pane with a narrower movable sash at each side, as seen in the photo above. This excellent example is from a Louis Sullivan facade that recently underwent a substantial renovation and rehabilitation.
designslinger]
The Reliance Building is an iconic building for many reasons, far too many to go into now,
so we're going to stick to its windows. Built in 1895 on a base that dates to 1891, the Reliance pushed the envelope as far as possible in terms of opening up the exterior wall to as much natural light as possible. When you look at the structure, it almost seems that the entire building is made of glass. The steel support system had to be covered in something, and designer Charles Atwood chose light-colored, decorative terra-cotta. And he filled the openings between the steel super-structure with as much glass as possible. It's hard to get a sense of how big the windows really are, so I'll give you an idea: if a 6-foot tall person stood on the window sill, they would still have a couple of feet of glass rising above their head.
Just one block south of the Reliance Building stands the Chicago Building, designed by
another giant in Chicago's architectural firmament, Holabird & Roche. Here again you see the classic window, but this time surrounded by heavy piers of dark brick. The building is now used as housing for students of the nearby School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I waited for someone to come up to the window so you could see someone standing at one of these large openings and understand how big they are, but alas, no one came forward.
These two buildings by Holabird and Roche pre-date the Chicago Building and are the two
southernmost structures of a three part group commonly known as the Gage Group. Keith, Asher and Gage were milliners, and moved from their workshops on an adjacent street to light-filled Michigan Avenue. Much like the Reliance, the architects used the absolute minimum amount of material to cover the steel frame in order to keep each opening as clear as possible for the wide, broad Chicago window.
/Images & Artwork: desingslinger]
I've put these two images side by side because I wanted to show you a comparison of two
buildings designed by the same firm, Daniel H. Burnham & Co. It's hard to believe that these came from the same office, but by the time Burnham & Co. designed the People's Gas Building in 1910, the firm was designing for a different type of client with different needs. The window used here is a typical double-hung sash, which is almost overwhelmed by the decorative, grey, glazed terra-cotta. This is a steel-framed building just like the Reliance, which was built 15 years earlier, but the Gas Co. building is much more heavy-handed.
Alexander Calder, 1974, detail /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
For me, this is the second generation of the Chicago window. Mies van der Rohe pushed
the concept of a curtain of glass unencumbered by a steel frame to new heights. This building is one of three that make up the Federal Center in downtown Chicago. Many people hate Mies and blame him for the boxiness of the modern cityscape. But, since today's post is about steel and its relationship with glass, I've included the Federal Building becaue it is a great example of technology and art pushing the boundaries.
designslinger]
In the one-story post office that sits near the base of the Kluczynski Building, the window
has grown to gigantic proportions. Look at the size of the people in relation to the size of the glass panes. Here Mies designed a Chicago window in a scale that would have seemed impossible to Charles Atwood in 1895. In this building, van der Rohe nearly obliterates the steel frame, and lets the glass shine in transparent luxury.
All of the buildings in today's post are an easy walk from one another in Chicago's
downtown area known as the Loop. I hope you'll take the time someday to visit each one. They are just a few of the gems to be found among a thousand others.
Posted by designslinger at 7/2/2009 2:10 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Chicago Building Gage Group People's Gas Co.Building Reliance Building Federal Center Buildings
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Chicago Building Gage Group People's Gas Co.Building Reliance Building Federal Center Buildings
Thanks for another fabulous post. You guys are really getting serious now. I love all the original material. Your pics are great.
You do a great job of selling Chicago!
I'm quite a fan of Mies Van Der Rohe and it's interesting to see who he was influenced by. Those students in the Chicago building are very lucky - unless it gets really hot in there in the summer with all that glass!
Fabulous post. I will be sure to check out those buildings the next time I visit.
Thanks! And if you get a chance to visit, all the buildings are fairly close to one another so it will be a fairly easy walking tour. Might not want to do it in January though!