Old Colony Building

The open lakefront gives the city of Chicago its distinctive border to the east. The lakefront places Chicago on the map; it's the reason the city was founded here. The city's architecture gives it its style. Chicago gave the world its first skyscraper in 1885, a building supported by steel frame. It was the Home Insurance Building.

The Home Insurance Building was the world's tallest building for five years, and with that possibility, cities began to scale upward. I've always loved the architectural details on the Old Colony Building that I've photographed here. I love the rounded windows and the stone. This is an early example of what became known as the Chicago Style building. It was completed around 1894, designed by the architectural firm of Holabird and Roche. It's a designated landmark. Some more information can be found at The Chief Engineer.