What was the name of the first skyscraper generally recognized as having a steel skeleton?

The Home Insurance Building is generally recognized as the first skyscraper with a steel skeleton, although historians debate the exact definition of “first.”

Designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the Chicago building was completed in 1885 and originally rose 10 stories. Its iron-and-steel structural frame carried much of the building’s weight, reducing the dependence on thick masonry walls and making greater height practical on valuable urban land.

The building was later expanded to 12 stories and was demolished in 1931. Its structural approach helped establish Chicago as a center of early skyscraper innovation. New elevators, fire-resistant construction, and improvements in steel production were also essential to the rise of tall commercial buildings.

The common mix-up is assuming that a tall building automatically qualifies as a skyscraper. Earlier structures could be tall, but the Home Insurance Building’s importance lies in its load-bearing frame and its place in the transition from masonry construction to modern steel-frame construction.