Which Chicago building, completed in 1885, is often described as the world’s first modern skyscraper?

The Home Insurance Building, completed in Chicago in 1885, is often described as the world’s first modern skyscraper.

Architect William Le Baron Jenney used a metal structural frame that carried much of the building’s weight. This allowed the exterior walls to be lighter and permitted more windows than traditional load-bearing masonry construction. The original structure stood 10 stories tall and was later expanded to 12 stories.

The label “first skyscraper” is debated because earlier buildings used some iron framing or had similar proportions. The Home Insurance Building is especially influential because its construction system became a model for the Chicago School of architecture and later high-rise commercial development.

It was demolished in 1931, and the site is now associated with the LaSalle Street area. The Woolworth Building and Empire State Building are famous skyscrapers, but both came decades later.