Great Chicago Great Fire Essay

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Chicago Fire of 1871 triggered a series of changes (social, political, and technical) which impacted the way buildings are now designed and constructed. Explain!

The Great Chicago Fire generated the first wave of regulations to demand that all buildings be constructed with "fireproof materials such as brick, stone, marble, and limestone. These building materials, much more expensive than wood, are held together by a sticky, strong substance called mortar" that is also fireproof (Schons, "The Chicago Fire of 1871). Although safer, these new materials were more expensive and pushed many poorer people and businesses from the city (as did the increased cost of fire insurance).

When "the slow and expensive process of rebuilding with fireproof materials began," one of the most popular new materials to use was terra cotta, a mixture of sand and clay. The legendary Palmer House of Chicago was made of terra cotta tiles on the roof and a mixture of brick and iron in its walls and foundation. It was advertised as the first 'fireproof' hotel, and the ability to withstand fire became a major selling-point of businesses and houses.

The expense of rebuilding and re-insuring (many policies were destroyed in the fire) also generated the desire to create a new, minimalist approach to architecture to reduce costs.

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"Chicago's architects worked to meet the demands of commercial businessmen. Businessmen preferred plain-looking buildings, because putting on fancy ornaments cost more money" (Schons, "The Chicago Fire of 1871). Thus, the Chicago School of architecture was born. The Chicago school made a virtue of sparseness and simplicity in architecture and elevated it to a great art form.

Q2. Circumstances related to the Chicago Fire created an opportunity for architects and engineers to create a new pallet of materials and methods for design and construction solutions. Aside from the fire, the need for office space in a physically-constrained central business district became a pressing problem across the country. Describe some of the solutions that were developed.

The modern skyscraper was one of the major developments of modern architecture, designed to consolidate businesses into a relatively narrow city area. "The term "skyscraper" was first used during the 1880s, shortly after the first 10 to 20 story buildings were built in the United States. Combining several innovations: steel structure, elevators, central heating, electrical plumbing pumps and the telephone, skyscrapers came to dominate American skylines at the turn of the century"….....

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