The Monadnock Building was built during a period when bricks were the building material of choice.
Bricks are easy to manufacture, they are cheap and versatile.
There was one problem, however, with bricksthey are very heavy.
If you make a building too tall with bricks, it will collapse under its own weight.
Modern buildings, hence, use columns and beams made of reinforced concrete or steel to bear the weight.
The walls are merely curtains to keep the elements out.
At sixteen stories, it is the tallest load-bearing brick building ever constructed.
The walls taper as the building rises, so higher floors are more spacious.
Even at the top, the walls are 18 inches thick.
OneNew York Timesreporter describedChicagos soil as a great jelly-cake with a semi-fluid layer like molasses.
Anything heavy built on such soil attempts to sink.
This was more than the expected eight inches.
Consequently, the ground floor is located a step down from the street level.
To be honest, the Monadnock Building is not entirely made of bricks.
This structure merely provides lateral support and doesnt bear the actual load of the building.
This was the first time wind bracing was used in a building in America.
The Monadnock Building is also the first to feature aluminum in building construction.
An exotic and expensive material at the time, aluminum was used to build its decorative staircases.
Encouraged by the buildings success, the owners acquired the adjacent lot to the south and built an extension.
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Photo credit:Antoine 49/Flickr
