Tacoma Building (Chicago) facts for kids
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The Tacoma Building was one of the very first tall buildings, known as an early skyscraper, located in Chicago. It was finished in 1889. This building was the first big project designed by the famous architecture company Holabird & Roche. The Tacoma Building was taken down in 1929. A new building, called One North LaSalle, was built in its place.
What Was the Tacoma Building?
The Tacoma Building was a very important structure in the history of the Chicago School of architecture. This style of building used new ways to build tall structures. The Tacoma Building was special because it used a frame made of iron and steel. This frame was put together by George A. Fuller.
How Was it Built?
For the first time, all the parts of the steel frame were joined together using rivets. Rivets are like strong metal pins that hold pieces of metal tightly. Even though the inside of the building still used strong load-bearing walls to hold up some weight, the outside walls were different.
The two outer walls, facing LaSalle Street and Madison Street, were what we call "curtain walls". A curtain wall is an outer covering that keeps out the weather but does not support the building's roof or floors. This design was a big step forward. It was even more advanced than the ideas used by William Le Baron Jenney for his Home Insurance Building, which was another early skyscraper.
Why Was the Building Replaced?
Even though the Tacoma Building was a marvel of its time, it eventually became outdated. Experts from the National Association of Building Owners and Managers studied the building after it was gone. They found that its design was not very efficient for modern offices. This meant that the way the rooms were laid out made it hard to use the space well. Because of this, the building was taken down to make way for a newer, more efficient one.
See also
In Spanish: Tacoma Building para niños
