William Le Baron Jenney
What's your image of an office building If it's a skyscraper, impressive steel and iron, with lots of windows, wide hallways, and minimal design, then you know the work and influence of architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney. Born in 1832, Jenney was educated at the prestigious Phillips Academy, before heading to California for the gold rush. He continued his travels spending time in the Philippines, where he apparently made special note of the light and flexible local construction using bamboo. On returning to the States, Jenney spent two years at Harvard University, and then decided he would receive a better engineering education and understanding of architecture at the École Centrâle des Arts et Manufactures in Paris. After graduating in 1856, Jenney worked in France and Mexico, before coming back to America because of the Civil War, where he served as an engineer under General Grant and then General Sherman. After the war, Jenney moved to Chicago, starting the architecture firm of Jenney, Schermerhorn and Bogart in 1868. His first major commission was the West Chicago park system. He then created the layout for Riverside, Illinois, a suburb, teaming with famous park architect Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1869, Jenney wrote the book Principles and Practice of Architecture, which became a standard guide. However, it was the Chicago fire of 1871 which opened new opportunities for Jenney to put his theories into practice. His work on rebuilding the Portland Block led a younger generation of architects, including Henri Sullivan, Martin Roche, William Holabird, and Daniel Hudson Burnham, to come and work for him. Jenney's innovations in using steel with cast and wrought iron, as well as diagonal wind bracing meant that buildings could be higher, have more windows, be built quicker, and sustain more weight. The skyscraper was born: from the five story Leiter Building in 1883 later known as the Morris Building, to the eleven story Home Insurance Building 1885 through today's buildings, which are still informed by Jenney's choices. Jenney's architecture boom continued with the Manhattan, Sears and Roebuck, YMCA, Ludington, Fair Store, Isabella, Horiticultural, Morton, and Chicago Garment Center buildings, all in Chicago. Jenney retired at the age of 73 having changed the look, feel and use of America's downtowns. He died in 1907.
