Concrete City: Chicagoís Role in Concrete High-Rise Engineering

Chicago's iconic skyscrapers, the Sears Tower and John Hancock Building, in particular, have given the city a deserved reputation as a center of innovation in steel engineering and construction. However, Chicago has a parallel history as the leading center of concrete high-rise innovation, which also deserves recognition alongside its traditional steel-centric history. This was particularly true during the second half of the 20th century. More than half of the roughly 400 buildings taller than 12 stories built in Chicago from 1950 to 1986 were concrete, not steel. More significantly, six of the ten structures that claimed the title of the worldís tallest concrete skyscraper from 1902 to 1989 were built in Chicago. Research done for the Spring 2025 exhibition The Modern Concrete Skyscraper at New York Cityís Skyscraper Museum suggests that Chicago's leadership in concrete high-rise construction was due to three main factors: its geology, the initiatives of curious, innovative designers along with entrepreneurial suppliers and contractors, and Chicago's culture of collaborative efforts among and across disciplines.