Reliance Building - View this location on map To Chicagoans of the 1890s, the glass-covered exterior of this building seemed to almost defy gravity. A century later, it is internationally recognized as the direct ancestor of today's glass-and-steel skyscrapers. Extremely narrow piers, mullions, and spandrels, all covered with cream-colored terra cotta decorated with Gothic-style tracery, divide wide expanses of glass and clearly delineate the interior steel framework that supports the building. The light and airy facade is almost entirely windows--both flat and projecting bays--of the type known as a 'Chicago window:' a wide fixed pane with narrow movable sash windows flanking it. A flat cornice tops the 14-story structure. The severely deteriorated exterior was completely restored by the City of Chicago in 1996. 32 N. State Street, Chicago , IL Historical Reliance Building - View this location on map Completed in 1895 from designs by Chicago architects John Root and Charles A. Atwood, this 15-story building is a prime example of the forward-looking, structural, and functional aspects of 'Chicago School' architecture. Its iron-skeleton frame enables non-bearing exterior walls to be faced with expansive 'Chicago window' bays in which a large, fixed central pane is framed by narrow double-hung sash. The Reliance Building is also noted for its Gothic terracotta decorations and prominent vertical bays. 32 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois Historical

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