Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-20
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Invented Steel SKELETON
DEATH OF ENGINEER WHO
SOLVED THIS PROBLEM.
His Name Was William Le Baron
Jenney-His Method Now Gen.
orally In Use In This Country.
From the Engineering News.

| From the Engineering News.
We briefly noted In our obituary column
two weeks ago the death of William LIE
| Baron Jenney. prominent Chicago archi-
| tect. and member of the firm of Jenney.
Mundie & Jensen of III La Sale street. We
are indebted to the firm for additional in
| formation concerning Mr.. Jenney's career,
| with full statement of Mr.. Jenney's work
| in connection with the Introduction Of steel
| skeleton construction for office buildings.
We print 1t nearly in full. as follows:
In 1853 Mr.. Jenney graduated from the
| Lawrence Scientific School Of Harvard
University, and In 1854 he entered the
Ecole Centrale des Arts ct Manufactures at
| Paris Here his career was brilliant one,
and he received his diploma In 1856. Dur
| ing 1858 he again visited France and re-
| manned year and a half engaged in the
| study Of architecture and art.
After the war. In 1868, he went to Chi
| cago and began his professional career His
early works Of note were Grace Episcopal
Church. Wabash avenue and 10th street:
the Portland block. Washington and Dear
born streets built just after the fire, and
the Mason building.
1t was Mr.. Jenney who invented and
made the first application of the steel skele-
ton type Of construction now used univer-
sally In tall buildings. In the fall of 1888
Insurance Company of New York city, and
Instructed to prepare designs for a tall
hreproof office building to be located on the
northeast corner of Adams and La Sale
streets. Chicago and to be named The
Home Insurance Building he was given
further instructions that the plans above
the second story should provide for the
maximum number of well-lighted small
Offices The instructions further stated
that the building committee were aware
that this would necessitate very small piers
smaller. probably. than were admissible
If of ordinary masonry construction, unless
perhaps in the upper stories.
The architect was requested to report to
the building committee the method of con-
struction that would SATISFY the requirements
for stability and for small piers 1t
naturally followed that if brick or stone
were insufficient to carry the loads on the
piers material must be provided that
would support a greater load per unit of
section. Architects had often been Obliged
to build an iron column into the masonry
pier where the load was exceptionally great
Mr.. Jenney had done the same thing build
Ing iron columns into the small piers some
years before. The natural solution of the
problem was to inciose an Iron column
within each of the small masonry piers.
thus satisfying the three requirements
small piers, strength and fireproofing.
Solution Found.
The question Of column Is feet high
under the extreme variation of temperature,
say 100 degrees F. or more. from the hot sun
in summer to the excessive cold in winter.
now presented itself. A solution was soon
found by Mr.. Jenney. by supporting the
walls and floors of each story independently
on the columns. thus dividing the total
movement into as many parts as there were
stories. the expansion and contraction in
no one story being of sufficient Importance
to require special considera ton. The draw
ings were then prepared and the first de-
sign for a fireproof skeleton building was
made and presented to the building COM
mittee of the Home Insurance Company for
their acceptance. AS business men, they
naturally inquired, Where is there such a
building?" The architect replied Your
building at Chicago will be the first" This
naturally suggested to the company the very
important question. How do you know 1t
is goed?" The architect proposed to submit
his designs and calculations to one more
bridge engineers of distinction. as the COM
pany might select the design for the skele-
ton building resembling, in many respects.
iron railroad bridges standing end side
by side.
The columns in the Home Insurance
building were of cast iron the rveted col
umns of plates and angles being at that
time thought. too expensive. 1t was in
this building that the first Bessemer steel
beams We're used, manufactured by the
Carnegie-PhippS Company, who stated at
the time that the Home Insurance building
was the first in the United States to use
only introduced the steel skeleton con-
struction to the world, anj was the first
building in America to use steel beams
In its construction, but 1t also added long
list to the requirements of fine office
building. such as wind bracing; thorough |
hreproofng; rapid running and safe ele- |
vator cars; light and well-yentilated rooms /
and corridors; fan-lights along the corridor |
side of the rooms. adding to the light OF the
corridor and to the ventilation of the
rooms an electric plant; provision OF OF
fees with tile vaults handsome in thelr
appointments. and a system OF plumbing
of the highest modern type. All THESE APP
pointmentS are now common TO all Soou
office buildings but they were HrSt used
in the west in the Home insurance build
ing: and many of them, like the metal
elevator cars and the Office vaults, were
invented by Mr.. Jenney for that building. |
Among other prominent buildings built |
nv Mr. Jenney while associated with Mr..
Mundie are the Union League Club the
Horticultural building at the Columbian
exposition, The Fair department store.
Siegel Cooper G. Co. s store. the Association |
building. the New York Life building the
Chicago National Bank building the Trude
and the Fort Dearborn building
Hawk That Never Fails to Get It's Prey