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| Montauk Building | |
|---|---|
 Illustration of Montauk block, circa 1886. Originally published in Andreas'History of Chicago. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Chicago architecture |
| Location | Chicago |
| Construction started | 1882 |
| Construction stopped | 1883 |
| Demolished | 1902 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Wellborn Root Sr. andDaniel Burnham |
TheMontauk Building – also referred to asMontauk Block[1][2] – was a high-rise building inChicago, Illinois.
Designed byJohn Wellborn Root Sr. andDaniel Burnham, it was built in 1882–1883, and was demolished in 1902. According toThomas Tallmadge, "What Chartres was to the Gothic cathedral, the Montauk Block was to the high commercial building".
In his non-fiction book set at theWorld's Columbian Exposition,The Devil in the White City (2003), authorErik Larson claims that the Montauk became the first building to be called a "skyscraper" (Larson 2003: 29). In his 1974 monographBurnham of Chicago,Thomas Hines makes a similar claim.[3]
The Montauk is also the first building in the world where construction continued through the evenings, and allegedly was the first building in Chicago to not have winter stop construction efforts.[4]
Other early high-rise buildings in the US, according toScientific American, December 1997: the Equitable Building (1868–70), the Western Union Building (1872–75) and the Tribune Building (1873–75), all inNew York City.
A list ofChicago buildings from the University of Illinois-Chicago archives gives the following information about the Montauk building: "At 115 Monroe Street, has a frontage of 90 feet (27 m) and a depth of 180 feet (55 m). It is 130 feet (40 m) high, in 10 stories, ofsteel construction, on heavy foundations, with thick walls. It has 150 offices, 300 occupants, and 2 passenger elevators. Erected in 1882, at a cost of $325,000; the first high steel building in Chicago."[5]
From 1903-1965, theFirst National Bank Building occupied the site. In 1965, this was demolished to make way for First National Plaza (now calledChase Tower).
41°52′50″N87°37′55″W / 41.8805°N 87.6319°W /41.8805; -87.6319