Reliance Building, 32 North State Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL

Significance: An important example of the early Chicago School, it anticipates future developments in skyscraper design. Terra cotta was employed for exterior surfacing for the first time in this building. The Commission on Chicago Architectural Landmarks has cited it: "In recognition of the early and complete expression, through slender piers, small spandrels, and the skillfully restrained use of terra cotta with large areas of glass, of the structural cage of steel that alone supports such buildings."

Survey number: HABS IL-1029

Building/structure dates: ca. 1894 Initial Construction

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 70000237

offices stores and shops chicago school architectural elements chicago reliance north state street cook county illinois mission 66 program charles b atwood perry e borchers gary burk burnham and root neville h clouten robert l desilets charles gregersen dellas h harder historic american buildings survey larry j homolka alan r mcdonald osmund r overby edward popko earl h reed cervin robinson thomas k ross j william rudd marvin l whitaker photo historic american landscapes survey historic american engineering record landscape plans building plans architectural diagrams department stores library of congress national register of historic places

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html