The Home Insurance Building in Chicago was the first skyscraper to use a steel frame for support.

The Home Insurance Building was completed in 1885 and stood 138 feet tall. Architect William Le Baron Jenney used a frame made of iron and steel instead of heavy brick walls. This was the first time a large building used steel beams made with the Bessemer process.Steel is much stronger and lighter than stone or brick. By using a metal skeleton, Jenney reduced the building's weight to one-third of a traditional masonry structure. This design meant the exterior walls did not have to be thick to support the floors above them.Because the walls were no longer load-bearing, architects could include much larger windows. This allowed more natural light into the workspace. Many engineers at the time doubted a metal frame would stay standing, but the building remained stable until it was taken down in 1931.The building was located at the corner of Adams and LaSalle Streets in Chicago. Its construction method is known as the Chicago Skeleton. This technique is still used today to build every modern high-rise and skyscraper in the world.