William lebaron jenney biography

William Le Baron Jenney September 25, — June 14, was an American architect and engineer known for building the first skyscraper in By the end of the war, he had become a major, and was Engineer-in-Charge at Nashville 's Union headquarters. During the late s, he commuted weekly to Ann Arbor, Michigan , to start and teach in the architecture program at the University of Michigan.

William le baron jenney invention

Jenney was elected an Associate of the American Institute of Architects in and became a Fellow in He served as first Vice President from to Jenney is best known for designing the ten-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago. The building was the first fully metal-framed building and is considered the first skyscraper. It was built from to , enlarged by adding two stories in , and demolished in The steel needed to support the Home Insurance Building weighed only one-third as much as a ten-story building made of heavy masonry.

Later, he solved the problem of fireproof construction for tall buildings by using masonry, iron, and terra cotta flooring and partitions. From to , he displayed his system in the construction of the Second Leiter Building , also in Chicago. According to a popular story, one day he came home early and surprised his wife who was reading.