Page "Chicago" Paragraph 36

The destruction caused by the Great Chicago Fire led to the largest building boom in the history of the nation.

In 1885, the first steel-framed high-rise building, the Home Insurance Building, rose in the city as Chicago ushered in the skyscraper era, which would then be followed by many other cities around the world.

Today, Chicago's skyline is among the world's tallest and most dense.

The United States ' two tallest towers are both located in Chicago ; Willis Tower ( formerly Sears Tower, and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere ), and Trump International Hotel and Tower.

The Loop's historic buildings include the Chicago Board of Trade Building, the Fine Arts Building, 35 East Wacker, and the Chicago Building, 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments by Mies van der Rohe.

Many other architects have left their impression on the Chicago skyline such as Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Charles B. Atwood, John Root, and Helmut Jahn.

The Merchandise Mart, once first on the list of largest buildings in the world, and still listed as 20th, has its own ZIP code, and stands near the junction of the North and South branches of the Chicago River.

Presently, the four tallest buildings in the city are Willis Tower ( formerly the Sears Tower, also a building with its own zip code ), Trump International Hotel and Tower, the Aon Center ( previously the Standard Oil Building ), and the John Hancock Center.

Industrial districts, such as some areas on the South Side, the areas along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and Northwest Indiana are clustered.