Building History

The North half of the Monadnock was John Wellborn Root’s last and boldest design. He died at the age of 41, while the building was under construction. At the time of his death, in addition to running Chicago’s largest architectural practice, John Root and Daniel Burnham were responsible for the design and construction of the World’s Columbian Exposition, which was to open the following year. Root’s death forced Burnham to concentrate his energies on the Exposition, so when the north half of the Monadnock rented quickly and its owners decided to build the south half right away, they commissioned another firm to design it: Holabird & Roche, the second largest practice in the City. 

The two halves of the building are similar in scale and color, but quite different in style. The north half has been called a fountainhead of modern architecture because of its total absence of exterior ornament. Root decided that all he needed here was a graceful form for the structure itself. The south half of the building, on the other hand, is a masterful early application of classical architectural principles to the design of a tall building.