Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Monadnock Building became the largest office building in the world at the time with the completion of the southern addition in 1893. The building's plain appearance is in contrast to the number of cutting-edge technologies of the time incorporated into the building. Most notable of these technologies, electricity, meant workers no longer needed to rely on natural light or use fuel-burning lamps to illuminate their working areas. Visit architecture.org/buildings to learn more about Chicago’s most iconic buildings and discover how Chicago’s rich architectural legacy was built.
The Monadnock Building became the largest office building in the world at the time with the completion of the southern addition in 1893. The building's plain appearance is in contrast to the number of cutting-edge technologies of the time incorporated into the building. Most notable of these technologies, electricity, meant workers no longer needed to rely on natural light or use fuel-burning lamps to illuminate their working areas. Visit architecture.org/buildings to learn more about Chicago’s most iconic buildings and discover how Chicago’s rich architectural legacy was built.
