In the 1880s Chicago was experiencing explosive growth that propelled land values to levels no one could have imagined, especially within the downtown "Loop," named for the turn-around loops of streetcar lines. As land values rose, landowners sought ways of improving the return on their investments. The sky beckoned. The most fundamental obstacle to height was man's capacity to walk stairs, especially after the kinds of meals men ate in the nineteenth century, but this obstacle had been removed by the advent of the elevator
In the 1880s, Chicago was undergoing rapid expansion, leading to an unprecedented increase in land values, particularly in the downtown area known as the "Loop," named after the streetcar turnarounds. As landowners witnessed the surge in property worth, they sought innovative ways to maximize their investments. This desire for improvement coincided with advancements in technology that transformed urban landscapes.
The introduction of the elevator played a crucial role in overcoming the...