Urban Renewal & The Great Chicago Fire

It was the night of October 8th, 1871, and, after a particularly dry summer and fall, the city of Chicago was like a tinderbox waiting for a spark. 

On that fateful fall night, disaster struck. Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, an Irish immigrant family, lived at 37 DeKoven Street on the southwest side of Chicago. That evening, a fire broke out in their barn. The cause of that first spark is still unknown. A popular (now disproved) legend was that a cow kicked over a lantern. Some say it was a robber. Whatever the cause, the result is the same: Over the next two days, the Great Chicago Fire burned across 3.3 square miles of the city, killing 300 people and leaving another 100,000 homeless.

The fire jumped across the Chicago River, fueled by the lumber yards, grain deposits, and wooden bridges that lined the waterway. Strong winds blew embers, and a depleted fire brigade couldn’t control the blaze. Throughout downtown, numerous wooden hotels, theaters, shops, government buildings, and other structures were razed to the ground. 

A tragic, deadly day, the city would go on to rise from the ashes, bringing with it far-reaching change in the worlds of architectural and urban planning.

A City of Wood

From the early 1830s to 1871, the city of Chicago grew rapidly. What had once been a frontier town of 350 was now a metropolis of 300,000. With this rapid boom in population came commercial and residential construction — and lots of it, very quickly. Wood, readily available and cheap, was the material of choice for buildings, roads, sidewalks, and more. The population was centered in the downtown area, and neighborhoods were built close together to maximize space. Fire safety measures were waived in order to meet housing and business demand.

This changed after the Chicago Fire. Regulations started to be implemented with fire-safety building codes leading the charge. It wasn’t until 1874, however, that major changes swept through the city. 

Turning to Brick & Stone

After the fire of 1871, a ban on wooden construction was enacted in the former fire zone. However, cheaper constructions were still built outside this area. While the wealthier residents of the downtown area could afford brick and stone materials, immigrant communities in the surrounding areas still relied on the same construction methods as in earlier years.

Then, on July 14th, 1874, another fire hit. Destroying 800 buildings and taking 20 lives, the blaze stopped when it reached the new, brick buildings of downtown. After the fires of 1871 and 1874, the city of Chicago began its transformation, introducing a new material to the local world of architecture: terra cotta.  

The Palmer House Legacy

Famous today as a luxurious Chicago icon, the original Palmer House hotel opened just 13 days before the Great Chicago Fire. Though the wooden building was destroyed, the blueprints to the design were saved by its architect, John Van Osdel, who buried them in the hotel’s basement when he saw the fire approaching.

Miraculously, the plans survived. Protected under a thick layer of sand and clay, the resulting terra cotta was able to withstand the blaze. And so, when the Palmer House was rebuilt, a terracotta roof sat atop the iron and brick structure. 

A Marriage of Terra Cotta & Steel

Hardy and fireproof, terra cotta played a major architectural role in the city’s buildings. Though rock hard after being fired to 2000°F, the material was malleable and full of possibilities while wet. It made the perfect creative and insulating accompaniment to another revolutionary material entering the scene: steel.

Strong and lightweight, new steel-framed buildings allowed architects to create tall structures with surrounding windows on every side for ample natural light. Practical and perfect for the booming metropolis, the structures could then be adorned (and protected) with terra cotta, which could be shaped into an endless variety of styles. With steel as the sound base and clay facades waiting to be crafted, Chicago entered a new era of architectural innovation.

Form Follows Function

The Chicago Fire, though a horrible tragedy, gave the city a silver lining — an opportunity to reimagine Chicago's urban landscape. Building back the city, but stronger.

Previously, a collection of residents, livestock, and businesses had all competed for space in the big city. Now, in the aftermath of the fire, architects and city planners designed a city that could accommodate the area’s rapidly growing population, including wide walkways, public parks, public transportation, and city services.

The philosophy “form follows function,” coined by Louis Sullivan, was also championed. An industrial design principle of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it states that the architectural form of a building should be reflective of its intended purpose (over strictly beauty or ornamentation). 

Finally, at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, chief planner Daniel Burnham revealed his vision for a reborn Chicago. Distancing the city from its former fire-ruined and frontier town past, visitors were in awe of the 700-acre temporary city-within-a-city he created, complete with white, European neo-classical designs. Though the fire had razed Chicago’s downtown and affected countless lives, the city’s architects and planners used the opportunity to kickstart the beautiful, sprawling, urban city we know today.

Immerse Yourself in Chicago’s History

From revolutionary steel skyscrapers to the philosophies of modern architecture, the aftermath of the Great Fire set the stage for Chicago’s future. Learn more about the events, people, and buildings that shaped the Windy City’s history on the Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady — with tours exclusively led by Chicago Architecture Center docents! Book your cruise today.