Concrete Central: Chicago’s Key Role in Concrete Engineering and Construction

In the postwar decades, Chicago played an outsized role in the historical development of the rise of the concrete skyscraper that was at least as decisive as its famous 19th-century innovations with skeletal steel. Through its local architectural and engineering culture, and equally important, in its innovations with material manufactures and construction companies, Chicago helped transform concrete from a handmade, relatively weak craft into the industrially produced, precisely engineered material that it is today. Strong relationships with research institutions and industry associations, the city’s volatile real estate and labor markets, and a rich tradition of collaboration and knowledge transfer all contributed to Chicago’s leadership in concrete high-rise construction throughout the last half of the twentieth century. Significantly, more than half of the roughly 400 buildings taller than 12 stories built in Chicago between 1950 and 1986 were constructed of concrete.

Historian of architecture, engineering, and the urban history of Chicago, Thomas Leslie, guest co-curator with Carol Willis for the Museum's exhibition The Modern Concrete Skyscraper, will summarize the new avenues of research that grew from research on the exhibition. This in-person program traces the history of concrete skyscraper construction in Chicago, highlighting how the material challenged the more established steel industry in the city and how local organizations played pivotal roles in advancing concrete technology to new heights.