Reliance Building

"You may be able to duck into the vintage lobby of the Reliance building for a quick look at how it was renovated In the late 1880s, real estate investor and elevator entrepreneur William Hale commissioned Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root to design a 14-story building at the corner of Washington and State. Following Root's untimely death in 1891, Daniel Burnham hired designer Charles Atwood. The new 14-story structure opened in 1895 with planned spaces for doctors and dentists to see patients downtown. Large glass windows allowed for ample amounts of daylight to stream into the office spaces. The light allowed for better visibility during medical exams, and the white terra cotta projected a hygienic image to tenants and their patients. - Precursor of 20th-century glass skyscrapers - Gothic ornamentation - Labor issues "