Chicago · The Loop
Staypineapple in the Reliance Building
The Reliance Building, begun in 1890 by Burnham & Root, whose near-all-glass facade the city calls the ancestor of today's skyscrapers.
- Built
- 1890–95Reliance Building: base built 1890; upper stories 1894-95 (City landmark record; NRHP significant years 1890, 1895).
- Style
- Chicago School
- Architect
- Burnham & Root (base); D. H. Burnham and Co. (upper stories)
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- The Loop
- Credentials
- National Historic Landmark; Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Local landmark; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Burnham & Root built the base of the Reliance Building in 1890, and D. H. Burnham and Co. added the upper stories in 1894-95. Its narrow terra-cotta piers and wide ‘Chicago windows’ made the facade almost entirely glass, and the city calls it the direct ancestor of today’s glass-and-steel skyscrapers. The City of Chicago restored the badly deteriorated exterior in 1996. The hotel preserves the original office doors, with vintage knobs and mail slots, as guest-room doors.
Good to know
- Address: 1 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602
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Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.