Reliance Building
A landmark Chicago skyscraper celebrated as an early expression of modern architecture and a pioneer of large-scale plate-glass windows.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Reliance Building is a historic commercial skyscraper at 1 West Washington Street in Chicago's Loop. Designed in two stages between 1890 and 1895, it is associated with the Chicago School of architecture and is widely recognized for making unusually extensive use of plate-glass windows across its façade. The building's light-filled appearance, steel-frame structure, projecting bay windows, and white glazed architectural terra-cotta cladding helped establish an architectural language that anticipated later modernist skyscrapers. The project began when William Ellery Hale, founder of the Hale Elevator Company, acquired a site containing the surviving portion of the First National Bank Building. Rather than immediately evicting the existing tenants, Hale had the upper floors temporarily supported on jackscrews while the original first floor was removed. John Wellborn Root of Burnham & Root designed a new basement and ground floor in 1890, using structural ideas associated with Chicago's developing skyscraper technology. Root's floating raft foundation concept helped distribute heavy loads across Chicago's difficult soil conditions. He intended a building with open, flexible interiors, extensive natural light, and small offices suited to merchants, doctors, and other professionals. Root died in 1891 before the project was complete. Daniel Burnham then brought in Boston architect Charles B. Atwood, with E. C. Shankland serving as lead engineer, to finish the upper portion. The remaining floors were completed in 1894–1895, and the building opened in March 1895. Its upper ten floors were erected rapidly during the summer of 1895, and its offices were among the early commercial interiors to provide electricity and telephone service throughout the building. Carson Pirie Scott & Co. occupied the first-floor retail space, while later tenants included medical practitioners and other professionals. The building's original commercial model became less viable over time. It suffered during the Great Depression, and its small retail units became increasingly difficult to lease. A 1948 modernization for Karoll's Men's Shop covered or replaced much of the original lower-level storefront treatment. From the 1940s onward, the structure entered a long period of decline, even as its architectural importance became clearer. The Reliance Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It also forms part of Chicago's Loop Retail Historic District. Preservationists and city officials debated its future for years, particularly after the nearby McCarthy Building was demolished in 1989. A rehabilitation partnership involving McClier Corporation and Baldwin Development Company finally moved forward in the 1990s. The City of Chicago acquired the property during this process, and a major restoration was completed in 1999. The former retail and office building was adapted into a hotel, first operated as Hotel Burnham and later under Staypineapple branding. The property remains an active hospitality and heritage site, while its architecture continues to be studied as a crucial link between nineteenth-century commercial construction and twentieth-century modernism.
History
The Reliance Building emerged from Chicago's post-fire commercial expansion. In 1880, William Ellery Hale purchased a small Loop site occupied by the four-story First National Bank Building, one of the structures that had partly survived the Great Chicago Fire. Hale wanted to replace it with a much taller and more efficient commercial building, but existing tenants resisted the immediate termination of their leases. To solve the problem, the upper three floors were lifted on jackscrews while the first floor was demolished and reconstructed below them. John Wellborn Root of Burnham & Root designed the replacement basement and first floor in 1890. Hale had worked with the firm on other real-estate projects, including the Rookery Building. Root's design responded to both the commercial requirements of the site and the technical conditions of Chicago. The architect used a reinforced-concrete foundation concept associated with his floating raft system, while planning broad windows, open floor areas, and abundant daylight. Hale expected the lower level to serve retail users and the upper floors to accommodate numerous smaller professional offices. Root died of pneumonia in January 1891, before his part of the building was complete. Daniel Burnham recruited Charles B. Atwood to continue the project, with E. C. Shankland acting as lead engineer. Atwood completed the upper structure in 1894–1895. He employed white glazed terra-cotta tiles and extensive plate glass, producing a façade that appeared unusually light compared with the massive masonry commercial buildings of the preceding generation. The steel framing for the top ten floors was erected between July 16 and August 1, 1895. The building opened in March of that year and was named for its functional, dependable character. The Reliance Building was an early office tower to provide electricity and telephone service across its offices. Its first tenant was Carson Pirie Scott & Co., which operated a dry-goods store at street level. During its early decades, the building housed merchants, physicians, and other professionals; one documented tenant was Al Capone's dentist. The structure's small-scale retail and office configuration initially supported a diverse tenant base, but the arrangement became less attractive as commercial patterns changed. Economic pressure intensified during the Great Depression. The building gradually declined, and its upper floors became difficult to fill. In 1948, Karoll's Men's Shop opened on the lower two floors and installed a modern storefront that obscured the original retail frontage. Although the building remained in use, the alteration and deferred maintenance contributed to the loss of architectural character. Recognition came before full restoration. The National Park Service listed the Reliance Building on the National Register of Historic Places in October 1970, and it became a National Historic Landmark on January 7, 1976. It was also included within the Loop Retail Historic District, which documents the development of State and Wabash Streets as a central Chicago shopping area. The structure's future became uncertain in the late twentieth century. Chicago officials supported revitalization, but disagreements over the appropriate plan delayed action. The 1989 demolition of the nearby McCarthy Building sharpened the preservation debate by demonstrating the competing pressures for historic retention and modern redevelopment. In 1994, McClier Corporation and Baldwin Development Company, which had previously collaborated on the Rookery Building, joined forces to rehabilitate the Reliance Building. The City of Chicago purchased the property for $1.3 million during this period, and the restoration was completed in 1999 at a reported cost of $27.5 million. The rehabilitation converted the former commercial space into a luxury hotel. Canal Street Partners created Hotel Burnham, while the building's restaurant space became associated with Atwood Cafe. The project was treated as a prominent example of adaptive reuse and helped preserve the building's distinctive exterior and interior character. In 2001, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley received a National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award connected with the city's role in saving the property. Pineapple Hospitality acquired the property in December 2016; the hotel subsequently used The Alise Chicago name and later became Staypineapple, An Iconic Hotel, The Loop. Architecturally, the building is important for combining a steel-frame superstructure, deep concrete foundations, terra-cotta ornament, projecting bay windows, and an exceptionally high proportion of glass. Its façade lacks the strong classical hierarchy found in many earlier commercial buildings and has consequently been described as proto-Modernist. The Reliance Building's visual lightness and daylight-oriented planning anticipated later glass skyscrapers, including concepts explored by Mies van der Rohe. It remains one of the clearest surviving demonstrations of how Chicago architects transformed commercial construction at the end of the nineteenth century.
- 2016
Pineapple Hospitality purchases the property
[1]The property changed ownership and later operated under The Alise Chicago and Staypineapple names.
- 1999
Adaptive-reuse restoration completed
[1]The rehabilitation transformed the building into Hotel Burnham and restored its architectural character.
- 1994
Restoration partnership formed
[1]McClier Corporation and Baldwin Development Company collaborated on a plan to restore and reuse the deteriorating landmark.
- 1976
Designated a National Historic Landmark
[1]The Reliance Building received the United States' National Historic Landmark designation.
- 1970
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
[1]The building received federal historic-register designation.
- 1948
Karoll's Men's Shop remodels the lower levels
[1]A new retail frontage covered much of the building's original storefront treatment while the upper floors continued to face leasing difficulties.
- 1895
Reliance Building opens
[1]The completed skyscraper opened in March, with large plate-glass windows, steel framing, glazed terra-cotta cladding, and modern building services.
- 1891
Charles B. Atwood takes over completion work
[1]After Root's death, Daniel Burnham brought Charles B. Atwood into the project to complete the building's upper floors.
- 1890
New basement and first floor completed
[1]John Wellborn Root designed and completed the new basement and ground floor while the original upper floors were temporarily supported above the construction site.
- 1880
William Ellery Hale acquires the site
[1]Hale purchased the Loop property containing the partially surviving First National Bank Building and began planning a replacement commercial tower.
Products and positioning
A nationally recognized Chicago architectural landmark positioned at the intersection of historic preservation, early skyscraper innovation, and adaptive-reuse hospitality.
Historic skyscraper · 1895
Reliance Building
A Chicago Loop commercial skyscraper completed in 1895. Its steel-frame construction, concrete foundation system, glazed terra-cotta façade, projecting bays, and extensive plate-glass windows made it a seminal example of the Chicago School and an important precursor to modernist glass architecture.
Hotel · 1999
Staypineapple, An Iconic Hotel, The Loop
The adaptive-reuse hotel occupying the restored Reliance Building. The property opened as Hotel Burnham in 1999, later used The Alise Chicago branding, and subsequently operated as Staypineapple, An Iconic Hotel, The Loop.
Restaurant · 1999
Atwood Cafe
A restaurant associated with the building's post-restoration hotel use and named for architect Charles B. Atwood, who completed the upper portion of the Reliance Building in the 1890s.
Brand decisions
1999
Convert the restored building into a hotelStrategyBackground
A conventional return to small-format retail and office use was challenged by changing commercial demand and the building's historic configuration.
Action taken
Canal Street Partners adapted the restored structure for hospitality use and launched Hotel Burnham, retaining the landmark's architectural identity while introducing a new operating model.
Aftermath
The building remained in active use, later passing through additional hotel brands including The Alise Chicago and Staypineapple.
Rehabilitation cost. $27.5 million (1999)
1994
Proceed with historic rehabilitation and adaptive reuseStrategyBackground
The building had deteriorated for decades, and its small retail spaces were difficult to lease. City officials and preservation advocates debated whether and how the landmark should be saved.
Action taken
McClier Corporation and Baldwin Development Company formed a restoration partnership, with the City of Chicago acquiring the property as part of the preservation effort.
Aftermath
The project culminated in a 1999 restoration that converted the building into a luxury hotel and preserved its principal architectural features.
Property acquisition price. $1.3 million (1994)
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/reliance-building · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled