Chicago window

architecture

Also known as: Chicago School window

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Last updated

June 24, 2026

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The Chicago window is a distinctive architectural feature associated with the Chicago School of commercial architecture. This type of window is characterized by a large, fixed pane of glass flanked by two narrower, operable casement windows. This design was developed to maximize the admission of natural light into buildings, a key goal of architects like William Le Baron Jenney, who utilized similar concepts in his designs. The Chicago window, as seen in buildings like the Marquette Building, contributed to facades that were almost entirely glass, a hallmark of the Chicago School's innovative approach to skyscraper design.1

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bay window
…a prominent feature of the Chicago School. The utilitarian program of William Le Baron Jenney, one goal of which was maximum admission of natural light, resulted in the creation of the cellular wall and a new emphasis on bay windows. An interesting example is Jenney’s Manhattan Building (Chicago, 1890), which…
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…a prominent feature of the Chicago School. The utilitarian program of William Le Baron Jenney, one goal of which was maximum admission of natural light, resulted in the creation of the cellular wall and a new emphasis on bay windows. An interesting example is Jenney’s Manhattan Building (Chicago, 1890), which…
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William Holabird
…School, such as the so-called Chicago School windows, which resulted in a facade almost entirely made of glass, as in their Marquette Building (1894, Chicago). Their Gage Building (1898, Chicago), with a facade by the brilliant architect Louis Sullivan, was cited as a Chicago architectural landmark in 1962. Although their…
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…School, such as the so-called Chicago School windows, which resulted in a facade almost entirely made of glass, as in their Marquette Building (1894, Chicago). Their Gage Building (1898, Chicago), with a facade by the brilliant architect Louis Sullivan, was cited as a Chicago architectural landmark in 1962. Although their…
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Louis Sullivan
Later work of Louis Sullivan
…notable are the rectangular “Chicago windows”—each a large fixed pane flanked by movable sash windows. The elegant simplicity of the upper floors is in contrast to the lavish decoration of the first two, which have windows that were treated as display windows, with the architectural decoration forming rich picture…
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…notable are the rectangular “Chicago windows”—each a large fixed pane flanked by movable sash windows. The elegant simplicity of the upper floors is in contrast to the lavish decoration of the first two, which have windows that were treated as display windows, with the architectural decoration forming rich picture…
Read More