World Heritage Skyscrapers

[Klippenstein]

In 2017, the US added Early Chicago Skyscrapers to its tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. To my knowledge, if this was eventually nominated by the US and determined to meet the Outstanding Universal Value criteria necessary for inscription, it would be the first set of skyscrapers to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. Personally, this seems amazing to me and possibly the beginning of more world renowned skyscrapers being recognized by UNESCO.

Unfortunately, the whole process is complicated by the relationship between the United States and UNESCO. I can't find any news that Biden has rejoined UNESCO after the US' withdrawal under Trump. Though the US added a new site to their tentative list in November 2022 for the first time since 2017.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think there's any chance this becomes a UNESCO site? Any possibility that us skyscraper nerds could increase the likelihood? If this set of buildings spanned the whole US/World, what early skyscrapers would you add to it?

Anyway, onto the list of Early Chicago Skyscrapers:

This is a serial proposal of 9 primarily commercial buildings in Chicago’s central business district, the “Loop.” The buildings, built over a period of about 20 years starting in the 1880s, exemplify the first generation of “skyscrapers.” Making use of new technologies of the time, particularly internal metal structural systems instead of load-bearing masonry walls, they were able to rise to heights of near 20 stories with large plate-glass windows, the first elevators (lifts) to reach the high floors, and electric lights to make interior spaces usable. The architects active in designing these buildings, including Louis H. Sullivan, William Le Baron Jenney, John Wellborn Root, Charles Atwood and Martin Roche, simultaneously developed a new aesthetic for the building exteriors suited to this new form, consisting of a vertical, tripartite form derived from classical columns and expresing the internal structure and functions of the buildings.

Auditorium Building 1889
by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler

Photo by Victorgrigas

Second Leiter Building 1891
by William Le Baron Jenney

Photo by Zol87

Marquette Building 1895
by Holabird & Roche

Photo by J. Crocker

Rookery Building 1888
by Burnham & Root

Photo from the American Memory Collections

Monadnock Building 1891-3
by Burnham & Root and Holabird & Roche

Photo by David K Staub

Old Colony Building 1893
by Holabird & Roche

Photo by Tony the Tiger

Fischer Building 1896
by D.H. Burnham & Company

Photo by J Crocker

Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building 1899
by Louis Sullivan; Burnham, Daniel H., & Co.

Photo by Ken Lund

Luddington Building 1892
by Jenney & Mundie

Photo by ajay_suresh