First Skyscraper The first skyscraper in the world was built in Chicago. It was called the Home Insurance Building. Before the first skyscraper was built, people were concerned about the elevators and were afraid that they would fall until a man named Otis discovered a way to make elevators safe for everyone. A man named William LeBaron Jenney dicovered a way to use steel beams for the skeleton of the building while all other buildings at the time used bricks for the inside and out. The building was completed in 1885, but sadly it was demolished in 1931. The Home Insurance Building was 10 stories high and it was 138 feet tall. It was made out of steel and the outer facing material was bricks.Skyscrapers are called skyscrapers because people think that it looks like they are scraping the sky. For more info go to the Building Big Databank.   1600/1700 •1800 •1900 • Timeline • About Us • Bibliography • Fiery Fun • Sports • Home