Downtown
After the devastation brought by the Chicago Fire of 1871, the central business district, known affectionately as the Loop, was rebuilt throughout the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. This process gave birth to the skyscraper through the use of the steel structural skeleton. Today, downtown Chicago is a vibrant commercial—and increasingly residential—district famed the world over for its innovative and iconic high-rises, elegant boulevards and beautiful civic spaces such as Millennium Park and the Riverwalk.
