John Wellborn Root

Root, John Wellborn (1850–91), U.S. architect, member of the Chicago School. Along with the architect Daniel Hudson Burnham, he was a leader in technical innovations and design of early skyscrapers. The use of heavy, load-bearing mason walls and iron frame interior supports were used to construct the Montauk Block office building (1881–82) and the Rookery (1885–88). The Monadnock Building (1889–91) is still the highest building with load-bearing walls and a steel interior frame. The Rand McNally Building (1889–90) used a steel-frame construction, still important in modern architecture. Root also designed the tallest building in the world for its time, the 22-story Masonic Temple (1890–92).

See also: Architecture; Burnham, Daniel Hudson.