Question

Who is hailed as the ‘Father of Skyscrapers’?

• A. Louis H. Sullivan
• B. Daniel Burnham
• C. Frank L. Wright
• D. Richard Meier

Hint:

Sullivan's architectural innovations laid the groundwork for modern skyscraper design, particularly through his use of steel-frame construction.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Sullivan's name is permanently linked with the phrase "form follows function," the design rule he wrote to justify tall, functional steel-frame office buildings in Chicago, which is why history remembers him as the one who invented the skyscraper as a building type rather than just designing one famous tall building.

Burnham is remembered for planning whole cities and fairgrounds, Wright for spreading buildings outward instead of upward, and Meier for a much later, purely residential/institutional style, so none of the three fits the "originator of tall steel buildings" description.

Therefore, the correct answer is Louis H. Sullivan.

Answer 2

A quick way to confirm this is by lining up the architects on a timeline and checking who was active when the skyscraper was actually invented, in the 1880s-1890s in Chicago.

1. Louis H. Sullivan: Practiced exactly in that founding period and personally designed some of the earliest steel-framed tall buildings, such as the Wainwright Building, making him a direct originator of the type.
2. Daniel Burnham: Active in the same city and period, but his legacy rests on planning and partnership work rather than on being singled out as the inventor of the skyscraper form.
3. Frank L. Wright: Reached prominence slightly later and deliberately built low, spread-out houses, the reverse of the vertical, urban skyscraper.
4. Richard Meier: Began practicing in the mid-20th century, roughly seventy years after the skyscraper had already been established, so he cannot be its father.

The one name that both fits the correct era and is specifically credited as the originator of the type is Louis H. Sullivan.

Therefore, the correct answer is Louis H. Sullivan.