Elmer C. Jensen Papers

Elmer C. Jensen (1870-1955) was hired as an office boy at the age of 14 by noted Chicago architect William Le Baron Jenney, and later, after Jenney’s retirement in 1905, selected by William Bryce Mundie as his new partner in the firm of Mundie & Jensen (1907–1936). This collection contains a significant amount of material relating to Jenney and the Home Insurance Building—often considered the world’s first true skyscraper—including: photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, holograph notebooks, and drawings. These notebooks and drawings include calculations, specifications, sketches, and design notes related to the Home Insurance Building and other projects. Other materials document aspects of Jensen’s career and personal life, as well as the development of skyscrapers. View finding aid.View selected images from this collection.Find all Elmer C. Jensen digital images.Find all William LeBaron Jenney digital images. Collection access:Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult the FAQ. Finding aids by subjectBrowse all finding aidsBrowse images and mediaOral histories Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:archives@artic.edu