Balloonframe Construction

Balloonframe construction represented a monumental breakthrough in the manufacture of shelters. Prior [Page 57]to this new construction method, house building was a timeconsuming process. Specialized workers were needed to fit the pieces, called a mortiseand-tenon joint frame, together, and the houses were solidly built. The way builders constructed these wooden portions of the house was to take the posts, cut down one end so that it had a protruding tongue (called a tenon) and fit it into a hole (called a mortise) in the adjoining beam. In this manner, houses were constructed without metal fasteners. While sturdy, these houses required a vast amount of lumber to form the walls and roofs, not to mention several skilled workers who had to hand fabricate the dowels to secure the wood together. Balloonframe construction changed all of this in several important aspects.

The origin of the style has been contested: Some believe it was created by George Washington Snow, and others believe it was the work of Augustine Taylor. The first documented year of its use was 1833 in Chicago, with Taylor's construction of St. Mary's Church, located near the current intersection of Wabash and Madison streets. Chicago was a perfect city in which to try the new style for several reasons. First, the city was arranged on a grid, which suited the style. Second, easy sales of plots created a need for structures that could be assembled quickly and with minimal cost to the developer. Balloonframe construction called for a series of uniformly cut 2-inch by 4-inch pine boards, assembled into a frame 16 inches apart, with clapboards nailed to the frame. The frame without the clapboards looked as if it would blow away like a balloon at the first strong wind, hence the name. The method used massproduced nails to hold the studs and clapboard together. With these nails, the building was constructed much faster (no need for mortise and tenon) and with unskilled labor. Because of Chicago's growing immigrant population, construction was an easy job to acquire, as few communication skills were needed. Third was the location of Chicago itself. As more and more contactors shifted to this new method of construction, companies needed more lumber. Since Chicago was located on major waterways, near the forests of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and was also a rail hub, lumber was a large commodity traded in the region. Chicago not only was built with this lumber, but it also became a key shipping point to the West and South for the major lumber companies.

Balloonframe construction had its shortcomings, however. Since it was used as quickly as possible, the lumber was sometimes of poor quality, and would warp, sending the building out of alignment. Another problem was the fear of fire due to the lumber and the tar paper construction of the roof. The buildings were put up far too close to each other in many cities, and this led to potential fire hazards. Chicago's 1871 conflagration was in part due to the lack of safety concerns about lumber storage, as well as buildings in extremely close proximity to one another. Another fire danger inherent in the balloon frame was the fact that the earliest designs had space between the frame studs, and this allowed a fire below to be channeled to the roof, like a chimney. After a few incidents, this flaw was discovered, and lateral or diagonal cross braces were installed. These cross members not only eliminated the flue problem but also gave further support to the frame. After the “Great Fire,” Chicago set standards on distances between houses, and also banned the use of woodframed structures in the downtown district.

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