The Auditorium Building in Chicago was designed in 1886. The building houses the the auditorium theater, which was closed but later renovated, and re-opened. Roosevelt University purchased the building in 1946. The Auditorium Building, due to the soft ground from the lake in Chicago, has pontoonlike piers as a foundation to keep the building from sinking, although the Auditorium Building did sink in the first decade that it was built. This building is a mix between the style of old buildings and the innovative style of skyscrapers. The skyscrapers that were being built used different stronger materials as interior structures so that the building could be built up, not just out, and the outer walls were not so thick to provide the only support for the building. The Auditorium Building used more modern structural tactics, as well as having thicker walls. The design utilizes larger plate glass, as well as decorative faceting and pillars between floors and windows.