Adler immigrated to the United States in 1854 and settled in Detroit, where he began his study of architecture in 1857. Later he moved to Chicago (Chicago School), where he became a draftsman in the office of Augustus Bauer. The American Civil War interrupted his career, and upon his return to Chicago in 1865 he held a succession of positions in the offices of Bauer, A.J. Kinney, and Edward Burling. The first of his important buildings was the Central Music Hall in Chicago, in which he made initial use of his knowledge of acoustics.

In 1881 the partnership of Adler and Sullivan was founded. The commercial buildings which they designed—particularly the Auditorium (Chicago), Wainwright (St. Louis), and Guaranty (Buffalo)—constituted a new architectural style with the essential features of modern building art. Adler acted as engineering designer and administrator, Sullivan as planner and artist. The association ended in July 1895.

Adler wrote extensively on the technical and legal aspects of architecture and building construction. His most important paper is “The Influence of Steel Construction and Plate Glass upon the Development of Modern Style” (1896).