Beyond the Sears Tower and Wrigley Building: Uncovering Chicago’s Architectural Gems Via the Chicago Architecture Foundation

 

Expressing a City’s Life and Times through Its Architecture
You don’t have to be an architecture maven to be impressed by the Windy City’s stately and stylish buildings, or by the way they are so systematically ordered along and around the banks of the sparkling Chicago River. Nor do you have to be a history buff to be moved by the story of the Great Chicago Fire, which forced the city to rapidly rebuild after losing more than 17,000 buildings in 1871, but which ultimately gave life to some of the world’s most innovative architecture.

From its art deco skyscrapers and elegant black steel and glass buildings by renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, to postmodern corporate headquarters and the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago’s architecture is one of a kind. The Chicago Architecture Foundation is happy to acquaint you with more than 50 of these distinct buildings during a 90 minute docent-led, river-based tour. Just board one of the small yachts at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, and explore Chicago from a unique perspective. Tours are offered multiple times daily and the Foundation sponsors dozens of other walking tours, as well.

Like a good film, you must go see the tour for yourself. However, it would be a disservice not to whet your appetite with a few highlights. For example, the 1920s and 30s produced such key landmark Chicago buildings as: the gothic Tribune Tower, home to the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Tribune Company, built in 1925; the Civic Opera Building, built in 1929; and the art deco Merchandise Mart (Chicago’s center of fashion and interior design), built in 1930. Architect Raymond Hood designed Tribune Tower in 1922 as part of a competition he won with John Howell to create the “most beautiful and eye-catching building in the world.” Hood would later go on to build New York City’s Rockefeller Center.

To entice Chicago city dwellers to stay downtown rather than pack up and leave for the suburbs, such “all-inclusive” residences as Marina City were constructed in 1964 and 1967, and later, River City in 1986. These beautiful tall, circular structures not only offer incredible views of the river, but also provide residents with access to parking, grocery and liquor stores, dry cleaners, gyms and more without ever having to leave the building. And, don’t miss the latest Donald Trump concoction. Trump Tower, which faces Tribune Tower, will feature a mix of hotel and residential space 90 stories high upon its completion in 2008.

The photos to the left capture some of Chicago’s amazing architectural treasures. Also, enjoy our video above, which features breathtaking views of the Chicago skyline along the Chicago River.

Converting Warehouses into European Canal-Style Living
Waterfront residential building has really taken off in Chicago since early 2000 and does not show signs of slowing, as the river and Lake Michigan serve as very special urban amenities. From brand new lakefront condos to warehouse-to-loft conversions along the river’s north branch, residences (and new restaurants) along the canals are giving Chicago a European flair.

For example, the charming salmon-colored brick Fulton House building, originally built for meat storage in 1898, was one of the early conversions to residences in 1981. Also, along the river’s north branch sits the massive art deco Montgomery Ward headquarters, built in 1907. The building is so large that at one time workers got around on roller skates. Now the building functions as residences complete with “machine age” style balconies overlooking the water. Other residential buildings and beautifully manicured parks have taken their place along the waterway, which once served as Chicago’s most efficient vehicle for transporting such materials as steel and paper for the Tribune’s printing press facility.

Just north of the Tribune’s press, which still prints the Trib and the New York Times, is Goose Island, the Chicago River’s only island and from which the popular Goose Island microbrew company takes its name. Once a manufacturing center, the Island is still home to a few industrial businesses.

For Chicago natives and visitors alike, the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s tours are sure to give you a new perspective on the Windy City’s unique structures and ever-changing architectural landscape. From the old to the new, there are buildings for everyone – including filmmakers of the next Batman movie, who are using the old Chicago Main Post Office as the backdrop for Gotham City’s Post Office. “Holy Toledo!”

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is headquartered in the historic Santa Fe Building at 224 South Michigan Ave. Hours: Daily, 9:00 am-6:30 pm. Click here for more details.