Architecture in Chicago 'No Little Plans'

Architecture in Chicago 'No Little Plans'
From historic landmark buildings to contemporary technological masterpieces, Chicago is home to unique and innovative designs that have shaped American architecture.

Daniel H. Burnham, creator of the famous 1909 Plan of Chicago, counseled city leaders with an important view of the future: "Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men's blood.... Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work." Burnham helped chart the future of the city that gave the world its first skyscraper, developed construction innovations such as the iron skeleton and floating foundation, debuted design aesthetics including the "Prairie" style and became the site of one of the tallest buildings on earth.

Today, thanks to the genius of Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn, Frank Gehry and hundreds of others, Chicago is a living museum of architecture. To fully appreciate the rich foundations of design on which Chicago was built, take one of the many guided tours that include architectural and historical information.

A view of the city's buildings by boat offers a unique perspective. On one of many architectural river cruises, visitors to Chicago can experience the preservation of ageless architectural styles in classic and modern structures along the Chicago River.

For a more detailed look, the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) offers more than 80 walking and bus tours, conducted by knowledgeable guides. Located in the historic Railway Exchange Building (also known as the Santa Fe Building) at 224 S. Michigan Avenue, the CAF's bookstore, gift shop and exhibitions designed to raise public interest in magnificent architecture all heighten the architectural experience for visitors.

Visitors who prefer a self-guided tour can pick up a free street map at one of the official Visitor Information Centers. Or, they can visit the CAF on South Michigan Avenue to either purchase a map of Chicago buildings featured on its tours or check out a free Chicago Loop Alliance Tour highlighting Landmarks, Public Art and the Downtown Theater District. Visitors can also purchase one of the many guidebooks to architecture and landmarks at local bookstores or newsstands.

Mies van der Rohe's modernist Federal CenterMies van der Rohe's modernist Federal Center

An architectural tour might begin by viewing the free architectural-historical exhibit in the lobby of the 1895 Marquette Building by William Holabird and Martin Roche of Holabird & Roche (later Holabird & Root; Dearborn and Adams streets) open daily. To its south, you might glimpse Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's modernist Federal Center and Plaza (Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street; Alexander Calder's monumental red sculpture, Flamingo, shares the main plaza) undergoing renovation until 2012. To its north, see Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham's/Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) 1958 van der Rohe–inspired Inland Steel Building (Monroe and Dearborn streets), whose lobby will feature two new additional artworks (including a Frank Gehry desk) once its restoration, modernization and eco-retrofit concludes. From there, notice Chagall's The Four Seasons mosaic mural across the street. A few blocks southwest, the 1888 Rookery Building (LaSalle and Adams streets) designed by Burnham and Root with a 1905 lobby remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright, is a Chicago and national landmark. An excellent example of Wright's Prairie School of Architecture is the Robie House (5757 S. Woodlawn Avenue), near theUniversity of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

The national landmark 1897 Chicago Cultural Center(78 E. Washington Street) designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge serves as Chicago's public center for culture, presenting hundreds of free arts programs and exhibitions each year. It is also home to one of the city's two official Visitor Information Centers and Chicago Publishers Gallery & Café, featuring books and periodicals by Chicago authors and publishers. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, the Chicago Cultural Center recalls several periods of classical architecture. Lush detailing is present throughout the interior, particularly in the two intricately constructed domes made of richly colored glass, including the world's largest Tiffany dome. Free tours of theCulturalCenter are offered weekly, departing from the Randolph Street lobby on the first floor.

Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler's 1889 Auditorium Building(Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway) still attracts many Chicagoans and visitors because it houses the Auditorium Theatre, one of the city's finest performance spaces. Sullivan's penchant for ornamentation can be seen in the grillwork on the 1899 Sullivan Center (1 S. State Street; formerly the Carson Pirie Scott & Company store), and on the 1894 Chicago Stock Exchange Arch, located just east of the Art Institute of Chicago's new Modern Wing (Columbus Drive and Monroe Street) by award-winning architect Renzo Piano.

Chicago Board of Trade BuildingChicago Board of Trade Building, Source: Flickr: By Mister Joe

Ornamentation from the Art Deco era is displayed on the facade and in the lobby of the must-see Chicago Board of Trade Building (LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard), a 1930 work of Holabird & Root. William Le Baron Jenney designed the world's first "skyscraper" in Chicago in 1885: the Home Insurance Building, which was on the northeast corner of LaSalle and Adams streets. Jenney's technology of applying a thin outside skin to an iron-and-steel frame made the high-rise building possible. Today, Chicago is home to four of the world's 25 tallest buildings.

Willis Tower (bounded by Wacker and Franklin drives, Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street; formerly Sears Tower) is one of the world's tallest buildings at 1,450 feet. Designed by SOM and opened in 1973, Willis Tower consists of black aluminum and bronze-tinted glass on a structural steel frame, and houses 105 acres of floor space. The Skydeck, renovated in 2000, offers 360-degree views of the city, while its new attraction, "The Ledge," is four glass balconies that give visitors a view 1,353 feet straight down.

America's tallest green building AON CenterAmerica's tallest "green" building, the 83-story AON Center, taken from Lake Michigan

America's tallest "green" building is the 83-story AON Center(200 E. Randolph Street; formerly the Amoco Building) from 1973. Designed by Edward D. Stone/Perkins + Will, this slender building stands out on the skyline dwarfing the two Prudential Buildings nearby. The John Hancock Center (875 N. Michigan Avenue), another SOM project, opened in 1969 and is distinguished by engineer Fazlur Khan's pioneering, external, support braces that form huge Xs. Four states –Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin – are visible from the observatory on the 94th floor. With new, leading-edge, Behold™ LCD touch-screen telescopes, the Hancock Observatory now offers both live views and pre-recorded day and night views. Visitors can enjoy the sights no matter the time of day or visibility.

Chicago never stops building or challenging the architectural world and the public. One of the city's boldest structures is the spectacular 1985 James R. Thompson Center (100 W. Randolph Street), which has won both praise and criticism for architect Helmut Jahn. The massive red and blue, glass and granite structure houses more than 50 departments of state government and one of the most dazzling atriums found anywhere. Riding on the building's glass elevator to the top floor is a must. The Illinois Artisans Shop, Illinois State Museum gallery and numerous eateries are also found here.

The Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State Street), one of Chicago's many public libraries, was designed by Hammond, Beeby and Babka and opened in 1991. This building encompasses all that is unique to Chicago architecture within a single structure. Combining the grid patterns of the early Chicago skyscrapers with the neoclassical details of the structures of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and references to Daniel Burnham's grand 1909 plan, the library is a lesson in Chicago architecture. Housing about 2 million books, Harold Washington Library Center is one of the largest public library buildings in the world. It also includes a children's library and a winter garden.

Chicago's Millennium ParkChicago's Millennium Park

Opened in July 2004, Chicago's Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design that has become one of the city's most popular destinations. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features two works by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry–the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, an outdoor music venue with state-of-the-art acoustics that seats 11,000 people, and the BP Bridge, a winding, serpentine footbridge that crosses Columbus Drive. The BP Bridge is Gehry's first.

Other remarkably conceived modern buildings include the NBC Tower, designed by Adrian Smith/SOM; 190 S. LaSalle Street, by Philip Johnson/John Burgee Architects; 333 W. Wacker Drive, by William Pedersen/Kohn Pedersen Fox; the serpentine River City, by Bertrand Goldberg; the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (610 S. Michigan Avenue), designed by Krueck and Sexton; and 900 N. Michigan Avenue, housing Bloomingdale's and a shopping mall, also by William Pedersen.

Newer high-profile buildings include two from 2009. Renzo Piano's Modern Wing for the Art Institute of Chicago incorporates his first large-scale bridge, the Nichols Bridgeway, connecting Millennium Park and the museum. Located in Chicago's new Lakeshore East neighborhood, the Aqua building (225 N. Columbus Drive) by Jeanne Gang/Studio Gang reflects its inspiration in its name and undulating terraces.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, ChicagoFrank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, Chicago

Even as the future is planned, so the past is being preserved. Architecture buffs must visit the restored 1836 Henry B. Clarke House (one of Chicago's oldest and the first designated Chicago Landmark), now a museum, and the 1887 John J. Glessner House, Chicago's only remaining building in the Richardsonian Romanesque–style of architect H.H. Richardson. Both buildings are located in the Prairie Avenue Historic District just south of downtown. Oak Park, located near Chicago's West Side, is the site of Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio, along with many other homes he designed. Excellent tours are available. Buildings listed here constitute only a tiny fraction of what captures the attention and imagination of Chicago's visitors and residents.

More information: ExploreChicago.org