DK Travel : Chicago : Architecture

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333 W. Wacker Drive

The graceful curve of this triangular, tinted-glass office building (1983) hugs the Chicago River. The water, together with the changing light and clouds create dynamic reflections: the green and silver lobby continues the shimmering show.
860–80 N. Lakeshore Drive

You might think these two highrise apartment buildings (1949–51) look like many others along this tony strip. Actually, the others look like these. German architect Mies van der Rohe perfected the “less is more” approach which so many other architects went on to copy.
Auditorium Theatre

Built by Adler and Sullivan in 1889, the ornate Auditorium also originally contained a hotel and office building and had one of the first public air-conditioning systems. The revamped 4,000-seat theater boasts near-perfect acoustics.
Bertrand Goldberg

A pupil of Mies van der Rohe who rebelled to produce curvilinear concrete shapes.
Carson Pirie Scott Building

Eye-catching cast-iron swirls on part of the exterior of this store (1899 & 1903) express architect Louis H. Sullivan’s love of elaborate detail (see Carson Pirie Scott & Co.).
Chicago Theater

The red marquee of this Beaux Arts-style theater is a symbol of Chicago. Built in 1921, today it is a concert and performance venue.
Daniel Burnham

Visionary city planner and architect, Burnham (1846–1912) was the man behind the White City (see The Museum’s Origins).
Federal Center

Flanked by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s federal buildings, this plaza (1959–74) contains Alexander Calder’s striking statue Flamingo (1974).
Fisher Building

Another Chicago School edifice with a steel structure, this 1896 neo-Gothic building is also by Daniel H. Burnham. Aquatic motifs on the façade honor the building’s first owner, L. G. Fisher.
Frank Lloyd Wright

Inspired by the wide open spaces of the Midwest, Wright (see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park) was the originator of the Prairie style.