Architecture
of the Windy City
by Valerie Summers
 Chicago’s
most recognizable landmark, the monolithic Sears Tower, soars above all other
buildings and holds the title of the tallest in the western hemisphere. Topping off at
1,450
feet, the black aluminum and bronze-tinted glass structure was designed by
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and opened in 1974. Visitors flock to the Sears Tower for a spectacular city view
from the observatory. This metropolitan city, set at the edge of Lake Michigan, draws visitors from all over the world
who come to view the historic landmark buildings and contemporary technological
masterpieces which grace the downtown and outlying areas. Chicago is a
living museum of architectural treasures created by master architects, among them Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel H.
Burnham, and Louis Sullivan. However the first building which was pointed out
to me by my taxi driver on my way into
the city from the airport, was not the Sears Tower, but stunning, lakeside,
cloverleaf tower in the sky over looking the Navy pier, home to Oprah Winfry.
On
my first day in the city, I enjoyed a scenic guided cruise on the Chicago River.
A knowledgeable guide offered an overview describing several of the
city’s outstanding buildings. One of the
most interesting was the serpentine River City, by Bertrand Goldberg, a modern
structure which followed the bend in the river where it was situated. The 1 ½ hour cruise, left from the dock
below the bridge at Wacker and Michigan Avenues and continued along the river and into the lake affording
a panoramic view of the city. Another
cruise, with more detailed architectural information is available, but is
generally sold out in advance.
 The
John Hancock Center, another Skidmore, Owings and Merrill project, distinguished by the steel cross braces
which make huge X’s on each side, opened in 1969. I lunched at the
restaurant on the top floor and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the city, the
ocean-sized lake and parts of Wisconsin
and Indiana.
Designed
in the Beaux Arts style, the Chicago Cultural Center, completed in 1897, and
conceived by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, serves a Chicago’s free-admission
public center for culture. The center includes the world’s largest Tiffany dome
fashioned of richly colored glass.
The
Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Library Center, designed by Hammond,
Beeby and Babka and opened in 1991, encompasses all that is unique to Chicago
architecture within a single structure. Combining the grid patterns of the early Chicago skyscrapers, the
neoclassical details of the great white structure of the 1893 World’s Colombian
Exposition , the library is a lesson in Chicago architecture. The library houses approximately two million
books and includes the world’s largest children’s library, a public restaurant
and winter garden.
 William
Jenney designed the first skyscraper in Chicago in 1885, the Home Insurance
Building. Jenney’s technology made
possible the structure that make Chicago home to three of the world’s ten tallest buildings
Oak
Park, just west of Chicago, is the site of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and
studio. I drove along Chicago Avenue to Forest Avenue, then parked and took a
leisurely walk through one of the city’s most prized areas. Thirty other homes which Wright designed are
clustered in this suburb which boasts one of the finest collections of late 19th
and early 20th century American residential architecture in the
country and includes homes by several other notable architects.
The
University of Chicago, housed in Hyde Park, was modeled after Cambridge
University in England. Henry Ives Cobb,
the first architect chosen by the Board of Trustees one hundred years ago,
selected a form of late English Gothic
dividing the site into six quadrangles, each surrounded by buildings of
stunning design. The William Rainey
Harper Memorial Library and Rockefeller Chapel are two of the most beautiful
structures on campus. Nearby, another excellent example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s
Prairie School of architecture is the Robie House.
No
architectural visit would be complete without a visit to the granddaddy of baseball stadiums. Wrigley Field, home to
the Chicago Cubs, located just north of
Lincoln Park.
Several
companies offer narrated bus tours of the city, most of which include
architectural attractions.
For
a detailed excursion, the Chicago Architecture Foundation offers more than 50
walking or bus tours, conducted by knowledgeable guides. The foundation is located in the historic
Railway Exchange Building at 224 S. Michigan Avenue.
The
impressive four-star Hyatt Regency Hotel, one block from Michigan Avenue, just
off the Chicago River, was designed by A. Epstein and Sons. The glass house
lobby of the twin tower hotel reflects a park-like conservatory with fountains,
palm trees and flowering plants. This,
the largest member of the Hyatt Hotel chain, houses 2,019 guest rooms, a state
of the art health club, and six restaurants. Guest rooms provide spectacular views of the Chicago skyline with
splendid examples of the city’s diverse architecture.
For
information:
Chicago
Architecture Foundation
312
922 3432
http://www.architecture.org
Hyatt
Regency Hotel
800
233 1234
http://www.hyatt.com
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