Tour
Architectural Highlights by Bus
Discover the exciting diversity of Chicago’s famous architects and architecture as we trace its development up to the present.
Travel through unique neighborhoods such as the Loop, Hyde Park and Kenwood, Bronzeville, the Gold Coast and the Magnificent Mile as we visit architectural masterpieces by famous architects. Off coach stops include the Loop, Hyde Park, Illinois Institute of Technology, the Museum Campus and some interiors such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Notes:
- Frank Lloyd Wright properties have stairs and are not completely ADA accessible. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s accessibility page for more information.
- Ticket price includes entrance to the Chicago Architecture Center within 7 days of your tour. View the CAC's hours.
- Access to building interiors featured on this tour may be subject to change.
Photos From This Tour
Highlights of this Tour
Marquette Building
56 W. Adams St.
The Marquette Building stands as an ideal example of a speculative 19th-century commercial office building…
The Rookery
209 S. LaSalle St.
When completed, the Rookery was thought to be the largest and finest office building in the United States…
Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
As visitors approach Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, they feel as though they’re entering…
Millennium Park
201 E. Randolph St.
“Let’s cover it with a park.”
Federal Center
219 S. Dearborn St.
Eliminating the usual pomp and circumstance of civic buildings, the Federal Center has become a beacon…
Auditorium Building
430 S. Michigan Ave.
When business and the arts collide, beautiful architecture can emerge.
load-bearing construction
Term
a method of building done by stacking one brick or stone on top of another; each brick or stone carries…
Manhattan Building
431 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago’s Manhattan Building is a fascinating surviving example of an early skyscraper from the late…
Reliance Building
32 N. State St.
A “self-cleaning” skyscraper?
Chicago Board of Trade Building
141 W. Jackson Blvd.
Holding court at the south end of LaSalle St., the Chicago Board of Trade Building presides over Chicago’s…
Art Deco
Style
Art Deco emerged as a popular style of American architecture the 1920s and 1930s. The style originated…
Holabird and Root
Architect/Firm
After founders William Holabird and Martin Roche died in the late 1920s, John Holabird (William’s son)…
Aon Center
200 E. Randolph St.
Chicago’s third-tallest building stands out in Chicago’s skyline, distinctively different from its…
marble
Term
a medium-hard metamorphic rock of crystallized limestone
granite
Term
a very hard igneous rock with coarse bits of quartz and other minerals
bundled tube construction
Term
Bundled tube construction is an architectural and structural engineering technique used in the design…
190 South LaSalle
190 S. LaSalle St.
When walking down LaSalle Street—in the financial heart of Chicago—you might not take notice of 190…
Postmodern
Style
A reaction to Modernism Postmodernism began as a critique. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Modernism…
Trump Tower
401 N. Wabash Ave.
When our docents explain that the Trump International Hotel & Tower reflects its surroundings, they aren’t…
Carbide and Carbon Building
230 N. Michigan Ave.
Luxurious, exuberant and dramatic, the Carbide and Carbon Building is a metaphor for the sumptuous décor…
875 N. Michigan Ave
875 N. Michigan Ave.
If you're looking for an example of Chicago's role in innovative skyscraper design, look no further than…
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Architect/Firm
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. Partner…
Mid-Century Modernism
Style
By the middle of the 20th century, architects trained in the tenets of Modernism began to experiment…
Crown Hall
3360 S. State St.
Crown Hall is widely considered to be the finest work of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe.
International Style
Style
In 1932, historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock and architect Philip Johnson presented an exhibition and companion…
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Architect/Firm
It’s difficult to imagine what the skyline of Chicago might look like without architect Ludwig Mies van…
universal space
Term
a completely open space within a building that can be used for different purposes
Robie House
5757 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Amid a collection of Victorian homes in Hyde Park, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Robie House, stands…
Marina City
300 N. State St.
“In our 'cities within cities' we shall turn our streets up into the air, and stack the daytime and…
Chicago Water Tower
806 N. Michigan Ave.
An argument can be made that the iconic Chicago Water Tower is overbuilt.
limestone
Term
a softer sedimentary rock of fossillized shells and coral
Gothic Revival
Style
American architects first introduced Gothic Revival style buildings to the United States in the mid-19th…
London Guarantee Building
360 N. Michigan Ave.
Located where Fort Dearborn once stood, the London Guarantee & Accident Building is one of four structures…
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave.
From naval base and university campus to shipping hub and entertainment destination, Navy Pier is Chicago’s…
1909 Plan of Chicago
Milestone
The 1909 Plan of Chicago, also commonly referred to as the “Burnham Plan,” was a visionary Progressive…
Sullivan Center
1 S. State St.
Louis Sullivan designed few religious buildings during his career, but one of his best-known works is…
Tribune Tower
435 N. Michigan Ave.
In 1922, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Chicago Tribune announced an international competition…
Aqua
225 N. Columbus Dr.
From the moment it appeared on the Chicago skyline, the Aqua Tower has earned numerous awards for design…
Harold Washington Library
400 S. State St.
When it comes to Chicago’s iconic skyline, it isn’t always easy to make a mark and stand out from…
Maggie Daley Park
337 E. Randolph St.
Whether you’re young, or just young at heart, Maggie Daley Park has quickly become a must-see in downtown…
Wrigley Building
400-410 N. Michigan Ave.
The Wrigley Building is so recognizable, it hardly needs an introduction.
Michigan Avenue Bridge (DuSable Bridge)
N. Michigan Ave. and E. Wacker Dr.
The place where Michigan Avenue crosses the Chicago River is one of the most iconic urban spaces in the…
Mansueto Library
1100 E. 57th St.
Near the site of the world’s first human-made nuclear reaction stands a large glass bubble.
McCormick Tribune Campus Center
3201 S. State St.
A bold contemporary student center, surrounded by icons of Mid-Centery Modernism, unites a South Side…
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St.
Who would expect a massive Beaux Arts block in the heart of the city to be a hub of contemporary arts…
dome
Term
a structure that looks like half of a sphere
860–880 North Lake Shore Drive
860–880 N. Lake Shore Dr.
On today’s Chicago skyline the tallest buildings tend to stand out from the rest.
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