Tour
Mid-Century Modern Skyscrapers
Looking for iconic Mid-Century Modern architecture? What better place than Chicago with its triumvirate of modern architects (Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg and SOM) and a city ready and willing to accept them. Find out what set these buildings apart from their predecessors and how they helped set the stage for the future.
If you’re interested in iconic buildings, public art, urban planning or government this is your tour. Find out the stories behind inland steel, Marina city, the IBM building and other "Mad Men" worthy skyscrapers.
Notes:
- Your safety is our priority. The itinerary of this tour may be altered in accordance with health and safety policies and considerations.
- Ticket price includes entrance to the Chicago Architecture Center within 7 days of your tour. View the CAC's hours.
Please review the latest COVID-19 Safety Policies.
Highlights of this Tour
Trump Tower
401 N. Wabash Ave.
When our docents explain that the Trump International Hotel & Tower reflects its surroundings, they aren’t…
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…
Tribune Tower
435 N. Michigan Ave.
In 1922, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Chicago Tribune announced an international competition…
111 East Wacker (One Illinois Center)
111 E. Wacker Dr.
One of Mies van der Rohe’s final designs rises above a former rail yard that many years earlier was…
Fort Dearborn
Milestone
How did Fort Dearborn impact Chicago?
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…
330 North Wabash / AMA Plaza (IBM Plaza)
330 N. Wabash Ave.
One of the last American projects designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, this powerful Modernist structure…
Arts and Crafts
Style
The Arts and Crafts movement originated in England in the mid-19th century as an antidote to the dehumanizing…
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
a structural system for a tall building that uses giant square tubes, made up of individual columns,…
Richard J. Daley Center
50 W. Washington St.
Mid-Century Modern buildings in the International Style are sometimes referred to as “skin and bones…
Apple Michigan Avenue
401 N. Michigan Ave.
Foster + Partners’ Apple Michigan Avenue store is an impressive, airy glass box with a curved-edge…
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