Thanks to a confluence of imaginative architects (and the unexpected redecorating opportunities left by the devastating 1871 Great Chicago Fire) the Windy City has a jaw-dropping collection of spectacular buildings.
A number of innovations were hallmarks of the “Chicago School“ of architectural style: steel-frame construction, refined exterior embellishment, sheets of plate glass and some of the first modern skyscrapers.
One of my favorites in the city is the 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building on Michigan Avenue. It is a soaring Art Deco marvel and I never tire of walking around it to see what new flourishes pop up that I hadn’t noticed on previous visits.
You can stay there if you’d like — it now houses the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago.
I don’t have any formal training in architecture; I just love cool buildings, but I don’t always understand or appreciate what I’m looking at.
Rather than wander around with a construction engineering history book under your arm, I recommend guided tours with the nonprofit Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF).
My teen daughter and I took their lively docent-led architecture tour on the Chicago River (there’s not a bad seat in the house – I mean, on the boat) so if you only have time for one, that’s the tour I’d recommend.
The CAF’s main office is just across from the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue, a few blocks down from that great Carbon & Carbide building.
I was amazed at the giant whiteboard absolutely stuffed with upcoming guided tours and programs of every description.
The gift shop is a most dangerous collection of interesting doo-dads related to the city and her lovely buildings. I barely made it out alive! 
Although I can always use another commuter coffee mug, and it’s to support a good cause, right?
The CAF “ArchiCenter” is open 361 days a year; call them at (312) 922 – 3432 extension 240.
If you’re taking the Chicago-area subway (Chicago Transit Authority) get off at these nearby stations:
- Adams/Wabash station for the Brown, Green, Orange, and Purple lines
- Jackson/State Station for the Red Line
- Jackson/Dearborn Station for the Blue Line
