10 Buildings That Define Chicago's Architectural Landscape
Chicago is more than just the only major city in American “flyover territory.” Nothing proves that more than the city’s many pioneering architectural styles, which gave rise to the modern steel-and-glass skyscraper copied by countless metropolises around the world.
Everybody knows about the Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, and once the tallest building in the world. Its iconic glass and steel tube structure is a perfect example of the buildings that came out of the Second Chicago School architecture style. Yet, there are many other lesser-known buildings and structures that define Chicago’s architectural landscape. Here are 10 of these buildings.
The Two, Four, and Six-Flat Apartment BuildingChicago may be known for its steel and glass skyscrapers, but 27 percent of the city’s housing is comprised of the iconic two-flat apartment building, which is just as important to the metropolis’ history.
According to WBEZ, the two-flat apartment building is a unique cross between a single-family home and an apartment building, and were quickly built to house Eastern-European immigrants who were flocking to Chicago in the late 1800s to work at the various industrial corporations expanding there. As a result, developers built up, as well as building out in order to make good use of Chicago’s population density. Eventually, developers even made these two-flat homes into four or six-flat structures. They also built these homes on spec, so Chicago’s two-flats run the gamut of architectural styles, from Queen Anne to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style.
Marquette BuildingThe Marquette Building is a steel and terra cotta structure that is one of the earliest and best examples of the First Chicago School. Designed by Holabird & Roche and completed in 1895, it was one of the earliest steel-frame buildings, and is famous for its red brick and terra cotta exterior, embedded with horizontal bands and wave moldings. The building is also known for its horizontal “Chicago Bay Windows,” as well as its ostentatious lobby, which is complete with mosaics, bronze accents, and sculptures.
860-880 Lake Shore DriveDesigned by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1951, these twin apartment buildings are the templates of high-rise buildings all over the world. The steel structure and walls, almost entirely made of glass, exemplify Mies van der Rohe’s design principle of “less is more.” His Lake Shore Drive buildings later influenced the architectural style of the Second Chicago School, including the John Hancock Center and Sears Tower.
S.R. Crown HallAlso designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, S.R. Crown Hall was completed in 1956, and sits on the Illinois Institute of Technology’s campus (where Mies van der Rohe also taught). It’s two stories tall and was conceived as a simple rectangle, with a single plane making up the roof and the interior almost devoid of columns holding the structure together. Like 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, Crown Hall is Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more” philosophy made manifest, and has heavily influenced the utilitarian International Style of architecture.
Hilliard TowersThe Hilliard Towers Apartments are a high-rise public housing complex on the South Side of Chicago. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg, the apartments represent a wave of affordable housing projects that were occurring in the United States in the 1960s. The unique buildings were made up of multiple column-like forms, a Goldberg signature that is also present in his Marina City twin towers, also located in Chicago.
The Robie HouseThe Robie House is one of Chicago’s best examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style of architecture. Prairie-style homes often emphasized design details that mimicked or blended into the surrounding landscape. Located at the University of Chicago, the Robie House is made up of horizontal rectangles of various sizes, beautiful stained-glass windows, and distinctive roof eaves.
The RookeryThe Rookery was designed and completed in 1888 by the Burnham and Root architect duo, and is considered Chicago’s oldest standing high-rise building at 12 stories tall. The exterior is a combination of red marble, clay, and terra cotta, influenced by the Roman Revival and Queen Anne styles. The steel interior frame is one of the first of its kind, and eventually resulted in developers phasing out buildings made up of masonry load-bearing structures.
The lobby is also iconic, and was conceived as a two-story light court that brings natural light to the offices inside the Rookery. In 1905 Frank Lloyd Wright redesigned the lobby, replacing most of Burnham and Root’s ironwork with gilded white marble that was influenced by Persian ornamentation.
The Sullivan CenterAs part of the Loop’s retail district, Louis Sullivan designed the Sullivan Center, formerly known as the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Building, which was completed in 1899. The building is known for its large bay windows, which make for especially enticing retail window displays, as well as for the renovated ornate, decorative ironwork on the exterior of its bottom three floors—two of which are occupied by Target.
Carbide and Carbon BuildingLocated in downtown Chicago, the Carbide and Carbon Building is one of the city’s best examples of the Art Deco style. Completed in 1929, this skyscraper is known for its gold top and green terra cotta facade. The top is made up of real 24-karat gold leaf, and was originally meant to invoke a battery, which uses carbon and carbide, although many say it looks more like a champagne bottle. As a result, this building makes a great ode to the roaring ’20s.
Pullman Historic DistrictBuilt for the employees of the Pullman Railroad Car Company, the Pullman Historic District is a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago made up of iconic brick row houses that were considered comfortable living quarters for the industrial-working class, with indoor plumbing and other amenities not commonly present in such homes at the time. The Pullman row house also boasts high ceilings, hardwood floors, and other features that make the neighborhood a gentrified paradise in modern-day Chicago. The Pullman Historic District is also known for other architectural landmarks, such as the U-shaped Tyrolean and an Italian Renaissance-style mall surrounding Market Square.
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