We woke up to bright sunshine on a very cold Chicago morning, with no plans until late morning so we made our way to the Willis/Sears Tower observation deck 1300′ up.
We have been there before, but not with perfectly clear skies. It turned out there was a bit of a haze along the horizon, which was amazing as a cold front had come through the night before.
The Willis Tower Skydeck’s feature is ‘The Ledge’, a Plexiglas space sticking out the side of the building where you look straight down through the Plexiglas to the street far below.
The young Mennonite (??) couple had no trepidation walking out on that, but I stayed back and took photos!
The view due north from the tower past Lincoln Park and the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The postcard view of downtown Chicago.
As with Lake Erie in Cleveland, Lake Michigan also freezes. With the winter weather going from cold to somewhat warm and back, the ice is spotty.
It was apparent as soon as we got up there with the very bright sunshine low in the sky photos looking east were tricky from the glare, but this view of Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium came out nice.
Whereas this view to the southeast had more glare but an interesting look on the water in the background.
Notice yet another 70 floor apartment building being built. Cranes are common in the skylines of Chicago.
The Carbide and Carbon Building (green building with gold top in the middle of the photo) was once one of Chicago’s tallest at just over 500′ when it was completed in 1929.
Now it is dwarfed by all the newer ones.
The view northwest along the Kennedy Expressway, which even at 10:30 in the morning had slow traffic coming into the loop.
With the bright morning sun many in this building chose to lower their shades, but from this view it almost looks as though there are numerous broken windows.
A closer view of Lincoln Park and the marina.
This unusual shaped building is the River City Apartments, designed by Bertrand Goldberg – who is most famous for designing Marina City
He apparently likes round shapes.
The Citadel Center with it’s highly reflective glass looks like a jigsaw puzzle of surrounding buildings waiting to be put together.
In my opinion the Rookery is the most architecturally interesting building in Chicago, and one of the best in the country.
Situated in the financial section of downtown Chicago on South LaSalle Street, it’s exterior doesn’t give any impression to a visitor of what awaits inside.
Famed architects Daniel Burnham and John Root designed the building in 1888.
With a mix of styles including Moorish, Venetian and Romanesque it was a remarkable building when completed. What makes it even more amazing is Frank Lloyd Wright lead the first of three major renovations in 1905-1907.
The second renovation was completed in 1931 by a former Wright assistant, William Drummond.
The third and final renovation was completed in 1992, and brought it back (mostly) to the FLW look.
Wright covered much of the ironwork with white carved Carrara marble.
The cantilevered staircase was something the people of the early 1900s hadn’t seen. Many refused to go onto the staircase, assuming it would fall off the wall.
Wright added the vertical supports, but they have never been attached – merely there to give assurance to people. The stairs are still doing just fine after 100 years of being cantilevered.
A close up of the marble work.
The stairs to the mezzanine are worn from a hundred years of feet going up and down them.
The mezzanine flooring is glass block.
The mezzanine also gives a great view of the light court.
The lighting of FLW.
Every photo blog posting seems to have a symmetry shot and this is this ones. It is the skylight lattice work.
This view shows one side of the cantilevered steps, as well as more of the marble and skylight.
The second floor elevator lobby looking towards the front of the building. At one time this was closed off for offices.
A view back down the stairs to the glass block. Every angle you look at this amazing building reveals a number of features.
The famed spiral staircase.
A view from the elevator lobby of the stairs.
The very cool lights near the elevators. Note the ‘Y’ underneath the light – it is a symbol of Chicago representing the Chicago River coming from the lake and forking into the North Branch and South Branch.
As you walk around the city you will find this ‘Y’ on numerous structures (but you have to look closely).
The elevator lobby, stairs and skylight! And then you get a reflection of it all off the floor.
Another view from the mezzanine including the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust gift shop.
Our docent Bruce was excellent, very knowledgeable and willing to share.
Here he shows where in the last renovation they left one of the original iron columns exposed.
Our final stop was a rare visit to the 11th floor Burnham Library. While it is a nice enough room, it is what was accomplished there that makes this a very special venue.
Essentially the design of the City of Chicago, and the 1893 World’s Fair were all decided in this room by the country’s greatest architectural minds.
Once again the Chicago Architectural Foundation docents were excellent. We look forward to more tours on this trip.
Back in Chicago for more architecture tours starting with the Union Station.
We passed by the symmetrical cool train shed and post office in the distance on the way.
Chicago was for more than 100 years mail order capital of the world with Sears, Montgomery Wards and others shipping products around the country. With all that business, the post office was massive. It is now being converted to condo’s and offices.
The entrance along Canal Street are graced with this massive colonnade the entire length.
The exterior doors and the surrounding ironwork.
Once inside, a quick look back at where we just came from reveals a grand entrance.
The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge – AKA – The Pennsylvania Room, from the days of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
As you reach the Great Hall you are greeted with these massive Corinthian columns, and a scaffolding free skylight!
When we last visited for Open House Chicago in October the ceiling was covered with scaffolding. The temporary inconvenience has paid off – what a magnificent hall and ceiling.
Even the statues look brighter.
The detail on the tops of the columns are stunning.
A second view of a column as well as the period perfect lighting.
The south end of the hall.
With the renovation complete hopefully they tear down the hideous Amtrak kiosk that is so out of place.
The benches are original to the 1925 construction.
We were fortunate enough to get to visit the Burlington Room. In the early days it was the women’s lounge.
This creepy looking guy keeps watch over the room.
Our final stop was in the Legacy Club. It is awaiting some remodel for private event use.
The city of Chicago should be proud of their grand rail entrance now that the renovation has been completed.
Our final tour of this visit was one I was looking forward to – a tour of architecture of and from the El train. The tour would take us into a number of El stations, as well as checking out some of Chicago’s finest architecture from a view most don’t see – 20 feet up from the El platforms.
We made our way to our first station in the pouring rain. The group of 9 people were more than happy when we arrived at the Washington and Wabash Station. Rebuilt and opened just a year ago, this station is sometimes referred to as the Millennium Station as it is located just a block from the park (but to any Chicagoan it will always be Washington/Wabash).
The canopy is made of steel and glass, with waves that are to evoke the feeling of nearby Lake Michigan.
As you enter the station you are greeting by a significant amount of artwork.
A major portion of the tour was focused on the nearby buildings. We had seen the Sullivan Center previously, but on this tour we had the mix of the canopy of the station with the classic lines of the building.
This row of 5 floor buildings are survivors from the 1800s, and are classic buildings. All they need is someone to come along with $40-50 million to purchase and rehab them (perhaps into boutique hotels!)
We made our way clockwise around the loop to the stations at State and Van Buren, aka the Harold Washington Library Station.
While the station is a fairly typical El station, it has great views of the Fisher Building and the Monodnock Building.
The Fisher Building is an 1896 Daniel Burnham masterpiece. As with many buildings it was built in two phases. Note the bay windows on the portion closest to the camera, then a flat face just beyond that.
The building’s terracotta has numerous sculptures featuring fish and crabs, as well as mythical creatures.
The northbound view of Dearborn Street with the Monodnock on the left and the Standard Club on the right.
The rain and the Monodnock gave a basic light added character.
We had the good fortune of having the CTA Holiday Train roll through the station as we were checking out the sights. A Chicago tradition since 1992, the train is decorated by volunteers and corporate sponsor.
Prior to Christmas they will run open air flatbed cars with Santa on them (check out the blog posting on the CTA Skokie Repair shop for more details as it was being prepared when we were there in October).
Throughout our tour the CTA employees were more than helpful, holding the train briefly while we boarded en mass or letting us through the turnstiles without addition payment to check out the stations.
I am certain to them it is just a job, but how cool would it be to drive an El train around all day.
The Quincy Station was the highlight of the tour. It was opened in 1897 and is essentially the same as the day it opened (with a few additional safety features).
They even have a couple of the original (unused) fare boxes mounted on the wall
It is the only station in the system that does not have advertising, rather they have period correct ads from the early days of the station.
Interestingly the ad on the left for the South Shore could still be valid, as that commuter rail still runs down into Indiana.
The platform maintains the same look. Quite the contrast to the skyscrapers in the background (including the 1400′ high Willis/Sears Tower directly behind the platform).
Again the lighting adds to the overall look.
We continued around the loop, crossing Randolph Street past the Palace Theater.
We made a turn to the west at the northwest corner of the loop, giving a great view of the wood planking for the tracks as well as one of the control stations.
Our final stop was at the Clinton Station in the West Loop. With the recent construction of very tall buildings, and the rain, the views were diminished this day, but it still gave some great symmetry shots.
This station is next to Union Station. The building in the background was once a large warehouse but has been re purposed to condo’s.
The view back towards the loop. It is interesting how this 100+ year old transportation still works, skirting past the massive skyscrapers.
We were at a Metra Commuter Rail station and had the good fortune of seeing their Holiday Train as well! Talk about good luck (even with the pouring rain).
As always our volunteer docent was knowledgeable and personable. With so many tacky tourist hop on hop off bus type businesses in large American cities, the non profit, mostly volunteer Chicago Architecture Foundation is a real treasure. We are looking forward to returning for more tours.
Our major museum visit this trip was to the Field Museum of Natural History. It is known as one of the premier natural history museums in the world, and attracts millions of visitors per year.
We were here to learn about natural history.
As we entered the lobby we stopped by a small kiosk with a display of bugs.
Our first hall major exhibit we toured was the Hall of Ancient Americas. This wing covered both North and South America.
Each region featured pottery, sculptures, jewelry and more, and started with South and Central America cultures such as the Aztec and Inca (and many more)
The final section included the Northern Cultures. While similar to the southern cultures, these featured more large scale sculptures like the totem poles.
The second level featured Griffin Hall – a large dinosaur exhibit.
The most famous is Sue – the most complete T Rex ever discovered. For some reason there was unusual lighting on Sue when we were there.
One the main display the head is a cast of the original, which is in the next room in a display so you can inspect it closer.
We paid a brief visit to the cultures of the Pacific
Our final stop was an Egyptian display, including mummies.
Our second Chicago Architecture Foundation tour of the day was ‘Hotel Boom – Making Old New Again’. It focused on the current trend of adaptive reuse, taking old buildings that may or may not have previously been hotels, and updating them as boutique hotels.
As with our first tour we headed south on Michigan Avenue, stopping across the street from the Chicago Athletic Association Building.
The CAA members were the movers and shakers of Chicago in 1893 as the World’s Fair was going on. Anxious to impress their out of town visitors, they engaged Henry Ives Cobb to build them a building rivaling anything that anyone would find in the great cities of the world. One would have to agree they did!
In 2015 the building was remodeled into the aforementioned boutique hotel style, as the club membership had dwindled. The results are one of function, but retaining most of the original look and feel.
The upstairs game room features the Chicago Athletic Association logo. Look familiar – it should as the Chicago Cubs bought the rights to use it in the 1800s.
As we made our way to the next stop we passed the Reliance Building. Designed by John Root in 1890 it remained a commercial property until the late 1990s when it was rehabbed into a boutique hotel.
As part of the Chicago School of Architecture it has the famed bay windows throughout.
On nearby Wabash Avenue is the Silversmith Hotel, so named as it is in the restored Silversmith Building on Jeweler Row. The architect, Peter Weber of the Burnham Architectural Firm, completed the design in 1896.
While it is an early example of the Chicago School of Architecture, the remodel has added modern elements to it (the exterior is required to remain ‘original’ per the Historic Registry requirements).
As we made our way back up Wabash we passed the Virgin Hotel Building, another re purposed building. Unfortunately we were unable to explore the interior.
The Chicago Motor Club Building was famously designed and completed in only 265 days in 1928. It is regarded as one of the finest Art Deco buildings in Chicago. The Motor Club used the building for office until 1986, and others used it for commercial use until 1996.
It sat vacant for many years before Hampton Inn (of all corporations) restored the building into a boutique hotel.
The lobby retains the Art Deco look.
A famed 1928 mural of the United States road system adorns one wall. Since the 1926 directive to give roads numbers was not quite implemented yet, this mural still uses the historic ‘trails’ designations such as the Lincoln Highway, etc.
The spiral staircase continues the Art Deco feel. For a company mostly known for small motels along freeways Hampton Inn really came through with this one.
Across the river, and in a different planet from a hotel room price perspective is The Langham. Often cited as one of Chicago’s priciest hotels, the Langham occupies a portion of the famed Ludwig Miles van der Rohe’s famed IBM Building.
It has a mid century meets gaudy feel.
Our final stop was the London House Hotel. The unusual name comes from the building’s original owners, the London Guarantee Company, an insurance company.
It is situated on the site of Fort Dearborn, the first settlement of any kind in what is now Chicago. As such a sculpture of the fort graces the entrance.
The traditional entrance has an impressive ceiling that amazing was covered up for 50 years by a drop ceiling.
Completed in 1923, it was topped with a cupola made to resemble the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates,
The view from the 21st floor outdoor bar is fantastic.
Earlier in the day, and totally unrelated to any of these posts we visited the 9th floor Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library. It is not historic, but is cool.
Our night ended up with our cool view from the 23rd floor of the hotel down Kinzie Street toward the Wrigley Building, Tribune Building and others.
Our good luck with the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours continued. While the docents all have their unique approach, and you might pass by or go inside a building you have previously seen, you always learn something new. We are looking forward to more tours.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a large non profit group that supports the historic architecture of the city. With a small army of volunteer docents they offers numerous options for tours, so many that we have decided to become members.
For this cold Saturday we had two tours queued up – the first is Historic Treasures of Chicago. This tour focused on the buildings and people who were instrumental in the development of downtown around the time of the 1893 World’s Fair.
As we left the new CAF facility on Wacker Drive we had an immediate view of some of the classic details in the buildings of the period with this relief carved in the side of 333 North Michigan Avenue.
As we made our way down Michigan Avenue we passed the Carbide and Carbon Building. Now a boutique hotel, it was designed by the Burnham Brothers, sons of Daniel Burnham. While not from the late 1800s – early 1900s period (it was completed in 1928), it is still a great building.
Further south is the Chicago Cultural Center. Originally built as the main public library, we have visited this building often, and will finish this tour inside, but the first part of this tour took us along the outside where you get great contrasting views of old and new.
Millennium Park might not seem like it belongs in a story of Historic Treasures, but without the foresight of Burnham and others the park would not exist.
In addition the legacy of the Wrigley family lives on in the columns.
A skating rink is set up for winter – with a view of the bean.
The Montgomery Ward Tower is located at 6 North Michigan Avenue. During it’s heyday, Montgomery Ward was the Amazon of the time – with mail orders shipped throughout the country.
The building was originally built with a pyramid top and statues, which brought the height to 394′ the tallest in Chicago at the time. After the removal of these the building is 282′ tall.
Our next stop was the opulent Palmer House. There has been a Palmer House hotel on this site since 1871. The first one had the misfortune of being completed just 13 days before the Great Chicago Fire, in which it burned down.
The second one was completed in 1875 and lasted until 1925, when the current, much larger, hotel was built.
It has always been known for it’s luxurious lobby and rooms
A close up of the clock shows some of the detail that exists throughout.
Nearby on Wabash is Jewelers Row. While a number of small, independent jewelers still exist the national chain, Kay, took over the famed store with the peacock clock (while doing a very poor job of painting over the former name).
We continued on to State Street where we found the Sullivan Center at the corner of State and Madison. Originally known as the Carson Pirie Scott & Company Building, it was designed by the famed Louis Sullivan in 1898.
The building is known mostly for it’s significant metal ornamentation of the lower floors, as well as the large ‘Chicago Windows’ throughout.
At one time there were 7 large department stores in downtown Chicago, now there is one. This was one of the original 7, now it houses a Target store on the 1st two floors and a college on the others.
The aforementioned Macy’s store was once the flagship Marshall Fields. To a person every Chicagoan will tell you that the building and the store has gone downhill since Macy’s took over.
The most noteworthy architectural item in the store is the 30,000 piece Tiffany’s ceiling.
Our final stop was the interior of the Chicago Cultural Center. While we have been in here a number of times it is always worth revisiting, with it’s magnificent Tiffany’s ceiling.
As always the CAF tours are well worth the time and money. Our docent Tim was very knowledgeable and personable, giving insight to the buildings and people that built them.
