10 Most Famous Chicago Buildings

Photo by Pedro Lastra. Unsplash.

10 Most Famous Chicago Buildings

Chicago is a city of many firsts. This range from being the city where the first ever tallest building stood to being the first place the tallest structure designed by a woman stood. All these speaks to the huge contribution of Chicago to the architectural realm in the world in simple terms.

Visit these buildings and explore how they were commissioned and constructed to get the treat of your life. Not only are the structures breathtaking, they are also very functional and therapeutic to look at. Listed below are the 10 Most Famous Buildings in Chicago. Enjoy!

1. Chicago Cultural Center

Photo by Sawyer Bengtson. Unsplash.

Chicago Cultural Center is a building located in the Loop. Previously, this was the central library building. It was converted in 1977 to an arts and culture center. This was after the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg made the necessary changes.

Chicago Cultural Center is one of the city’s most popular attractions. It is regarded as the  most comprehensive arts showcasing area in the United States. The Chicago Cultural Center has more than 1,000 programs and exhibitions which cover a wide range of the performing, visual and literary arts.

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2. Wrigley Building

Photo by Daderot. Wikimedia Commons.

The Wrigley Building is a skyscraper located at 400–410 North Michigan Avenue on Chicago’s Near North Side. It is located on the Magnificent Mile directly across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune Tower.

Its two towers in an elaborate style were built between 1920 and 1924 to house the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company. Its bright white façade is covered in terra cotta. The Wrigley Building was Chicago’s first air-conditioned office building. It has featured in a number of films.

3. Marina City

Photo by Gautam Krishnan. Unsplash.

Marina City is a residential plus commercial building complex in Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by the architect Bertrand Goldberg. The development was opened between 1963 and 1967. Parts of the complex were designated a Chicago Landmark in 2016.

Marina City has two 179 meters tall and 65-story apartment plus penthouses. It also has a 10-story office building that was opened in 1964 and a saddle-shaped auditorium building that was originally used as a cinema. Marina City was built on a raised platform next to the Chicago River.

4. Tribune Tower

Photo by Bohao Zaho. Wikimedia Commons.

The Tribune Tower is a skyscraper located at 435 North Michigan Avenue. It stands at 141 meters. Tribune Tower is an example of a neo-Gothic architectural style. It was built between 1923 and 1925. This was after it won the international design competition for the tower thereby becoming a historic event in 20th-century architecture.

The tower was the home of the Chicago Tribune, Tribune Media, Tribune Broadcasting, and Tribune Publishing. It is listed as a Chicago Landmark. The original Tribune Tower was built in 1868, but was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Some films and videos have been shot at the tower.

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5. One Illinois Center

Photo by SecretName101. Wikimedia Commons.

Illinois Center is an urban development in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by world-renowned architect Mies van der Rohe and Fujikawa Johnson. The center sits on a 83 acre piece of land.

It cost $2.5 billion to bring the project to fruition. The building opened in May 1985 as the State of Illinois Center. The building features a mixture of office, commercial and residential space. It serves a daytime population of 80,000 with 15,000 full-time residents.

6. Willis Tower

Photo by Gautam Krishnan. Unsplash.

The Willis Tower is a 108-story skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois. The tower was designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects. It was opened in 1973. At that time, it was the world’s tallest building. Willis Tower held this title for nearly 25 years.

The cost of building the tower was around $150 million. Willis Tower is owned by Blackstone and managed by EQ Office. The tower is home to more than 100 businesses including law, insurance, transportation, and financial companies. Radio and television stations are broadcast from Willis Tower’s rooftop.

7. Aqua Tower

Photo by Potro. Wikimedia Commons.

Aqua Tower is an 82-story skyscraper in Lakeshore East, downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by the  Studio Gang Architects led by Jeanne Gang together with James Loewenberg of Loewenberg & Associates. Aqua was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award as 2009 skyscraper of the year.

It was also shortlisted in 2010 for the biennial International Highrise Award. In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, Aqua was selected as one of the Illinois top 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois component (AIA Illinois). When it was completed, the skyscraper was the world’s tallest building designed by a woman.

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8. Rookery Building

Photo by Ken Lund. Wikimedia Commons.

The Rookery Building is a magnificent structure situated at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop. The building was designed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root of Burnham and Root in 1888. It is considered one of the firm’s masterpiece buildings. In fact, it was once the location of the firm’s offices.

The building is 55 meters in height with twelve stories tall. It is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. The building was designated a Chicago Landmark on July 5, 1972. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1970 and listed as a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.

9. Merchandise Mart

Photo by JeremyA. Wikimedia Commons.

The Merchandise Mart is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. After it’s official opening in 1930, the Merchandise Mart became the largest building in the world. This leaves the grandeur of the building to imagination.

Merchandise Mart is a leading retailing and wholesale site. It has the capacity to host 20,000 visitors and tenants per day. The Merchandise Mart was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White.

10. Chicago Water Tower

Photo by Didier B. Wikimedia Commons.

The Chicago Water Tower is a landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District in Chicago, Illinois. It is  listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Chicago Water Tower was constructed to enclose the huge machinery of a powerful water pump in 1869.

With time, it became well known especially after it survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This is considering that the area around it was burnt to the ground. The Chicago Water Tower now serves as a Chicago Office of Tourism. It is part of an art gallery known as the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. The gallery has the work of local photographers, artists, and filmmakers.

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