A Majestic Ride Through the World's Best Architecture Museum

     Less than a week after the Great Fire of 1871, Chicagoans rose to rebuild their city, attracting talented architects who gave Chicago a commanding built environment and a distinctive skyline. Home to the first skyscraper, Chicago boasts an impressive list of buildings by such giants as Mies Van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan, and Daniel Burnham. 

The Chicago River, once primarily an industrial waterway, has become a spectacular necklace to which architectural jewels have been added over the years. This liquid highway is now the best place to get an unencumbered view of world-famous architecture.

This book is your souvenier and guide

to the Chicago River Architecture Tour.

In it, you'll find:

• Interesting facts about each building highlighted on the tour
• An overview of the major architectural styles found in Chicago
• A map to help you locate each building
• A timeline of Chicago history
• A history of Chicago’s oldest family-owned tour business
• Space to record your own special memories of the trip

You'll also discover:

Which president was nominated in the “Wigwam” that was located along the Chicago River (p.70).

Which two Chicago buildings’ designs were chosen by contest entries (p. 83).

What is the only building from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition still used today (p.17).

How Chicagoans dealt with pollution in the Chicago River and Lake Michigan (p.89).

…Enough answers and anecdotes to build your own foundation of Chicago expertise!