View source for Architecture of Chicago

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use American English|date=August 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
[[File:Chicago Sears Tower.jpg|thumb|[[Willis Tower]], the tallest building in Chicago. From 1974 to 1998, it was the world's tallest building.]]
The '''buildings and architecture of Chicago''' reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the [[Great Chicago Fire]] in 1871 (an exception being the [[Chicago Water Tower|Water Tower]]).{{sfn|Bach|1980|pages=[https://archive.org/details/chicagosfamousbu00cond/page/n157 106–107]}}

Chicago's architectural styles include  the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]] primarily in [[Skyscraper design and construction|skyscraper design]],  [[Bungalow#Chicago bungalow|Chicago Bungalows]], Two-Flats, and [[Greystone (architecture)|Greystones]]. The [[Chicago Loop|Loop]] is home to [[skyscrapers]] as well as [[sacred architecture]] including "[[Polish Cathedral Style|Polish Cathedrals]]". Chicago is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of skyscrapers in the world.

==Skyscrapers==
{{Main|List of tallest buildings in Chicago}}
<imagemap>
File:2010-02-19_16500x2000_chicago_skyline_panorama.jpg|thumb|center|1000px|The 2010 Chicago skyline as seen from the [[Adler Planetarium]] {{small|(use cursor to identify buildings)}}
poly 1044 1289 2225 1284 2221 1519 1035 1515 [[Field Museum of Natural History]]
poly 2317 1409 2328 888 2407 892 2440 194 2678 210 2681 1343 2397 1352 2392 1409 [[One Museum Park]]
poly 2251 1597 2246 1413 2393 1410 2394 1383 2508 1377 2508 1350 2971 1334 2962 1240 3121 1159 3137 1091 3158 1161 3306 1224 3308 1338 4143 1365 4146 1600 [[Shedd Aquarium]]
poly 2831 1342 2830 896 2901 839 2956 887 2975 1034 2965 1336 [[The Columbian (Chicago)|The Columbian]]
poly 5094 1587 5097 1229 5212 1218 5216 1184 5313 1185 5311 1115 5477 1119 5476 1188 5624 1192 5623 1225 5729 1224 5731 1593 [[Hilton Chicago]]
poly 5728 1571 5729 1242 5769 1238 5769 1229 5811 1225 5845 1225 5845 1233 5887 1235 5887 1241 5897 1247 5903 1257 5909 1268 5914 1289 5911 1581 [[Renaissance Blackstone Hotel]]
poly 5738 1236 5734 1115 5820 1099 5924 1107 5928 1329 5919 1328 5915 1277 5907 1255 5886 1230 5843 1223 5754 1228 5752 1239 [[One Financial Place]]
poly 5841 1098 5844 1038 5858 1037 5858 839 5868 819 5889 818 5894 794 5958 794 5958 819 5984 822 5998 864 5996 1040 6044 1041 6044 1236 5984 1235 5980 1284 5964 1285 5962 1331 5928 1332 5924 1103 [[311 South Wacker Drive]]
poly 6111 1587 6111 1431 6056 1431 6056 1401 6011 1403 6011 1378 6073 1375 6097 1376 6099 1393 6209 1400 6212 1601 [[Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership|Spertus Institute]]
poly 6094 1348 6093 1236 6139 1235 6140 1218 6157 1218 6156 1333 6141 1333 6141 1343 [[200 South Wacker Drive]]
poly 6157 1336 6153 902 6183 898 6184 637 6209 633 6203 205 6333 207 6333 627 6390 635 6389 896 6426 896 6419 1135 6401 1125 6367 1086 6361 1040 6332 1039 6330 1089 6291 1131 6277 1224 6274 1318 [[Willis Tower]]
poly 6285 1325 6287 1225 6293 1131 6335 1087 6340 1038 6355 1045 6358 1087 6401 1121 6414 1222 6422 1362 6312 1358 6310 1337 [[Chicago Board of Trade Building|Chicago Board of Trade]]
poly 6387 1373 6641 1379 6645 1420 6828 1421 6828 1576 6385 1580 6390 1380 [[Congress Plaza Hotel]]
poly 6521 1248 6516 1073 6603 1062 6705 1070 6705 1205 6679 1176 6575 1179 6545 1223 6548 1263 [[111 South Wacker Drive]]
poly 6721 1263 6713 1217 6722 909 6745 885 6751 796 6859 790 6865 871 6903 911 6900 1055 6808 1075 6808 1284 [[Franklin Center (Chicago)|Franklin Center North Tower]]
poly 6810 1352 6808 1077 6870 1068 6872 1058 6928 1053 6969 1054 6972 1064 7036 1068 7033 1268 7023 1270 7021 1406 6938 1400 6936 1345[[Kluczynski Federal Building]]
poly 6841 1421 7097 1422 7088 1584 6834 1585 [[Auditorium Building]]
poly 7036 1236 7037 1117 7130 1119 7128 1230 [[Field Building (Chicago)|Field Building]]
poly 7129 1265 7126 901 7226 885 7441 903 7445 1264 7368 1259 7367 1270 7264 1289 7256 1439 7244 1438 7237 1409 7190 1409 7192 1269 [[333 South Wabash|CNA Center]]
poly 7447 1241 7443 1049 7603 1049 7599 1241 [[Citadel Center]]
poly 7578 1536 7573 1259 7608 1256 7609 1165 7653 1108 7669 1065 7679 1066 7686 1103 7727 1164 7737 1197 7737 1266 7772 1269 7768 1601[[Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)|Metropolitan Tower]]
poly 7655 1069 7650 862 7892 837 7888 1291 7867 1308 7780 1300 7770 1270 7740 1263 7733 1186 7695 1114 7681 1070 7665 1069 [[Chase Tower (Chicago)|Chase Tower]]
poly 7895 1114 7890 939 7948 940 7989 1002 7964 1008 7963 1083 [[Three First National Plaza]]
poly 7774 1545 7774 1329 7830 1314 7929 1312 7986 1337 7984 1543 [[Santa Fe Building (Chicago)|Santa Fe Building]]
poly 7896 1314 7897 1144 7908 1142 7908 1081 7967 1086 7967 1317 [[One South Dearborn]]
poly 7968 1314 7964 1006 8082 986 8211 982 8211 1006 8337 1012 8344 1286 8037 1279 8034 1298 [[Mid-Continental Plaza]]
poly 8173 1556 8320 1549 8320 1596 8172 1597 [[Buckingham Fountain]]
poly 8348 1308 8347 1284 8339 1285 8337 1070 8387 1067 8388 1075 8400 1076 8402 1342 8384 1341 8383 1307 [[Richard J. Daley Center]]
poly 8403 1339 8396 779 8572 755 8564 1420 8519 1380 8474 1378 8465 1337 [[Legacy at Millennium Park|Legacy Tower]]
poly 8536 1582 8539 1409 8514 1384 8600 1383 8635 1442 8632 1579 [[University Club of Chicago]]
poly 8568 1326 8566 1215 8609 1214 8611 1296 8617 1300 8623 1329 8607 1330 8606 1320 8593 1320 8594 1338 8573 1340 8574 1328 [[LaSalle-Wacker Building]]
poly 8653 1327 8650 1057 8824 1048 8825 1086 8750 1085 8712 1111 8715 1330 [[300 North LaSalle]]
poly 8720 1335 8717 1110 8757 1083 8848 1084 8881 1108 8880 1127 8862 1144 8863 1163 8854 1168 8853 1265 8840 1263 8837 1195 8830 1159 8771 1159 8772 1194 8761 1195 8762 1297 8751 1298 8751 1336 [[United Building (Chicago)|United Building]]
poly 8857 1323 8855 1167 8863 1167 8865 1139 8876 1132 8903 1095 8934 1137 8938 1136 8942 1166 8950 1166 8951 1327 [[Pittsfield Building]]
poly 8953 1258 8950 1163 8937 1132 8921 1118 8918 1082 9012 1076 9087 1084 9086 1322 9063 1321 9060 1270 9039 1270 9038 1251 [[Leo Burnett Building]]
poly 9136 1505 9135 1342 9092 1336 9091 1054 9123 1054 9124 1024 9155 1016 9242 1026 9246 1504 [[The Heritage at Millennium Park]]
poly 9359 1545 9359 1190 9442 1071 9547 1193 9540 1542 [[Crain Communications Building]]
poly 9263 1476 9261 1355 9243 1354 9241 1176 9304 1171 9360 1175 9350 1475 [[Kemper Building (Chicago)|Kemper Building]]
poly 9574 1512 9568 1066 9705 1063 9702 1248 9595 1249 9597 1520 [[Michigan Plaza|Michigan Plaza South]]
poly 9699 1531 9699 1058 9883 1058 9878 1092 9935 1099 9936 1454 10050 1457 10053 1542 9963 1514 9964 1498 9858 1497 9826 1476 9725 1489 9723 1511 [[One Prudential Plaza]]
poly 9724 1533 9730 1492 9786 1501 9825 1482 9889 1506 9960 1500 9963 1540 9730 1535 [[Jay Pritzker Pavilion]]
poly 9817 1051 9812 704 9869 703 9868 531 9948 532 9955 1077 9894 1074 9891 1048 [[Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)|Trump Tower Chicago]]
poly 9939 1449 9950 910 9975 839 10033 672 10130 912 10126 1526 10060 1538 10054 1452 [[Two Prudential Plaza]]
poly 10158 1585 10154 433 10400 435 10401 1594 [[Aon Center (Chicago)|Aon Center]]
poly 10411 1572 10408 816 10706 816 10706 848 10731 853 10726 1589 [[Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower]]
poly 10710 854 10709 803 10897 795 10896 873 10751 878 10747 859 [[Aqua (Chicago)|Aqua]]
poly 10725 1592 10731 883 10939 869 10939 1583 [[340 on the Park]]
poly 10983 1577 10980 1153 11104 1154 11115 1165 11146 1171 11141 1578 [[The Buckingham (Chicago)|The Buckingham]]
poly 11112 1166 11113 1126 11136 1090 11154 1089 11180 1134 11179 1311 11147 1311 11147 1168 [[Park Tower (Chicago)|Park Tower]]
poly 11351 1167 11352 1146 11443 1144 11443 1151 11459 1154 11459 1181 11407 1182 11406 1220 11390 1220 11389 1173 11359 1168 [[Olympia Centre]]
poly 11249 1585 11254 1229 11403 1216 11403 1181 11490 1182 11487 1220 11630 1227 11632 1581 [[Outer Drive East]]
poly 11629 1546 11629 1230 11580 1228 11579 1212 11614 1212 11613 1194 11636 1194 11636 1179 11661 1177 11690 1181 11690 1191 11713 1195 11713 1209 11746 1213 11745 1575 11662 1573 11662 1546 [[The Shoreham]]
poly 11552 1218 11588 692 11673 693 11702 1087 11587 1089 11587 1219 [[John Hancock Center]]
poly 11589 1208 11587 1091 11743 1092 11741 1210 11721 1205 11718 1193 11696 1191 11695 1179 11636 1177 11631 1192 11614 1192 11612 1210[[Water Tower Place]]
poly 11756 1565 11755 1017 11873 1015 11870 1570 [[North Harbor Tower]]
poly 11871 1583 11873 1038 11896 1036 11896 1014 11936 1007 12007 1015 12007 1042 12061 1044 12075 1591 [[Harbor Point (skyscraper)|Harbor Point]]
poly 12064 1569 12063 1043 12022 1043 12021 1017 12111 1015 12112 1034 12161 1035 12160 1571 [[The Parkshore]]
poly 12160 1336 12160 1249 12183 1252 12182 1336 [[400 East Ohio Street]]
poly 12209 1342 12205 1292 12229 1290 12231 1253 12248 1255 12250 1227 12284 1225 12287 1256 12309 1256 12309 1291 12332 1292 12331 1331 12275 1331 12274 1339 [[401 East Ontario]]
poly 12353 1330 12344 1189 12463 1192 12461 1499 12446 1496 12446 1338 [[Onterie Center]]
poly 12440 1592 12441 1500 12518 1503 12518 1122 12626 1123 12628 1584 [[North Pier Apartments]]
poly 13032 1595 13034 1080 13228 1083 13229 1600 [[Lake Point Tower]]
poly 13713 1651 13715 1481 16291 1501 16286 1664 [[Navy Pier]]
desc none
</imagemap>[[File:2004-06-09 1200x1600 chicago chicago building.jpg|thumb|The [[Chicago Building]] is an example of Chicago School architecture.]]
Beginning in the early 1880s, architectural pioneers of the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]] explored steel-frame construction and, in the 1890s, the use of large areas of plate glass. These were among the first modern [[skyscraper]]s. [[William LeBaron Jenney]]'s [[Home Insurance Building]] was completed in 1885 and is considered to be the first to use steel in its structural frame instead of [[cast iron]]. However, this building was still clad in heavy brick and stone. The [[Montauk Building]],{{sfnp|Bach|1980|pp=15}} designed by [[John Wellborn Root]] Sr. and [[Daniel Burnham]], was built from 1882 to 1883 using structural steel. Daniel Burnham and his partners, John Welborn Root and [[Charles B. Atwood]], designed technically advanced steel frames with glass and terra cotta skins in the mid-1890s, in particular the [[Reliance Building]];{{sfnp|Bach|1980|pp=27-28}} these were made possible by professional engineers, in particular E. C. Shankland, and modern contractors, in particular [[George A. Fuller]].

[[Louis Sullivan]] discarded historical precedent and designed buildings that emphasized their vertical nature. This new form of architecture, by Jenney, Burnham, Sullivan, and others, became known as the "Commercial Style," but was called the "Chicago School" by later historians.

In 1892, the [[Masonic Temple (Chicago)|Masonic Temple]] surpassed the [[New York World Building]], breaking its two-year reign as the tallest skyscraper, only to be surpassed itself two years later by another New York building.

Since 1963, a "[[Chicago school (architecture)#Second Chicago School|Second Chicago School]]" has emerged from the work of [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] at the [[Illinois Institute of Technology]] in Chicago. The ideas of structural engineer [[Fazlur Khan]] were also influential in this movement.{{Sfn|Billington|1985|p=234–235}} He introduced [[composite construction]] to tall tubular buildings, which in turn paved the way for the creation of supertall composite buildings such as [[Petronas Towers]] and the [[Jin Mao Building]] since the 1960s.<ref name="Ali">{{Cite journal |last=Ali |first=Mir M. |year=2001 |title=Evolution of Concrete Skyscrapers: from Ingalls to Jin mao |url=https://ejsei.com/EJSE/article/view/11 |url-status=live |journal=Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=2–14 |doi=10.56748/ejse.1111 |s2cid=251690475 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216083613/http://www.ejse.org/Archives/Fulltext/200101/01/20010101.htm |archive-date=16 December 2008 |access-date=2008-11-30 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Landmarks, monuments and public places==
[[File:View_of_Chicago_Water_Tower_from_the_table_(32580255030).jpg|thumb|[[Chicago Avenue Pumping Station]] and [[Chicago Water Tower|Water Tower]] in the [[Old Chicago Water Tower District]]]]
[[File:St._John_Cantius_Chicago_-_Photo_Walk_Chicago_September_2,_2013-4885.jpg|thumb|[[St. John Cantius in Chicago|St. John Cantius]], one of Chicago's '[[Polish Cathedral]]s']]
{{Further|List of Chicago Landmarks}}
Numerous architects have constructed landmark buildings of varying styles in Chicago. Among them are the so-called "Chicago seven":  [[James Ingo Freed]], [[Tom Beeby]], [[Larry Booth]], [[Stuart Cohen]], [[James Nagle (architect)|James Nagle]], [[Stanley Tigerman]], and [[Ben Weese]].
[[Daniel Burnham]] led the design of the "White City" of the 1893 [[World's Columbian Exposition]] which some historians claim led to a revival of [[Neo-Classical architecture]] throughout Chicago and the entire United States. Burnham developed the 1909 "[[Plan for Chicago]]" in a Neo-Classical style, although many skyscrapers were built after the Exposition closed, between 1894 and 1899. [[Louis Sullivan]] said that the fair set the course of American architecture back by two decades, but his work the [[Sullivan Center|Schlesinger and Meyer]] (later [[Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building|Carson, Pirie, Scott]]) store was built in 1899{{sfnp|Bach|1980|pp=34-37}}—five years after the "White City" and ten years before Burnham's Plan.

[[Erik Larson (author)|Erik Larson]]'s history of the Columbian Exposition, ''[[The Devil in the White City]]'', says that the building techniques developed during the construction of the many buildings of the fair were entirely modern, even if they were adorned in a way Sullivan found aesthetically distasteful.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Devil in the White City}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=August 2025}}

Chicago's [[public art]] includes outdoor works by [[Chagall]], [[Picasso]], [[Joan Miró|Miró]] and [[Magdalena Abakanowicz|Abakanowicz]].

City sculptures additionally honor people and topics from the [[history of Chicago]]. There are monuments to:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* '''[[Tadeusz Kościuszko]]''' by [[Kazimierz Chodzinski]]
* '''[[Nicholas Copernicus]]''' by [[Bertel Thorvaldsen]]
* '''[[Karel Havlíček Borovský]]''' by Joseph Strachovsky
* '''[[Pope John Paul II]]''', several different monuments (including by [[Czesław Dźwigaj]])
* '''[[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk]]''' by [[Albin Polasek]]
* '''[[Irv Kupcinet]]''' by [[Preston Eugene Jackson]]
* '''[[Abraham Lincoln]]''' by [[Augustus Saint Gaudens]]
* The '''[[Heald Square Monument]]''' featuring [[George Washington]], [[Haym Salomon]], and [[Robert Morris (financier)|Robert Morris]] by [[Lorado Taft]], (completed by [[Leonard Crunelle]])
* '''[[Christopher Columbus]]''' by [[Carl Brioschi]]
* '''[[General John A. Logan]]''' by [[Augustus Saint Gaudens]]
* '''[[Harry Caray]]''' by Omri Amrany and [[Lou Cella]]
* '''[[Jack Brickhouse]]''' by [[Jerry McKenna]]
* A memorial to the '''[[Haymarket affair]]''' by [[Mary Brogger]]
* A memorial to the '''[[Great Migration (African American)|Great Northern Migration]]''' by [[Alison Saar]]
{{div col end}}

There are also plans to erect a 1:1-scale replica of [[Wacław Szymanowski]]'s [[Chopin Statue, Warsaw|statue]] of [[Frédéric Chopin]] along Chicago's lakefront.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chopinmonumentinchicago.com/ |title=Chopin Monument in Chicago |access-date=June 29, 2009 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715020215/http://www.chopinmonumentinchicago.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in addition to a different sculpture commemorating the artist in [[Chopin Park (Chicago)|Chopin Park]].

In the 21st century, Chicago has become an urban focus for [[landscape architecture]] and the architecture of public places. 19th-20th century Chicago architects included Burnham, [[Frederick Olmsted]], [[Jens Jensen (landscape architect)|Jens Jensen]] and [[Alfred Caldwell]], modern projects include [[Millennium Park]], [[Northerly Island]], the [[Bloomingdale Line|606]], the [[Chicago Riverwalk]], [[Maggie Daley Park]], and proposals in [[Jackson Park (Chicago)|Jackson Park]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=July 19, 2015 |title=Landscape Design Takes Center Stage: Chicago leads way in architecture trend focus on public spaces |page=7}}</ref>

==Residential architecture==
In the late 1800s, a wave of European immigrants arrived to Chicago from [[Germany]], [[Poland]], and the [[Czech Republic]]. Many of them lived in "worker's cottages," narrow, one-story wooden buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bentley |first=Chris |date=20 August 2014 |title=The Tale of the Two-Flat |url=https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2014/08/20/the-tale-of-the-two-flat |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=WBEZ |language=en}}</ref> As industry in the city grew, demand for housing grew, and more and more buildings with two or four units were built, known colloquially as "two-flats." A two-flat includes two apartments, each of which occupies a full floor, usually with a large bay window and with a grey stone or red brick facade. The apartments typically have a layout with a large living and dining room area at the front, the kitchen at the back and the bedrooms running down one side of the unit. Many such buildings were built by architects originating from [[Bohemia]] in the 19th and early 20th century.

In the early half of the 20th century, popular residential neighborhoods were developed with [[Bungalow#Chicago bungalow|Chicago Bungalow]] style houses, many of which still exist. Buildings with two to four units make up 23.2% of Chicago's housing stock as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=Institute for Housing Studies-DePaul |title=Housing Market Indicators Data Portal |url=https://www.housingstudies.org/data-portal/browse/?view_as=view-table |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250612152614/https://www.housingstudies.org/data-portal/browse/?view_as=view-table |archive-date=12 June 2025 |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Institute for Housing Studies - DePaul University |language=en}}</ref> Partly due to a large number of conversions to [[Single family homes|single-family homes]], the stock of such buildings decreased significantly in the 2010s, with over 4,800 two-flats leaving the market between 2012 and 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saleh |first=Reema |date=2024-08-08 |title=The Twin Fates of Two-Flats |url=https://southsideweekly.com/the-twin-fates-of-two-flats-chicago-tenant-housing-vacant/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=South Side Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]]'s [[Illinois Institute of Technology]]{{sfnp|Bach|1980|pp=182-183}} campus in Chicago influenced the later [[International style (architecture)|Modern or International style]]. Van der Rohe's work is sometimes called the Second Chicago School. [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]'s [[Prairie School]] influenced both building design and the design of furnishings.

==Preservation==
Many organizations, including [[Preservation Chicago]] and [[Landmarks Illinois]], promote the [[Historic preservation|preservation of historic neighborhoods and buildings]] in Chicago.  Chicago has suffered from the same problems with sinking property values and [[Urban decay|urban decline]] as other major cities.  Many historic structures have been threatened with demolition.

==Timeline of notable buildings==
'''1836–1900'''
* 1836 '''[[Henry B. Clarke House]]'''
* 1869 '''[[Chicago Water Tower]]''', [[William W. Boyington]]
* 1874 '''[[Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago, Illinois)|Second Presbyterian Church]]''' 1936 S. Michigan, [[James Renwick Jr.|James Renwick]] 1900 [[Howard Van Doren Shaw]][[File:Second_Presbyterian_Church_Chicago_IL.jpg|thumb|[[Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago)|Second Presbyterian Church]] (1874)]]
* 1877 '''[[St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Chicago, Illinois)|St. Stanislaus Kostka Church]]''' 1327 N. Noble, [[Patrick Keely]]
* 1882&ndash;1883 '''[[Montauk Building]]''', [[Daniel Burnham]] and [[John Wellborn Root]].  First building to be called a "skyscraper." (Demolished, 1902)
* 1885 '''[[Home Insurance Building]]''', [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]], [[William Le Baron Jenney]] (Demolished, 1931)[[File:Home Insurance Building.JPG|thumb|[[Home Insurance Building]] (1885)]]
* 1885 '''[[Palmer Mansion]]''', early [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque]] and Norman [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]], [[Henry Ives Cobb]] and [[Charles Sumner Frost]] (Demolished, 1950)
* 1886 '''[[John J. Glessner House]]''', [[Henry Hobson Richardson]] 
* 1887 '''[[Marshall Field Warehouse]]''', [[Henry Hobson Richardson]] (Demolished, 1930)
* 1888 '''[[Rookery Building]]''', [[Daniel Burnham]] and [[John Wellborn Root]], 1905 lobby redesign by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] 
* 1889 '''[[Monadnock Building]]''', [[Daniel Burnham]] and [[John Wellborn Root]]
* 1889 '''[[Auditorium Building, Chicago|Auditorium Building]]''', [[Louis Sullivan]] and [[Dankmar Adler]].
* 1889 '''[[St. Mary of Perpetual Help|St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church]]''', [[Henry Engelbert]]
* 1890 and 1894&ndash;1895 '''[[Reliance Building]]''', [[Charles B. Atwood]] of [[Burnham & Root]]
* 1890&ndash;1899 '''[[Gage Group Buildings]]''', [[Holabird & Roche]] with [[Louis Sullivan]]
* 1891 '''[[Manhattan Building (Chicago, Illinois)|Manhattan Building]]''', [[William Le Baron Jenney]]
* 1892 '''[[Masonic Temple (Chicago)|Masonic Temple]]''', [[Daniel Burnham]] and [[John Wellborn Root]] (Demolished, 1939)
* 1892&ndash;1893 '''[[World's Columbian Exposition]]''', [[Daniel Burnham]], director of Works[[File:Looking_West_From_Peristyle,_Court_of_Honor_and_Grand_Basin,_1893.jpg|thumb|[[World's Columbian Exposition]] (1892&ndash;93)]]
* 1893 Palace of Fine Arts, later [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]], [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]], [[Charles B. Atwood]]
* 1893-1898 '''[[St. John Cantius in Chicago|St. John Cantius Church]]''', Alphonsus Druiding
* 1894 '''[[Tree Studio Building and Annexes]]''', [[Lambert Tree|Judge Lambert & Anne Tree]] via [[Parfitt Brothers]]; 1912 annex: Hill and Woltersdorf
* 1895&ndash;1896 '''[[Fisher Building (Chicago)]]''', [[D.H. Burnham & Company]], [[Charles B. Atwood]]
* 1897 '''[[St. Paul Church, Chicago|St. Paul Church]]''' 2234 S. Hoyne, [[Henry Schlacks]]
* 1897 '''[[Chicago Cultural Center|Chicago Library (now Chicago Cultural Center)]]''', [[Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge]]
* 1899 '''[[Sullivan Center]]''', [[Louis Sullivan]]; 1905&ndash;1906, twelve-story south addition, [[D.H. Burnham & Company]]

'''1900–1939''':
* 1902 '''[[Marshall Field and Company Building]]''', north State Street building [[D.H. Burnham & Company]], [[Charles B. Atwood]]
* 1903 '''[[Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago]]'''
* 1905-1906 '''[[Holy Trinity Polish Mission]]''', Herman Olszewski and William G. Krieg,
* 1905 '''[[Chicago Federal Building]]''', [[Henry Ives Cobb]]
* 1906 '''[[Sears Merchandise Building Tower]]''', George G. Nimmons - William K. Fellows
* 1907 '''[[Marshall Field and Company Building]]''', south State Street building [[D.H. Burnham & Company]], [[Charles B. Atwood]]
* 1909 '''[[Robie House]]''', [[Prairie School]], [[Frank Lloyd Wright]][[File:Frederick_C._Robie_House.JPG|thumb|[[Robie House]] (1909)]]
* 1910–1911 Eighth Church of Christ, Scientist, Leon E. Stanhope. Designated a Chicago Landmark on June 9, 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/E/EighthChurch.html |title=Eighth Church of Christ, Scientist |publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division |date=2003 |accessdate=2007-06-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607154356/http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/E/EighthChurch.html |archivedate=2007-06-07 }}</ref>
* 1912–1914 '''[[St. Adalbert's in Chicago|St. Adalbert's Church]]''' 1650 W.17th street, [[Henry Schlacks]]
* 1912 '''[[Medinah Temple]]''' North Wabash Avenue
* 1912 '''[[Pulaski Park (Chicago)|Pulaski Park fieldhouse]]''' by [[Jens Jensen (landscape architect)|Jens Jensen]]
* 1914 '''[[Navy Pier]]'''
* 1914-1920 '''[[St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago|St. Mary of the Angels Church]]''' 1850 N. Hermitage Ave, [[Worthmann and Steinbach]]
* 1915 '''[[Holy Cross Church in Chicago|Holy Cross Church]]''', [[Joseph Molitor]]
* 1916 '''[[Navy Pier Auditorium]]''', [[Charles Sumner Frost]]
* 1917&ndash;1920 '''[[Michigan Avenue Bridge]]''', [[Edward H. Bennett]]
* 1917-1921 '''[[Basilica of St. Hyacinth]]''' 3636 West Wolfram Avenue, [[Worthmann & Steinbach]]
* 1919-1924 '''[[Wrigley Building]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White]]
* 1921 '''[[Chicago Theatre]]''', Beaux-Arts, [[Rapp and Rapp|Cornelius W. Rapp and George L. Rapp]]
* 1921 '''[[Old Chicago Main Post Office]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White]]
* 1922 '''[[Tribune Tower]]''', [[Neo-Gothic architecture|neo-Gothic]], [[John Mead Howells]] and [[Raymond M. Hood]][[File:Tribune_Tower3.jpg|thumb|[[Tribune Tower]] (1922)]]
* 1924 '''[[Soldier Field]]''', [[Holabird & Roche]]; extensive renovation 2003, [[Ben Wood]] and [[Carlos Zapata]]
* 1925 '''[[Uptown Theatre (Chicago)|Uptown Theatre]]''', [[Rapp and Rapp|Cornelius W. Rapp and George L. Rapp]]
* 1927 '''[[Pittsfield Building]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst and White]]
* 1929 '''[[Carbide & Carbon Building]]''', Daniel and Hubert Burnham, sons of [[Daniel Burnham]]
* 1929 '''[[Palmolive Building]]''', [[Art Deco]], [[Holabird & Roche|Holabird & Root]]
* 1929 '''[[John G. Shedd Aquarium]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White]]
* 1930 '''[[Chicago Board of Trade Building]]''', [[Holabird & Roche|Holabird & Root]]
* 1930 '''[[All Saints Cathedral, Chicago|All Saints Cathedral]]''', J. G. Steinbach
* 1930 '''[[Gateway Theatre (Chicago)|Gateway Theatre]]''' Mason Rapp of [[Rapp & Rapp]]; extensive renovation 1979 to 1984, "Solidarity Tower" addition in 1985
* 1930 '''[[Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum]]''', Ernest A. Grunsfeld Jr.
* 1931 '''[[Merchandise Mart]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White]]
* 1930s-1960s '''[[Illinois Institute of Technology]]''', including [[S.R. Crown Hall]], Second Chicago School, [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] and [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]
* 1934 '''[[Field Building]]''', [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White]]

'''1940 to the present''':
* 1940–1942 '''[[St. Wenceslaus in Chicago|St. Wenceslaus church]]''', 3400 N. Monticello Ave, McCarthy, Smith and Eppig
* [[File:860-880_Lake_Shore_Drive.jpg|thumb|860-880 Lake Shore Drive]]1952 '''[[860–880 Lake Shore Drive]]''', [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]]
* 1957 '''[[Inland Steel Building]]''', [[Bruce Graham]] and [[Walter Netsch]], [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]],
* 1964 '''[[Marina City]]''', [[Bertrand Goldberg]][[File:Marina_City,_Chicago,_Illinois,_Estados_Unidos,_2012-10-20,_DD_01.jpg|thumb|[[Marina City]] (1964)]]
* 1968 '''[[Lake Point Tower]]''', [[John Heinrich (architect)|John Heinrich]] and [[George Schipporeit]]
* 1968 '''[[Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist (Chicago, Illinois)|Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist]]'''. [[Harry Weese]]
* 1969 '''[[John Hancock Center]]''', [[Bruce Graham]], [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]
* 1973 '''[[330 North Wabash]]''', [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]]
* 1974 '''[[Willis Tower]]''', [[Bruce Graham]], [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]] (''previously the Sears Tower'')
* 1974 '''[[Aon Center (Chicago)|Aon Center]]''', [[Edward Durrell Stone]] (''earlier names were Standard Oil Building and Amoco Building'')
* 1977 '''[[St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
* 1979-85 '''[[James R. Thompson Center]]''', [[Helmut Jahn]]
* 1989 '''[[NBC Tower]]''', [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]
* 1990 '''[[American Medical Association Building]]''', [[Kenzo Tange]]
* 1990 '''[[Athletic Club Illinois Center]]''', [[Kisho Kurokawa]]
* 1991 '''[[Harold Washington Library Center]]''', [[Thomas Beeby]]
* 1991 '''[[Rate Field]]''', Home of the White Sox
* 1991 '''[[Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago|Museum of Contemporary Art]]''', [[Josef Paul Kleihues]]
* 1992 '''[[77 West Wacker Drive]]''', [[Ricardo Bofill]]
* 2004 '''[[Millennium Park]]''', [[Frank Gehry]], [[Kathryn Gustafson]], [[Anish Kapoor]], [[Jaume Plensa]], and others, a showcase for 21st century modernism.
* 2009 '''[[155 North Wacker]]''', [[Goettsch Partners]]
* 2009 '''[[Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)|Trump International Hotel and Tower]]''', [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]
* 2010 '''[[Aqua (Chicago)|Aqua Tower]]''', [[Studio Gang Architects]]
* 2019 [[NEMA (Chicago)|'''NEMA''']], [[Rafael Viñoly Architects]]
* 2019 '''[[One Bennett Park]]''', [[Robert A.M. Stern Architects]]
* 2020 '''[[110 North Wacker]]''', Goettsch Partners
* 2021 '''[[St. Regis Chicago]]''', [[Studio Gang Architects]][[File:St._Regis_Chicago.jpg|thumb|[[St. Regis Chicago]] (2021)]]

==Styles and schools==

Chicago architects used many design styles and belonged to a variety of architectural schools.  Below is a list of those styles and schools.
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[American Foursquare|American Four-Square]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll">{{cite web|title=Chicago Landmarks - Style Guide|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/StyleGuide/StyleGuide.html|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development|access-date=2009-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525040528/http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/StyleGuide/StyleGuide.html|archive-date=25 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Art Deco]]/[[Streamline Moderne|Moderne]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Art Nouveau]]<ref>{{cite conference |first=Janet L. |last=Whitmore |url=http://artnouveau.eu/admin_ponencies/functions/upload/uploads/Janet_Whitmore_Paper.pdf |title=Chicago as an Art Nouveau City - Strand 1: Art Nouveau Cities: between cosmopolitanism and local tradition |conference=CDf International Congress |location=Barcelona |date=June 2013 |access-date=2014-01-12 |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112183719/http://artnouveau.eu/admin_ponencies/functions/upload/uploads/Janet_Whitmore_Paper.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Arts and Crafts movement|Arts & Crafts]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Châteauesque|Chateauesque]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> (Also called Commercial Style)
*[[City Beautiful movement|City Beautiful]]
*Classical Revival<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> (also known as [[Neoclassical architecture]])
*[[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*Craftsman<ref name="ChiLndmrkCraft">{{cite web|title=Chicago Landmarks - Craftsman|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/StyleGuide/Craftsman.html|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development|access-date=2009-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524075214/http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/StyleGuide/Craftsman.html|archive-date=24 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> (also known as [[American Craftsman]])
*[[Dutch Colonial]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Stick style|Eastlake/Stick]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Edwardian architecture]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[International Style (architecture)|International]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> (sometimes called Second Chicago School)
*[[Italianate architecture|Italianate]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*Middle Eastern<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Modern architecture|Modern]]
*Oriental<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Postmodern architecture|Postmodern]]<ref>{{cite web|title=15 Buildings That Embody Chicago's Postmodern Moment|url=https://www.metropolismag.com/architecture/photos-15-buildings-embody-chicago-postmodern-moment/|access-date=2018-09-23|work=[[Metropolis (architecture magazine)|Metropolis]]|date=October 6, 2015|author=<!--staff byline; no author given-->|archive-date=September 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924145055/https://www.metropolismag.com/architecture/photos-15-buildings-embody-chicago-postmodern-moment/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Prairie School]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*[[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*Renaissance Revival<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> also known as [[Neo-Renaissance]]
*[[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> also known as Neo-Romanesque
*[[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*Spanish Revival<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> also known as [[Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture|Spanish Colonial Revival]]
*Sullivanesque<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/> (for style elements and examples see [[Louis Sullivan]])
*[[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]]<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
*Workers Cottage<ref name="ChiLndmrkAll"/>
{{div col end}}

==Buildings - a "Top Forty" List==

In 2010, ''[[Chicago Magazine]]'' selected 40 still existing properties for their historical and architectural importance,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Geoffrey |date=September 10, 2010 |title=Top 40 Buildings in Chicago |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2010/Top-40-Buildings-in-Chicago/index.php?cp=4&si=48&cparticle=4&siarticle=3#artanc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921193003/http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2010/Top-40-Buildings-in-Chicago/index.php?cp=4&si=48&cparticle=4&siarticle=3#artanc |archive-date=September 21, 2010 |magazine=[[Chicago Magazine]]}}</ref> opening an on-line forum for debate. The top ten chosen were:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*1: [[John Hancock Center]], 875 N. Michigan Ave. (1969)
*2: [[Rookery Building]], 209 S. LaSalle St. (1885–1888)
*3: [[860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments]], (1952)
*4: [[Monadnock Building]], 53 W. Jackson Blvd. (1891 and 1893)
*5: [[Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building]], 1 S. State St. (1899)
*6: [[S. R. Crown Hall]], 3360 S. State St. (1956)
*7: [[Auditorium Building]], 430 S. Michigan Ave. (1889)
*8: [[Frederick C. Robie House]], 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave. (1909)
*9: [[Farnsworth House (Plano, Illinois)]], 14520 River Rd., Plano, IL (1951)
*10: [[Sears Tower]] (now the Willis Tower), 233 S. Wacker Dr. (1974)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Chicago}}
*[[Chicago Architecture Foundation]]
*[http://www.insidechicagowalkingtours.com Inside Chicago Walking Tours]
*[[Chicago Architecture Biennial]]
*[[Chicago Loop]]
*[[Chicago neighborhoods]]
*[[Landmarks of Chicago]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in Chicago]]
*[[Parks of Chicago]]
*[[Polish Cathedral style]]
*[[Visual arts of Chicago]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==  <!-- For those items that are referenced via a page number using abbreviated citations -->
*{{Cite book |last=Bach |first=Ira J. |url=https://archive.org/details/chicagosfamousbu00cond |title=Chicago's Famous Buildings |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |year=1980 |isbn=0-226-03396-1 |lccn=79-23365 |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Billington |first=David P. |url=https://www.academia.edu/43517109 |title=The Tower and the Bridge: The New Art of Structural Engineering |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=1985 |isbn=0-691-02393-X |url-access=registration}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Pridmore |first1=Jay |first2=George A. |last2=Larson |title=Chicago Architecture and Design |edition=Revised and expanded |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |location=New York |year=2005 |isbn=0-8109-5892-9}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Architecture of Chicago|<br>Architecture of Chicago}}
{{Wikivoyage|Chicago skyline guide|Chicago skyline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040409144117/http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/Tours/Tours.html Online tour of designated Chicago landmarks]
* [http://www.architecture.org Walking architectural tours of Chicago]
* [http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago.htm Information on several major Chicago buildings]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090504184753/http://www.schlacks.org/ Chicago Church Architecture]}}
* [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090707103353/http://www.aia150.org/ American Institute of Architects]
* [http://www.sah.org/publications-and-research/chicago-architects-project Chicago Architects Project - Society of Architectural Historians]

{{Chicago skyscrapers}}
{{Chicago}}
{{Architecture of North America}}
{{Architecture in the United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Architecture Of Chicago}}
[[Category:Architecture in Chicago| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Chicago| ]]