CHIcagoARCHITECTURE

A view of the Tribune Tower from the etched out balcony of the Optima Chicago Center Apartments

Tribune Tower

• 435 North Michigan Avenue, completed 1925

The original Chicago Tribune newspaper headquarters was burned in the Great Chicago Fire. In 1922, $100,000 in prize money was offered by the paper in an international design competition for their new building. The winning entry, out of over 260, was a neo-Gothic design by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. The top of the tower is designed after the Tour de beurre ("butter tower") of the Rouen Cathedral in France.

Fun fact:

• The lower level of the building is incorporated with rocks and bricks from historically important sites throughout the world, including the Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramid, Angkor Wat, and the Great Wall of China.

A slice of downtown Chicago with the Chicago River winding its way through classic and modern towers of steel

Marina City, Carbide & Carbon, Trump Shiny Blue Tower

• Marina City: 290 North State Street, completed 1964
• Carbide & Carbon: 230 North Michigan Avenue, completed 1929
• Trump Int'l Hotel & Tower: 401 North Wabash Avenue, completed 2009

Marina City is the honeycomb/corncob looking buildings in the middle. In 2014, Nik Wallenda walked partly blindfolded across a 600 foot high tightrope over the Chicago River and between the two towers.

The Carbide & Carbon Building, lower center with the gold crown, is a shining example of Art Deco architecture. It is currently home to the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago, with its 37 floors providing nearly 400 guest rooms. It was designed by the Burnham Brothers, sons of the famed Daniel Burnham, who played significant roles in the master plans of many cities, including Chicago, and is also the designer of the insanely‑recognizable Flatiron Building in New York City.

Trump Int'l Hotel & Tower, although unfortunately named, should not be judged by its owner. The building was designed by Adrian Smith of AS+GG, the same firm responsible for the Jeddah Tower, the 1 km tall building under construction in Saudia Arabia. Trump Tower was originally announced to be the tallest building in the world, but following 9/11, Trump reduced the height.

Fun facts:

• The album Hotel Foxtrot by the band Wilco features the Marina City towers on its cover.
• The popular myth is that the Carbide & Carbon Building was designed to resemble a dark green champage bottle with its gold foil at the top.
• To better blend in with its surroundings, the notches in the Trump Tower reflect heights of nearby buildings.

Buckingham Fountain from above and Navy Pier from afar

Buckingham Fountain & Navy Pier

• Buckingham Fountain: 301 South Columbus Drive, dedicated 1927
• Navy Pier: 600 East Grand Avenue, built 1916

Buckingham Fountain's 3 pumps recirculate 14,000 gallons of water per minute through 134 jets. Financed and envisioned by Kate Buckingham, she wanted the fountain to produce an aura of "soft moonlight" through glass filters and the fountain's 820 lights.

Navy Pier is a 3,300 foot long pier jutting out into Lake Michigan. It is currently undergoing a massive overhaul, creating a more park‑like oasis, and introducing a taller ferris wheel with enclosed cars.

Fun facts:

• Every hour on the hour, starting at 9 a.m., the fountain's main display includes a beam of water thrusted 150ft in the air.
• Named for the Medal of Honor winning black military serviceman who sacrificed himself for others by smothering a grenade, Milton Lee Olive Park is an overlooked park with quaint lakefront and skyline views, neighbored just north of Navy Pier.

Tip top of the Jewelers Building, which now serves as a showroom for a prominent architecture firm

The Jewelers Building

• 35 East Wacker Drive, completed 1926

The Jewelers Building is 35 East Wacker Drive's informal name, as it was originally created for the city's diamond merchants. The building's unique feature was a car elevator to reduce chances that tennants might be mugged on the walk from the building to their vehicles.

Fun fact:

• A restaurant called the Stratosphere Lounge used to be under the building's dome. During Prohibition, it was said to be run by Al Capone as a speakeasy.

Facing the South Loop, overlooking Millennium Park, Grant Park, Cloud Gate (aka The Bean), the Art Institute, and Museum Campus