Looking Up: Chicago Skyscrapers Today and Yesterday

By Anna Gogala

 

September 14, 2010

Chicago is one of the most architecturally interesting and modern cities in the world.  The Second City, after all, is the birthplace of the skyscraper, and it continues its long tradition of leadership in architecture to this day.  Just take a walk down Wacker Drive along the Chicago River and you'll see examples of all the historical skyscraper styles, from Art Deco to Postmodern.  The recently built Trump Tower, an impressive structure, shows that Chicago will continue to provide us with plenty to look at.

Still, the Trump Tower does not take away from the Willis Tower's status as Chicago's most significant and very well recognized building.  Most people I've come across continue to call the building by its original name: the Sears Tower.  This shows that Chicagoans themselves see the Sears Tower as part of the city's character.  Although I will not question the Sears Tower's importance to the city, I do think Chicago has plenty more to offer than our tallest skyscraper. I am no fan of modernist architecture, and the Sears Tower's undecorated and boxy appearance feels a bit depressing.  It is not the prettiest structure in Chicago, but you can go up to its top floor to see some really spectacular buildings.

One of these great buildings, in my opinion, is the Boeing Headquarters building on Washington Street on the river's west bank.  You can see that the building's architectural style reflects how it was constructed.  The building was built over railways, which made using support columns on the sides of the building impossible.  The architects therefore suspended the two sides of the building with metal supports that rest on top of the central support columns.  The two sides of the building essentially hang from a metal suspension system!  Instead of covering the building's support system, the architects left it exposed, which provides an interesting site.  In fact, the metal suspensions at the top of the building look a lot like the many bridges over the Chicago River.  The Boeing Headquarters building fits right in to the riverside location, and looks great too.

 The Boeing building is just one example of the many technologically and stylistically innovative buildings in the city.  While the riverside provides some great views, don't forget to walk around the many other great places in the downtown area.  You can, for example, get a different and equally spectacular view of the city from the lakefront.  There, you can visit world class museums or rest in Millennium or Grant Parks.  This city is full of culture, making it one of the greatest places to live.

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