n Chicago, there’s no individual hallmark that defines the city the way the Eiffel Tower defines Paris or the unintended tilt of a cathedral’s campanile defines Italy’s town of Pisa. Instead there’s a smorgasbord of No matter where you go, there’s architectural masterpieces, galleries and museums, shoreline parks and cultural a spectacular view — whether monuments that, together, render Chicago it’s of Chicago’s skyline, from the one of the most visionary examples of urban skyline, from a boat, or of a architecture in America. This is the historical home of the sky- famous building or piece of art. scraper, a late 19th century innovation that John and Monica Frim crisscross spawned a worldwide movement that con- tinues to push buildings closer to the strato- the Windy City and its varied sphere as countries vie for the tallest build- neighborhoods to get an eyeful ings. For years Chicago’s Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, was the world’s of the artworks and architectural tallest, an honor that was subsequently be- masterpieces that define stowed on a variety of buildings all around the world — in New York, Shanghai, Taipei, Kuala Chicago as a great city on a Lumpur and beyond — and now belongs to Great Lake and one of the most the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Soon the Kingdom Tower, currently under construction in Jeddah, influential in the world. Saudi Arabia, will occupy the top position. Photography by John Frim and Monica Frim But Chicago’s famous skyline is still one of the most dramatic. Over the years it has evolved to include a variety of architectural styles that reflect the city’s history and cultural by Monica Frim achievements. Scattered among the city’s four tallest buildings — in order: the Willis Tower, Chicago River Trump International Hotel and Tower, Aon 74 WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS B U SINESS EDITION | M A R C H - A P R I L 2 0 1 5 75 Millennium Park’s famous “Bean” reflects the Center (former Amoco Building) and Hancock Building — an service offers free personalized guided walks by knowledge- crowds and nearby buildings assortment of high-rises emerge like paradigms of the city’s able local volunteers in 25 neighborhoods and covers over post-1871 history. That was the year that, according to one 40 specialized interests. Participants must register at least 10 yarn, a cow kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary’s barn and business days in advance for the tours, which last two to four spawned one of the most destructive American fires of the hours. Those who cannot register in advance can still partici- 19th century. Known afterwards as the Great Chicago Fire, pate in Choose Chicago’s “Instagreeter” program, which offers the conflagration spread east and north across the Chicago hour-long guided walks of the downtown every half hour but River, killing almost 300 people, leaving 100,000 homeless only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. These tours provide and destroying most of the downtown core. In its aftermath, excellent introductions to Chicago’s defining characteristics, architects and builders triggered the largest building boom in emblematic buildings and public spaces. They start at the American history with a new style of vertical, fire-proof, steel- Visitor Information Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, a frame construction that included extensive plate-glass surfaces late 19th century building originally built as a meeting hall for and became known, appropriately, as the Chicago School. the Grand Army of the Republic and as a central library. Today Chicago is now the third largest city in the United States the largely neo-classical (but with Italian Renaissance touches) and a world-famous hub of finance, communications, technol- building is one of Chicago’s most visited landmarks with more ogy and transportation (O’Hare International Airport is the busi- than a thousand cultural programs and exhibitions. Its two est in the world measured by aircraft movements). Laid out in a stained glass domes, coffered ceilings, sweeping staircases as grid pattern of eight city blocks to the mile in one direction and well as the marble and mosaic walls and floors make it one of 16 in the other, Chicago is also one of the most walkable. the city’s most attractive focal points. To that end, many companies provide themed and general Choose Chicago® also operates a second information walking tours of the various neighborhoods that make up the center at Macy’s on State Street. Both centers offer free maps city, some free, others for a fee. The Choose Chicago® Greeter and brochures, special discount passes (such as the Go Chi- The Chicago Theater’s distinctive cago Card and Chicago CityPASS) to various attractions, dining marquee has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows. reservations via OpenTable and a booking service for several sightseeing tours. Visitors to Chicago can also explore the city at their own pace through a program called Metrowalkz that provides maps and descriptions of self-guided tours in 11 neighborhoods. The number of neighborhoods one visits is, of course, dependent on how much time one has in the city. Most popular, especially among first-time visitors, is the central business area south of the Chicago River known as the Loop and the North Shore’s presti- Alexander Calder’s “Flamingo” gious shopping and hotel district known as the Magnificent Mile. Together these areas represent Chicago’s quintessential core. Field Museum The Chicago River runs between the Loop and the Magnifi- cent Mile, forming an historical divide among the early sky- scrapers on the south side and the more futuristic (think Trump Tower) buildings on the north. Today, however, the lines are blurred as new construction projects crop up on both sides of the river so that one would be hard-pressed to say that one side eclipses the other in terms of architectural innovation. Even the tallest buildings are shared by both sides with the Willis Tower and Aon Center on the south, and the Hancock Building and Trump Tower on the north. The city’s architectural diversity is astounding when one considers that almost all the buildings Gurcan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images Gurcan 76 WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS B U SINESS EDITION | M A R C H - A P R I L 2 0 1 5 77 The Chicago Water Tower is the only public building View of Chicago and Lake Michigan from 360 CHICAGO, that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory. were built after 1871. The exception is the Water Tower, the best vantage points for viewing and photographing the city. Marc Chagall’s “Four Inside the Art only public building left standing after the Great Chicago Fire To that end, at least one company, The Chicago Architecture Seasons” mosaic in Institute of Chicago as a symbol of old Chicago. Foundation River Cruise, offers a special Capture Chicago Chase Tower Plaza Almost every attraction — from art installation to park Photography Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady on Sunday pavilion — can be linked to an iconic building, which is mornings as well as regular day and twilight cruises. perhaps why architectural tours are the leading activity in a During the cruise, knowledgeable guides, called docents, city known for, well, architecture (Okay, also for comedy à la offer up commentaries on some 50 landmark buildings of Second City, but that still comes in — pardon the pun — sec- varying styles, compressing a century’s worth of river history ond). But to really appreciate Chicago, visitors who have time into a 90-minute oral blueprint of Chicago’s architectural de- for only one activity simply must make it a guided architec- velopment. All around high-rises with flourishes from all the tural cruise on the Chicago River. The river offers some of the seminal styles — neo-classical to modern and postmodern 78 WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM DIPLOMATIC CONNEC TI ONS B U SINESS EDITION | M A R C H - A P R I L 2 0 1 5 79 The Willis Tower, formerly known as the — showcase their individuality, yet share common ground in polished Trump Tower commands center attention over Sears Tower, was, for the modern building techniques that identify them as adher- neighboring landmarks that were once the defining hallmarks 25 years, the tallest building in the world ents of the Chicago School. One finds Spanish and French of the city. Located at the edge of the River North Gallery Renaissance details in the white-glazed façade of the Wrigley District, the Tower looms over the highest concentration of Building; neo-Gothic, medieval and Greek revival elements art galleries outside of New York, a block away it oversees the in the Chicago Tribune building; and a string of postmodern southern tip of the Magnificent Mile and across the river, the façades on the buildings that line West Wacker Drive. Michigan Wacker Historic District. The Trump Tower had As the boat enters the northern branch of the river where originally been destined to become the tallest building in the former factories and warehouses now house riverside lofts world but in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Donald and condos, the air grows thick with the rich, sweet smell of Trump scaled back the working plans. Now, as the second chocolate from the West Loop’s Blommer Chocolate Compa- tallest building in Chicago, it is nevertheless the most promi- ny. There is actually a website dedicated to mapping the smell nent, visible from most parts of the city and within walking according to each day’s wind direction for cocoa die-hards.