Chicago, That Toddlin’ Town

Spectacular aerial view of Chicago by Jake Davis @inairshare_designer. Jake is a principal and Public Safety Design Leader with DLR Group.

 
The annual AIA Conference on Architecture takes place this coming week in Chicago, and I will be there. I have never been to Chicago before. A visit to the Windy City is a pilgrimage every architect should undertake at some point during their career, and this is my opportunity. Anyone familiar with the history of architecture in this country knows Chicago’s leading role in pioneering experimentation and innovations in building design that profoundly shaped the morphology of American cities.
 
Notably, Chicago is the birthplace of the modern skyscraper. Seminal Chicago skyscrapers include the Home Insurance Building (which was the first steel-framed skyscraper, completed in 1885, but demolished in 1931), the Monadnock Building (completed in 1893, the tallest load-bearing brick building ever constructed), the Reliance Building (completed in 1895, it was the first tall building whose facades would be dominated by glass), the terra-cotta clad Wrigley Building (Chicago’s first air-conditioned office building), the gothic revival Tribune Tower (the winner of a famous 1922 design competition), Marina City (a visionary mixed-use complex, completed in 1968), the structurally expressive John Hancock Center (completed in 1969), and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower, and the tallest building in the world when completed in 1974).
 
Chicago is equally known for promulgating several influential strains of modern architecture, which include the first Chicago School (which exploited the new technologies giving rise to the skyscraper), the Prairie School (an attempt to develop an indigenous North American style of architecture, of which the Robie House is perhaps its supreme expression), and the International Style (exemplified by the work of Bauhaus émigré Ludwig Mies van der Rohe).
 
The famous architects who helped build Chicago are legion: William Le Baron Jenney, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies, and many more. Generations of architects since stand on their broad shoulders, ensuring Chicago continues to be in the vanguard of new developments in architecture.
 
Of course, there is so much more to do and see in Chicago beyond its noteworthy architecture, including world-class museums (the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry are on my can’t miss list), the Chicago Riverwalk, and the city’s unique neighborhoods (Wrigleyville sounds like a fun place to visit). And I will be sure to indulge in the best Chicago-style pizza and a Chicago Dog or two.
 
I fully expect Chicago will overwhelm me with everything it has to offer, which is why I only purchased a one-day pass for AIA A’22. Even though the conference schedule spans from Wednesday through Saturday, I selected Thursday as my sole day at the McCormick Place convention center. I learned during my trip to New York to attend the 2018 Conference on Architecture that I primarily wanted to take in the city, as opposed to spending precious days inside an antiseptic meeting hall. My one regret with my decision to only attend A’22 on Thursday was the late announcement that former president Barack Obama is set to speak at the conference on Friday. I will see if I can find a way to get in without shelling out big bucks for another full day pass.
 
Look forward to future posts documenting highlights from my trip to Chicago, that toddlin’ town.