Not everyone in Chicago was looking skywards, however. In Oak Park, a village near Chicago’s West Side, Frank Lloyd Wright was developing his Prairie Style, using long, low horizontals, shallow, hipped roofs with deep overhangs, windows blocked together in rows and open-plan living areas. The Robie House of 1908–10, one of many private homes Wright designed in Oak Park, is a perfect example of this style, combining slim Roman bricks that emphasise the horizontal design with custom- made interiors by the architect.
The next great phase of Chicago architecture was characterised by the influence of modernism and the work of Mies van der Rohe in particular. His designs for the Illinois Institute of Technology, an ambitious 20-year project begun in 1938, is one of the most comprehensive examples of his work. A hymn to minimal Modernism, his Farnsworth House, 1945-51, requires a 55-mile pilgrimage outside Chicago, worth it, however to visit the much copied one-room, glass-walled weekend retreat.
The other great influence came about with the work of structural engineer Fazlur Khan. His new system of framed steel tubes allowed for taller, more slender skyscrapers to be built. Khan worked with Bruce Graham, also of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, on the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), which on its completion in 1973 was the tallest building in the world. It remains one of Chicago’s landmark skyline buildings.
The architectural landscape of Chicago continues to surprise with buildings such as Studio Gang Architects’ Aqua Tower, shown right, and its organic, rippling facade of white waves. Chicago is embracing its worldwide reputation for striking architecture with the return this year of the autumn Chicago Architecture Biennial, a programme of exhibitions, events and installations that considers the positive, creative role of architecture globally. In October, Chicago Open House, one of the largest open house weekends in the world, invites visitors to explore the gamut of architectural styles Chicago has to offer.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust arranges tours of individual Wright properties, including Wright’s own home and studio and the Unity Temple, as well as walking tours encompassing the numerous homes he designed around Oak Park.
www.flwright.org
The Chicago Architecture Biennial, September 19th 2019 to January 1st 2020.
www.chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org
Open House Chicago, organised in collaboration with the Chicago Architecture Center, 19th–20th October. Last year, 280 sites across 31 neighbourhoods opened their doors.
www.openhousechicago.org
A visit to the Chicago Architecture Center on East Wacker Drive is an excellent way to gain an overview of Chicago’s architectural scene and plan your visit. The centre holds regular exhibitions and organises city walking tours.
www.architecture.org
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