Stephen Rees's blog

The Chicago Architecture Foundation Centre (now known as the Chicago Architecture Center) offers a guided tour by boat along the Chicago River. The guide was a retired architect – and a volunteer – who talked throughout the tour about 90 minutes. “More than 450 Chicagoans volunteer to be CAC docents, extensively trained guides who are certified to lead architecture tours.” There are other tours offered by other companies but the general consensus seems to be that these are the best on offer. Of course I wasn’t taking notes but I did keep the pamphlet from which most of the quotes in this post are taken. You can also take the tour by using Streetsview on Google Maps.

River Point (2017: 52 storeys) at the confluence

The second photo taken closer to the building to show the lower levels. “The building sits back from rail tracks concealed in a tunnel on top of which is a public park.”

The Merchandise Mart (1930) “designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, was originally conceived as a distribution center for Marshall Field & Company” Art Deco

600 West (1908) Warehouse for Montgomery Ward designed by Schmidt, Garden and Martin

The Civic Opera Building (designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White) turns its back to the river: when constructed in the 1920s the river was for transportation and not regarded as an amenity. This is now changing with a variety of treatments to the waterfront to improve pedestrian access.

Another Bertrand Holberg building – designer of Marina City – at the far end of the tour.

Willis Tower 1974 (formerly Sears Tower) Skidmore, Owens & Merrill for 24 years the world’s tallest building “Bundled tube” construction

This building did not get a mention on the tour: it is the Reid-Murdoch Building.

Marina City 1967 Bertrand Holberg – a multi-use complex with residential condos over parking, a marina, restaurant, theatre, shops and a hotel.

Lake Point Tower 1968

Designed by Schipporeit and Heinrich. The City has now decreed that no more high towers will be permitted east of Lake Shore Drive.

The boat turned back here in front of the locks which are designed to prevent too much lake water being drained to the Mississippi.