subject: Chicago Celebrates A Rich History In Architecture By Honoring The One Hundred Year Anniversary [print this page] One of the best ways to view the unique buildings that make up many of the largest cities in the world is by boat. Chicago in particular has many buildings that are easy to see along the river on one of the many boat tours that run daily. Weather excepting, seeing the birthplace of the modern skyscrapers from an uninterrupted ground view places you at a unique vantage to appreciate the architecture that developed in this Midwestern American city.
2009 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Plan of Chicago developed by Daniel Burnham, a visionary in his time. Daniel Burnham was raised in the Windy City and became one of the architects who made long lasting contributions to the fields of city planning and urban design. In his 'Plan of Chicago', he tried to incorporate traffic patterns and green open spaces. He was responsible for the design of the 1892 World's Colombian Exposition to mark the 400 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New world. It was an amazing feat for its time, considering that Chicago had largely burnt to the ground in 1871 in the Great Fire, a mere 21 years earlier.
The debris from that fire was turned into the land that helped the city go from being a marshy, illness breeding swamp to one of the biggest metropolises in America. Chicago has had the unique position of being able to reinvent itself time and again, literally 'rising from the ashes' to have rebuilt the city bigger and better.
Chicago has such buildings as the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, the world's tallest building for twenty-four years(from 1974 to 1998) and still the tallest building in North America; the revolutionary styles of the roaring 1920's manifested in the Tribune Tower, the enormous Merchandise Mart and Montgomery Ward warehouse and offices; and the bold styles of the late Twentieth Century such as the Lake Point Tower, Two Prudential Plaza and Suiss'otel. It is continuing to change and develop its amazing skyline with projects currently under construction like the Trump Tower Chicago and the Chicago Spire.
Buildings like these will continue to show that the Windy City is one of the most amazing building achievements of mankind. From boat trips out on the Lake to see fireworks to the awesome skyscrapers that line the Chicago River, it has something to offer every temperament. If you have motion sickness worries, bring the Dramamine. Don't miss out.
