AIA Guide to Chicago, Second Edition

Updated in 2004, the AIA Guide to Chicago is still the liveliest and most wide-ranging guide ever to cover Chicago’s built environment. The book is arranged geographically so that the user, whether Chicago citizen or visitor, whether by foot or by car, will experience the architecture of a particular area as conveniently as possible.

Chicago is justly celebrated as the birthplace of modern architecture. Some of the greatest American architects, including Louis H. Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, designed buildings that became landmarks. But the history of the Chicago cityscape was also written by architects—sometimes obscure, sometimes anonymous—who kept alive the romance of traditional design. And the treasures are found not only in the central city but also in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.

More than a thousand individual buildings are featured in 574 pages, along with over 400 photos—many taken expressly for this volume. Building descriptions focus on the illuminating but easily overlooked details that give the behind-the-scenes, often unexpected story of why a building took the shape it did. And in the best Chicago tradition, the book does not shy away from an opinion where an opinion is called for. $30.00 paperback

"The AIA Guide to Chicago does far more than merely catalog structures of stone, steel and glass. It opens a portal on the city’s soul, revealing how architects came to create the classy urban sightscape that so defines the everyday experience of Chicago." -- Erik Larson, author of Devil in the White City

Click here to order or call 312/670-7770