CHICAGO HAS A RICH ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY

Taking a boat ride down the Chicago River is like traveling on a time machine. The boat glides under the Michigan Avenue Bridge and heads into the heart of the city, as the shimmering white Wrigley Building and neo-Gothic Tribune Tower rise to the north. The next, you can see the Marina Towers. They were built in the early 1960s. In between, there are glass-and-steel skyscrapers that were constructed in the 1950s and after. The architecture of Chicago, Illinois, is a collage of new and old. People from around the world come to the Midwestern city simply to admire the buildings.

The city's rise in the world of architecture began after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which destroyed most of the buildings. The city needed to be rebuilt. In the late 19th century, the city's architects rose to the challenge. They designed everything from skyscrapers to quaint homes that are now part of the so-called "Bungalow Belt." Their work made them leaders in their field.

Now, Chicago is considered to be the home of the modern skyscraper. Among the most famous are the 110-story Sears Tower - the tallest building in the United States - and the Hancock Tower, along Lake Michigan.

"We have always thought big," says Charles Stanford, a guide and architecture expert with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. "Chicago was always bold about the way we built. We sort of really do believe that the sky is the limit. If engineering takes us there, we'll go."

Unlike the East Coast, where many buildings are based on European styles, Chicago stands on its own. Historically, its architects put aside common ideas about design. They created a unique and different way of building. The idea for the modern skyscraper came from Chicago. The city boasts some of the most famous of these super-tall buildings. They include the 110-story Sears Tower—the tallest building in the U.S.—and the Hancock Tower, along Lake Michigan.

There are plenty of big names in architecture. Some, like Louis Sullivan and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who built skyscrapers. Others, like Frank Lloyd Wright, who built homes and public buildings by using new ideas. Wright often looked to nature and geometric shapes for his designs. The Architecture Foundation organizes tours of the works of the city's famed builders.

Mark Sexton is an architect. He says that today's builders look back at the city's historic buildings as they plan for the future. "Here's a great opportunity not to be timid," Sexton said. "Because Burham, Sullivan and Wright were not timid. They were pushing the limits of technology and thinking. We thought we should do the same thing."

He said Chicago is special because classic and modern buildings complement each other.