From Daniel Burnham, (who designed the "White City" of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition), to Frank Lloyd Wright to Mies van der Rohe’s famous steel and glass skyscrapers, Chicago’s landmark buildings are unforgettable.

The Great Fire of 1871 played a pivotal part in shaping Chicago’s skyline today, voted best in America. No one knows for certain how it started, although folklore seems to point to a barn on the city’s west side. The blaze began early on a Sunday morning on October 8, 1871. By early Monday morning it had jumped the river and reached the business district. The fire burned until late Monday when rain helped douse the flames. By then, it had destroyed 17,000 buildings and caused $200 million in damage.

After the fire, Chicago was a blank slate and the city reinvented itself as the great modern metropolis it is today. Architects and landscape designers flocked here from around the country and the Chicago School of Architecture was born.

Burnham Plan Centennial

Architect Daniel Burnham and a group of committed civic leaders created a Plan of Chicago in 1909 committing the city to a series of integrated building projects that shaped modern Chicago. To mark the 100th anniversary of the plan, Chicago is hosting numerous events and educational programmes examining and celebrating the region’s past and future.

Public Art

Some of Chicago’s finest art can be found in public. Leading the list is the untitled work by Pablo Picasso at Daley Center Plaza (at Dearborn and Washington Streets). A Jean Miro rests across Washington, and don’t miss the stone mosaic by Marc Chagall at Dearborn and Monroe Streets.

Explore the Loop

You can learn more about the Loop thanks to three downloadable audio walking tours that feature timeless art, famous landmarks and historic theatres in Chicago.