Overview
Completely revised and updated, AIA Guide to Chicago, Second Edition is the liveliest and most wide-ranging guide ever written about Chicago's architecture. More than a thousand individual buildings are featured, along with more than four hundred photos-many taken expressly for this volume-and thirty-five specially commissioned maps. The book is arranged geographically so that the user, whether Chicago citizen or visitor, can tour each area of the city as conveniently as possible. 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, this guide does not shy away from opinions where opinions are called for.
Comprehensively researched, meticulously written, and more than thorough.
The result of years of research and writing conducted under the auspices of the AIA and other prestigious organizations, this long-needed book will prove fascinating and invaluable to anyone with an interest in modern architecture and urban design and preservation. 400 photos. 25 maps.
Synopsis
For residents and visitors, a Baedeker of more than 1,000 houses, office towers, theaters, libraries, and other buildings in the city celebrated as the birthplace of modern architecture. The guide is illustrative rather than encyclopedic, presenting a representative selection of buildings in addition to the city's essential landmarks. The neighborhoods chosen (31 of them, plus Chicago-O'Hare International Airport) display a range of types, styles, and eras. The work is more or less portable, though at 574 pages not exactly pocket-size. Nicely illustrated in b&w, with 35 maps. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR