AIA Guide to Chicago (Hardcover)

by American Institute of Architects Chicago Chapter (Corporate Author), Chicago Architecture Foundation (Corporate Author), Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois (Corporate Author), Alice Sinkevitch (Editor), Laurie McGovern Petersen (Editor) "CHICAGO HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN CITIES..." (more)
Key Phrases: pleasant home, pumping station, university apartments, Michigan Ave, Queen Anne, Prairie School (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Even the taxi drivers in Chicago talk about architecture. But only now, a century after the World's Columbian Exposition, the city has an architectural guide on a par with the AIA Guide to New York City (Harvest: Harcourt, 1988), long the standard for this type of work. Geographically arranged by neighborhoods (including Oak Park, for the Wright reason), the book is highly selective (roughly 1000 buildings receive comment) but also contextual, with examples from the bungalow neighborhoods as well as the high points in the Loop. Building entries range from 50 to 500 words, and areas or neighborhoods get succinct character introductions. Buy it at O'Hare; your taxi driver won't part with his copy. Essential for all architecture collections.
- Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Even the taxi drivers in Chicago talk about architecture. But only now, a century after the World's Columbian Exposition, the city has an architectural guide on a par with the AIA Guide to New York City (Harvest: Harcourt, 1988), long the standard for this type of work. Geographically arranged by neighborhoods (including Oak Park, for the Wright reason), the book is highly selective (roughly 1000 buildings receive comment) but also contextual, with examples from the bungalow neighborhoods as well as the high points in the Loop. Building entries range from 50 to 500 words, and areas or neighborhoods get succinct character introductions. Buy it at O'Hare; your taxi driver won't part with his copy. Essential for all architecture collections. - Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs. (Library Journal ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 541 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1st edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015138018X
• ISBN-13: 978-0151380183
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,584,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a solid, valuable visual guide to Chicago's architecture, March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: AIA Guide to Chicago (Paperback)

Chicago is generally known as one of the centers of modernist architecture, and this visual guidebook, complete with maps, photographs and authoritative little essays on most of the important buildings, is a must-buy if you plan to tour this richly textured urban center. It's also one of the best small resources for anyone interested in architecture from 1850 to the present. Inexpensive, designed to slip in your pocket, it holds up well-- I depend upon mine to help me with the walking tours of the city I give on a regular basis, and it's still in one piece after three or more years of hard use.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but Chicago deserves better, January 26, 2008

By	J. L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: AIA Guide to Chicago (Paperback)

Limited to the Chicago city limits and Oak Park, the selection of buildings is good, but certainly not exhaustive (Evanston would have been a nice addition). Since commercial architecture is so important to Chicago history, there is a palpable emphasis on these structures. The book is in standard AIA format, with short essays for each entry, some including a small photograph. In fact, the major flaw with this book, in my opinion, is the lack of effective photography. There's a photograph for, perhaps, one out of every ten building entries, and the entries that do include photos are often not that interesting. One tries to come away from this book with a mental image of Chicago, derived from the text, but with little assistance from photography. There are also more than a few entries that include no text, simply the building name, address, date and architect. Keep your favorite internet map program handy.

There are so many magnificent things to see in Chicago, it's a shame this guide doesn't much help us to see them. That (critical) matter aside, it's a solid and important addition to the AIA-sponsored series.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Windy City, August 24, 2005

By	Shannon Deason "SchylarRex" (Houston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Only one other city is so steaped in architecture history than Chicago and this guide does a commendable job of highlighting the most important Chicago buildings, the synopsis on each building is susinct, the only qualm I have is that there are not more pictures, I also wish the authors had ventured more into the suburbs and commented on some of the great houses in Lake Forest and Highland Park, but that omission does not mar the overall enjoyment of this scholarly guide. If you are interested in architecture at all, I recommend you pick up this book, Chicago is so steaped in architecture history and this is a good guide to the best examples.