Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago Ave. and the River, Chicago
A powerful work of utilitarian architecture, a pioneering use of reinforced concrete and a postcard featuring a never-built tower–this is a good one.
Illinois
Second Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois
A once-stately hotel demolished and replaced by a steel-and-glass office building, an Italianate survivor still chugging along nearly 150 years later after a recent rehab, and between them a 1970s pedestrian mall intended to revitalize downtown Rock Island as commerce moved to the suburbs.
Sunken Garden, Humboldt Park, Chicago
One of Jens Jensen’s least favorite works, he called Humboldt Park’s sunken formal garden “a folly of my youth”–and that was before half a century of neglect filled in the water court and ripped up the flower beds.
Executive House Hotel, 71 E. Wacker, Chicago
A record-setting engineering feat and still looking fresh nearly 65 years later, 71 E. Wacker is a quiet star on Chicago's riverfront.
Government Bridge between Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois
The spiritual heir to the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi River, this is actually the fourth bridge connecting Davenport to Rock Island’s Arsenal Island.