The Architecture Buff's Guide to Chicago

After the Great Fire of 1871 leveled Chicago, the "Windy City" took the opportunity to reinvent itself, setting off a campaign of reconstruction that saw the city welcome some of the biggest names in architecture to the Midwest. Over the decades that followed, Chicago became a proving ground for innovative new designs and techniques. Today, downtown Chicago is one of the world’s great open-air museums, showcasing masterworks by luminaries like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. In a city famous for its architecture, here are some of its best buildings. Slideshow

Despite the controversy over its upcoming name change, the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building remains as impressive as ever. When it was completed in 1973, the 1,450-foot Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building, a title it would hold until the Petronas Towers surpassed it in 1998. With its blocky, glass-and-steel aesthetic, the office building continues to be one of Chicago’s most recognizable symbols. The main attractions for visitors are the 99th- and 103rd-floor skydecks, which look out over Lake Michigan and four different states; visibility tops 50 miles on clear days. Admission is $12.95 for a full-price adult ticket. Photo by: Adam Fagen

This story originally appeared on Matador Network, a Dwell partner site. Adam Roy is a travel writer for Matador Network. Read all his posts here.