Historic Loop Skyscrapers- Chicago, IL

Published On: Mar 14, 2007


Chicago's magnificent skylineDowntown Chicago's historical center is what locals call "The Loop." After Manhattan, it is the second biggest financial business area in the USA. Strictly speaking, the loop is Community area 32, a small part of downtown, but more often than not the term is used to denote the entire downtown area of the city dominated by skyscrapers.

The Loop is a term that is said to have originated from the route of a cable car that looped around the central business center - the historic loop skyscrapers - in 1882. This appears to be incorrect as the name was in use before the elevated cable car - the Chicago 'L' trains- loop.

The Loop is an area of some 40 or more historic landmarks including, Sears Tower, now America's loftiest building, The John Hancock Tower, The Home Insurance Building, considered by many to be the first skyscraper, The Chicago Board of Trade Building, and many more.

Chicago is a city famous for its skyscrapers. It was in the 19th century that a group of brave and daring architects with an equally adventurous group of civil engineers developed a type of high-rise building that was to become known colloquially as the skyscraper. This earned Chicago the unofficial, but greatly deserved, title of "The First City of Architecture."

There are a number of Historic Chicago Loop Skyscraper Tours. These are generally walking tours of Chicago's downtown. You will learn about the buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1871 and are now considered to be the forerunners of what became known as the modern skyscraper. From there the skyline that you see today is one that was formed between the mid-1870s and the 1930s.

During this building phase period many historic and splendid examples of modern architecture were constructed. These include The Rookery, The Auditorium Building, The James R. Thompson Center, and The Inland Steel Building. It is no wonder that the people of the windy city claim that, "The City is our Museum."

Walking tours of the historic loop skyscrapers is a Chicago activity that is best suited for adults. Children are likely to be quickly bored by all the technical details, as well as what they might consider "just buildings." The view from the tops of some of the higher buildings is something that children will likely enjoy, but otherwise it is probably best considered an adult only activity.

The census of 2000 revealed that 16,388 people live in The Loop. Forbes cited 60602 as being the most prestigious zip code in the country due to its proliferation of up market buildings, coming in ahead of even Manhattan itself. The Loop is not all about historic buildings. It has some impressive outdoor sculptures by such art luminaries as Jean Dubuffet, Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso.

Chicago's historic loop skyscrapers are not nearly as densely packed as those in New York's. This gives them a more graceful and picturesque appearance. Residential real estate in The Loop area is at a premium, however, with an average price coming close to three-quarters of a million dollars.



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