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Chicago Educational Tours: Focus on Architecture

By revtjb | September 29, 2008

Through travel, we discover our world.  Isn’t that why any of us do it?  We want to gain a better understanding of humanity and nature, to bring the world and its vast but universal concepts to a smaller, more tangible plane.  This is certainly the goal for most student travel.

If you are an administrator, you are probably always looking for unique themes for educational tours or perhaps just unique places to complement the best and classic themes like American history, government, and the arts. 

Every city has at least one claim to fame.  Each location has its own famous attractions, the ones that get new visitors every day as well as loyal fans.  Maybe a city stands out for its performing arts, its historic sites and battlegrounds, or its prominence in government.  Although no city wants to be relegated to only one theme, Chicago is certainly famous for this one:  Its unique and celebrated architecture. 

Educational tours to Chicago are perfect for a study in this highly practical artistic skill.  As you may know, almost all of Chicago’s historic downtown was destroyed in a fire in 1871.  Almost immediately, Chicago rose from the flames as not only a city that survives but as a leader in modern world architecture.

For a grassroots kind of study in architecture, the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation offers a look into this prestigious architect’s home and studio, the one he used for the first twenty years of his world-renowned career.  Frank Lloyd Wright believed that beautiful design made a difference in our lives.  What better way to begin a study in this truth than through his legacy in a city famous for its artistic design.

An overview of Chicago’s exciting architecture might best be given from the water on an architectural cruise.  These take place usually from around Navy Pier, navigating the Chicago River with an expert guide pointing out the prominent buildings in Chicago’s skyline. 

For a closer look, students really must experience the Sears Tower and observation deck.  This building is still considered the tallest office building in the world, so its Skydeck is a must-see.  Inside are interactive computers, which further describe Chicago’s celebrated architecture and important buildings and landmarks.

The John Hancock Center offers another sky-high observatory.  This one is open air and therefore literally a breathtaking experience.  The cross-bracing exterior on this building creates an innovative way to allow more office space within the structure floor space that support beams would normally constrict.  The downtown State Building, formally the John R. Thompson building, is yet another celebration of artistic design.  This curved building is almost completely glass-enclosed, even to its glass-paneled ceiling.

Besides the skyscrapers and other unique buildings, Chicago also has beautifully artistic sculptures throughout the city.  Millennium Park is a great addition to any Chicago tour.  It is part sprawling park, part showcase for architecture and landscape design, and part center for music and art.  There are three very notable highlights to the Park.  The Crown Fountain is an innovative artistic tribute to Chicago with faces of actual residents on a 50-foot screen, their mouths forming the water spout that creates the fountain. 

The nearby Jay Pritzker Pavilion is a sculpted and technological masterpiece.  Its state of the art outdoor sound system reaches up to 10,000 listeners in the spacious park.  Finally, Millennium Park is where you can find what is fast becoming one of the most recognizable Chicago landmarks.  Nicknamed “the bean”, this stainless steel sculpture is curved to embrace the beautiful Chicago skyline.  Formally titled “Cloud Gate”, it was designed to better connect its admirers to Chicago’s skyline as well as the clouds and sky above.

Chicago is a Midwest treasure.  Its world-renowned architecture is perfect for educational tours, graduation trips, and any kind of travel with the purpose of helping students connect to their world.

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