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Chicago’s Art Deco Skyscrapers

With stunning photography and abundant historical details, this book is a treasure trove that will delight any fan of architecture, Chicago, or the Art Deco era.

Chicago is America’s premier city for both historic and modern architecture. Even so, many of its finest buildings remain little known to visitors and Chicagoans alike. In Chicago’s Art Deco Skyscrapers, Joseph Gustaitis showcases nearly two dozen Art Deco towers that were built during the exhilarating years of the Jazz Age, from 1927 to 1933. These skyscrapers exemplify a state of mind from the time—an optimistic, forward-looking aesthetic that has been called the “last of the total styles,” as well as the first American style that spread across the globe. In the time between the Great War and the Great Depression, cities and their architects embraced industrial modernity and the exciting new possibilities of scale. Exploring places like the Board of Trade Building, the Merchandise Mart, and the Carbide and Carbon tower, Gustaitis tells the stories of their creation, architects and developers, construction and financing, zoning and engineering, and so much more.

With stunning aerial photography by Ian McClellan, this book also includes color photos of the buildings’ features, vintage images, a travel map, and in-depth historical information. Chicago’s Art Deco Skyscrapers is both a guidebook to these remarkable structures and a history of the upbeat era that created them. 


232 pages | 47 color plates, 91 halftones | 8 1/2 x 11 | © 2026

Architecture: American Architecture, History of Architecture

Chicago and Illinois

History: Urban History

Reviews

Chicago’s Art Deco Skyscrapers is a fascinating look at an important phase of the city’s legendary architectural history. Gustaitis’s approach is that of a careful historian as he presents not only the architectural history of these buildings but gives the reader a wider look at the era in which these graceful structures transformed the Chicago skyline. A must-read for anyone interested in urban architecture or the history of Chicago.”

Dominic A. Pacyga, author of Chicago: A Biography

“Both Chicagoans and visitors alike will find Chicago’s Art Deco Skyscrapers to be the definitive volume for anyone who has ever admired the magnificent towers that define one of the world’s great skylines. This book makes it clear that Chicago didn’t just build skyscrapers—it built monuments. The stunning aerial photographs in addition to vintage images of the stylish interiors capture the elegance, detail, and grandeur of Chicago’s architectural treasures and make the book as visually captivating as it is informative.”

Joseph Loundy, president, Chicago Art Deco Society

“In a scant six years, Chicago added twenty Art Deco skyscrapers to its world-class skyline, creating some of the city’s most striking buildings. Gustaitis masterfully brings them to life and shows how these towers are not only beautiful but also reflect an era of optimism and modernity. This book is sure to spark renewed interest in and respect for this distinctive architectural style—with Chicago at its center.”

Greg Borzo, author of Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains

Table of Contents

Introduction
No. 1: 333 North Michigan
No. 2: Chicago Motor Club
No. 3: 10 West Elm
No. 4: Northwest Tower
No. 5: Powhatan Apartments
No. 6: Carbide and Carbon Building
No. 7: Palmolive Building
No. 8: Chicago Daily News Building
No 9: Civic Opera House
No. 10: Foreman State National Bank
No. 11: Buckingham Building
No. 12: La Salle-Wacker Building
No. 13: Trustees System Service Building
No. 14: One North La Salle
No. 15: Chicago Board of Trade Building
No. 16: Mundelein Center
No. 17: Merchandise Mart
No. 18: Lawson House YMCA
No. 19: Central Post Office
No. 20: Field Building
Conclusion


Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

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