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Theresa Goodrich
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Living Landmarks of Chicago Paperback – April 17, 2021

by Theresa L. Goodrich (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
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From the man shipped home in a rum barrel to the most dangerous woman in America, Chicago history comes to life in these tantalizing tales.

UPDATED WITH IMAGES! Each landmark's chapter now features an historic black and white photo.

Living Landmarks of Chicago goes beyond the what, when, and where to tell the how and why of fifty Chicago landmarks. More than a book about architecture, these are stories of the people who made Chicago and many of its most popular tourist attractions what they are today. Each chapter is a vignette that introduces the landmark and brings it to life, and the book is organized chronologically to illustrate the development of the city's distinct personality. These fifty landmarks weave an interconnected tale of Chicago between 1836 and 1932 (and beyond).

History lines Chicago’s sidewalks. Stroll down LaSalle or Dearborn or State and you’ll see skyscrapers that have been there for a century or more. It’s easy to scurry by, to dismiss the building itself, but a hunt for placards turns up landmarks every few feet, it seems. Here’s a Chicago landmark; there’s a National Historic landmark. They’re everywhere.

Ironically, these skyscrapers keep the city grounded; they illustrate a past where visionaries took fanciful, impossible ideas and made them reality. Buildings sinking? Raise them. River polluting the lake and its precious drinking water? Reverse it. Overpopulation and urban sprawl making it challenging to get to work? Build up. From the bare to the ornate, from exposed beams to ornamented facades, the city’s architecture is unrestrainedly various yet provides a cohesive, beautiful skyline that illustrates the creativity of necessity, and the necessity of creativity.

After a sound-bite history of the city’s origins, you’ll meet the oldest house in Chicago—or is it? Kinda. Sorta. Depends on who you ask.

That’s Chicago. Nothing’s simple, and nothing can be taken for granted. The reason the city has a gorgeous skyline and a vibrant culture and a notorious reputation for graft is because of those who built it, envisioned it, manipulated it.

Add Living Landmarks of Chicago to your cart and see what made Chicago so very...Chicago.

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  1. Print length
    369 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 17, 2021
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.93 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0960049576
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0960049578
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful bible of Chicago." Dina Bair, WGN-TV

From the Inside Flap

In this dive into Chicago history, Theresa L. Goodrich tells the stories of fifty significant Chicago landmarks. Each chapter is a vignette that introduces the landmark and brings it to life, and the book is organized chronologically to illustrate the development of the city's distinct personality.
These fifty landmarks weave an interconnected tale of Chicago between 1836 and 1932 (and beyond).
Landmarks listed as Original Name (Current Name, if changed)
  1. Clarke House
  2. Lake Park (Grant Park)
  3. Charles Hull House (Hull-House Museum)
  4. Lake Park (Lincoln Park & Lincoln Park Zoo)
  5. Water Tower & Pumping Station
  6. Page Brothers Building
  7. Palmer House
  8. Bryant Block (Delaware Building)
  9. Nickerson Mansion (Driehaus Museum)
  10. Studebaker Brothers' Lake Front Carriage Repository (Fine Arts Building)
  11. Glessner House
  12. Rookery Building
  13. Auditorium Building
  14. Monadnock Block
  15. Charnley House (Charnley-Persky House)
  16. Marshall Field and Company Building (Macy's on State Street)
  17. Palace of Fine Arts (Museum of Science & Industry)
  18. Art Institute of Chicago
  19. Newberry Library
  20. New York Life Insurance Building (Kimpton Gray)
  21. Tree Studios
  22. Chicago Varnish Company (Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse)
  23. Chicago Public Library (Chicago Cultural Center)
  24. Schlesinger & Mayer (Sullivan Center)
  25. Orchestra Hall (Symphony Center)
  26. Majestic Building and Theater (CIBC Theatre)
  27. The Blackstone Hotel
  28. Federal Life Building (Hotel Julian)
  29. D. B. Fisk & Company (Hotel Monaco)
  30. Municipal Pier #2 (Navy Pier)
  31. Michigan Avenue Bridge (DuSable Bridge)
  32. The Drake Hotel
  33. Wrigley Building
  34. Columbian Museum of Chicago (Field Museum)
  35. The Chicago Theatre
  36. London Guarantee & Accident Building (LondonHouse Hotel)
  37. The Chicago Temple
  38. Union Station
  39. Tribune Tower
  40. Bismarck Hotel (Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago)
  41. Oriental Theatre (James M. Nederlander Theatre)
  42. Stevens Hotel (Hilton Chicago)
  43. Medinah Athletic Club (InterContinental Chicago)
  44. Carbide and Carbon Building (Pendry Chicago)
  45. Civic Opera House
  46. Adler Planetarium
  47. Shedd Aquarium
  48. Chicago Board of Trade Building
  49. Merchandise Mart (theMART)
  50. Chicago Historical Society (Chicago History Museum)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Local Tourist, The (April 17, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 369 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0960049576
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0960049578
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.93 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

About the author

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Theresa Goodrich

Theresa Goodrich

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Theresa L. Goodrich is an Emmy-winning author and the force behind thelocaltourist.com, a site dedicated to telling in-depth stories of magnificent, quirky, and unique places. A passionate member of the Midwest Travel Network, Theresa is slightly obsessed with writing, road trips, camping, and history. She’s turned these interests into the Two Lane Gems book series, first-person travelogues highlighting the beauty and diversity of the U.S.A. Her book Living Landmarks of Chicago is an historical look at fifty of the Windy City’s significant landmarks. She’s driven, often literally, to inspire you to get off the interstates and explore the towns and communities that make the United States a constant and welcome surprise.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
54 global ratings
Learning about history can be fun!
5 Stars
Learning about history can be fun!
I started the book with the intention of reading one or two chapters, thinking that I'd probably do that every day as part of my morning 'ritual.' Instead, I found myself about halfway through the book before I realized how much I had read.Goodrich has a unique and special voice as an author. She is first and foremost a storyteller, and her style combines a quirky sense of humor with a historian's thirst for facts. Rather than being a dull "and then, and then, and then" kind of history book, this one reads like an adventure tale. After the first few pages, you will find yourself fascinated and wanting to read more.Chicago has a weird, twisty, sometimes dark yet ultimately uplifting history - and Goodrich perfectly captures all of the strange dichotomies that have made Chicago such a unique place. You can feel her passion and love for the city on every page, and it draws the reader in rather like she was sitting there telling you the story in person.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the history of Chicago’s outstanding architecture. I love just spending a day walking around downtown and will now have a better understanding of what I see. Highly recommend for kindred spirits.
2 people found this helpful
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Rockin Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
I have lived in/near Chicago for decades and found myself surprised at how little I knew about it's history. Clearly, the author has spent much time researching and adores this town. Great coffee table book or gift!
6 people found this helpful
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Tonya
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Book for Arm Chair Travelers
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a great book to read for those planning a trip to Chicago or those just looking for an arm chair escape. Interesting, well written and easy to read.
2 people found this helpful
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Joseph
5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
I have been looking for a book like this about Chicago for a long time. I absolutely love this book. Thank you.
2 people found this helpful
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don townsend
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Chicago
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Loved the author. Enjoyed her “voice”.. wishing her well and looking forward to spending time with her on her next journey.
3 people found this helpful
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#1 Cleveland Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars A Landmark Chicago book
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
I love Chicago books.
This is definitely one of the best.
Great stories about landmark buildings of Chicago. The author has done a great job researching and writing.
Highest recommendation
3 people found this helpful
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Chad Stephens
4.0 out of 5 stars Number four.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023
Great book to read.
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M. Pilgeram
5.0 out of 5 stars Goodrich's research and storytelling bring these iconic Chicago landmarks to life.
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021
A book about my favorite city? I’ve had a love affair with Chicago for as long as I can remember, and I’ve read nearly every book I could get my hands on - fact, fiction, and all the anecdotal tales in between.

For many years, I was a well-paid private railcar chef for some of Chicago’s wealthiest industrialists. Often, I’d overhear beguiling stories about people and landmarks, and I was eager to learn more. Between trips, I spend myriad days on the cars in the railyards on South Roosevelt. Sometimes, with a big fat cash tip in my pocket, I’d haul my tired body to a luxury hotel to be pampered for a day or two. I’d dig deep to learn more about this historical city, its brick and mortar landmarks, and the people responsible during these times. Finally, twenty years later, it’s as though Goodrich read my mind and handed me the goods in "Living Landmarks of Chicago."

A meticulous researcher and a gifted storyteller, she combines her talents to weave important historical facts with little-known morsels that bring these legends to life. For instance, I learned that one of my favorite sweets (brownies) was created by the chef in one of my favorite hotels (Palmer House) because owner Bertha wanted guests to have a “handheld dessert!”

Tea at the iconic Palm Court, Drake Hotel, and lunch at the historic Walnut Room, Marshall Fields (sorry Macy's) will be even richer experiences on my next visit, thanks to Goodrich's insightful knowledge of these timeless beauties.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours in Union Station, in rail cars, parked on the river track, under the old Harvey House and the Great Hall. Finally, I know their storied history. I don’t remember all fifty of the landmarks Goodrich chose, but, I’m so fascinated, I now endeavor to visit each one.
3 people found this helpful
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