Historically interesting places
Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield
This is a complex of several buildings on an area of approximately 50,000 m², including the Lincoln House in Springfield, which they lived in from 1844 until they moved to the White House in 1861 and the tomb of Abraham Lincoln.
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The tomb was built from 1868 to 1876. It consists of a monument, a 36 m high granite obelisk and the actual burial site in which there is a bronze replica of the famous Lincoln statue in Washington DC and a 7 ton marble cenotaph located above the Lincoln tomb. The house and tomb of Abraham Lincoln can be visited, but you have to get an entry ticket to the Lincoln Home Visitors Center.
| Contact | 413 South Eighth Street Springfield, Illinois 62701 www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm |
Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield
This is one of the few attractions in Springfield that has nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln. The building was built in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright in prairie style, which can be attributed to organic architecture. The heiress to the property, which arose from silver mines, Susan Lawrence Dana lived in the house from 1904 to 1928. The house has belonged to the state of Illinois since 1981 and was restored to the state of 1910. The Dana-Thomas House is considered one of the best preserved works by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Office in Springfield
The Lincoln-Herdon Law Office is the former law firm of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield. The historic building was built in 1822 in a brick look. From 1844 to 1852, Abraham Lincoln worked as a lawyer with changing legal partners. Guided tours are available and give a good picture of Lincoln’s early political work.
| Contact | 6th & Adams Springfield, Illinois 62701 www.oldstatecapitol.org/office.htm |
Special buildings and structures
Willis Tower (Sears Tower) in Chicago.
The Willis Tower, which was called Sears Tower until 2009, is the tallest building in Chicago in The Loop business center and is currently the tallest skyscraper in the United States and one of the tallest buildings in the world. It was designed by the architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and built from 1970 to 1974.
The Willis Tower has a height of 442 m and with the antenna installation it is even 527 m. After its construction, it was initially the tallest building in the world, it replaced the World Trade Center. Nowadays it stands in the shadow of the Burj Chalifa in Dubai with a height of 830 m. On the 103rd floor at 412 m, the Willis Tower has a visitor platform called Skydeck, which offers wonderful views over Chicago and on clear days in 4 US states. The top of the antenna is 708 meters above sea level, making it the highest point in Illinois by far because the state’s tallest mountain, Charles Mound, ends only 376 meters above sea level.
| Contact | 233 S Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 |
Illinois State Capitol in Springfield
The Illinois State Capitol in the city of Springfield is the seat of the government of the State of Illinois. The building was constructed from 1869 to 1889 and is already the sixth state capitol in the state. The style of the building is attributable to the French Renaissance. The State Capitol has a height of approx. 110 m and is the highest of all State Capitols, with the exception of those that were built with a skyscraper look. The dome of the State Capitol dome covered with zinc to give it a silver look. The floor plan of the building resembles a Christian cross and the interior is particularly impressive due to the artistic decoration of the dome.
| Contact | 401 South 2nd Street Springfield, Illinois 62701 |
Chicago City Hall
The Chicago City Hall is the seat of government of the Chicago city government. The building impresses with huge columns, which however do not begin on the floor but only start from the second floor. A garden has been on the roof of the building since 2001. This was created as part of an attempt to create a green city.
| Contact | 121 N La Salle St, # 507 Chicago, Illinois 60602 |
Eli’s Cheesecake World in Chicago
Eli’s Cheesecake World in the city of Chicago is the largest cheesecake bakery in the world. The city of Chicago is also known as the capital of cheesecake. The bakery’s production area covers a total of 5,800 m². You can join tours that lead through the production process and also taste a piece of the cake.
| Contact | 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr Chicago, Illinois 60634 www.elicheesecake.com |
Round towers of the Marina City in Chicago
These are two round towers in the business center The Loop in Chicago. They were built by Bertrand Goldberg in 1963/64 and have a height of approx. 180 m. Chicago residents jokingly refer to them as “corn on the cob”. The concept of the towers was a mixed living concept, for example the lower 19 floors are simple parking areas and were supposed to counteract the “depopulation” of the city center. Nowadays the round towers also house the House of Blues, a concert hall and a cinema.
| Contact | 329 N. Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 |
The Loop
is a skyscraper district located behind the port of Chicago, which is the city’s main business and financial center. The Loop in Chicago is the second largest major business and financial center of a city in the United States after Manhattan in New York. The loop means something like loop and comes from the fact that a funicular around 1900 enclosed the area like a loop.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Illinois
Browse a collection of state, city, and historical maps of this US state.
Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/illinois.html
Illinois – Digital Atlas of Chicago and Cook County
City and county populations are shown by race, nationality, income and level of education. Part of the American Cities Atlas Project.
Website: http://130.166.124.2/chipg1.html
Illinois – National Geographic Map Machine
Provides a shaded-relief map of the state known as the Land of Lincoln. Find out what the state’s economic resources are.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/atlas/usstates/sillin
Illinois – University of Texas Library
Scan historical maps of Chicago, Dixon and Rock Island in 1919, topographic city maps, a Chicago metro-area map, and a state outline.
Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/illinois.h
Illinois – US Census Bureau Map
Clickable map is organized by county. Includes an economic census and population estimates.
Website: http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/17.html
