In a fire often blamed on a cow, many of the historic buildings in Chicago were destroyed in The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This means few historic buildings from the city of Chicago remain.

The good news is that the city of Chicago was rebuilt, stronger than ever before and is now home to many fascinating architectural wonders in the following categories. Flying on a private plane to Chicago affords you plenty of time to take in as many of these marvels of design and construction as you like.

Churches and Basilicas

Chicago is home to some 365 Catholic churches and basilicas, though other religions have architecturally interesting churches in Chicago as well.

Below are some of the highlights among Chicago churches to take in if you are a fan of architecture.

• Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica
• Hyacinth
• Queen of All Saints (Gothic-Modern)
• St. Hedwig Catholic Church
• Old St. Patrick’s Church (the oldest standing church in the city of Chicago and the oldest “public building” in the city)
• Mary of the Angels
• Holy Family Church (founded in 1857 and the second oldest in Chicago)

There are some tours that are dedicated to the many beautiful churches in in Chicago. Consider one of the tours, but make sure you schedule your private jet to Chicago to arrive in time to accommodate local tour times.

Chicago Skyscrapers

Chicago is a city well known for its stunning skyline. With many important buildings lining the landscape, it may be difficult, at first glance, to identify the architectural gems. These are a few you may want to look for while flying into Chicago on your private airplane flight:

• Wrigley Building
• John Hancock Center
• Marina City
• Chicago Board of Trade Building
• Sears Tower
• AON Tower (the largest “green” building in the U.S. according to Luxury Travel Magazine)
• Inland Steel Building
• Lake Point Tower
• Aqua Tower

Some of the skyscrapers are mixed-use buildings with residential floors along with space set aside for commercial use, business, institutional use, and even cultural purposes.

Residential Buildings

Some homes in Chicago are architecturally interesting and the subject of many guided tours, including a guided bicycle tour of historic neighborhoods containing many homes and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the tours, a walking tour, even allows visitors to explore the interiors of some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s inspired-creations.

Another neighborhood to visit for residential building styles that are uniquely Chicago is Lincoln Park. One building, located at 546 W. Deming Place is of particular interest as it is designed with the Four plus One Style where the bottom floor was devoted to parking and serving as a lobby while the four upper floors of the five-story building were residential apartments. It was unique in that it was designed to get around some of the trickier Chicago building codes while fitting 24 apartments on a lot that once held a single family home.

Fascinating Architectural Tours and Sights to Consider

When flying into Chicago on a private jet, you’re sure to see many tours going on around the city, including a few harbor tours that allow you to explore some of the interesting city architecture by boat. Aside from these there are bike tours, walking tours, helicopter tours, and even Segway tours that point out various points of interest throughout the city. Each one offers a unique view – one tour even offering binoculars to all participants so they can point out specific exterior details and features of the buildings.

In addition to the many great buildings in the City there are also other points of interest to take the time to see during your Chicago architectural tour, like Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, which is often referred to as the Bean because of its bean-like shape, and Navy Pier.

The bespoke travel arm of Presidential Aviation specializes in arranging fully customized travel experiences to suit your interests and lifestyle to any destination throughout the world, including Chicago, of course.

Call Presidential Aviation today and let us deal with the details of your travel to Chicago so you can turn your attention to more important things, like choosing which architectural sites you’ll visit first.