The Rookery Building is another skyscraper that makes architecture buffs all weak-kneed. Burnham and Root built it in 1888, and Frank Lloyd Wright remodeled the atrium 19 years later. Its magic is that while it looks like an imposing fortress on the outside, its interior is just the opposite – as bright and airy as a spring daisy.

You can walk in and look around for free. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust has an outpost/shop in the lobby and offers lunchtime tours at noon Mon-Fri ($7, except $12 Wed, which includes access to the Burnham Library). Tours are usually at 11am, noon and 1pm (reduced in winter, so check schedule).

The building inherited its name from the previous structure on-site, which was a favorite of roosting pigeons. The architects incorporated the bird motif. Check out the crows carved into the arched front entrance.

Budgeteers can also get their Wright fix in suburban Oak Park.

See and save more places to create your own itinerary or modify a Bindu itinerary.

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  Photo by jeffgunn