When it comes to architecture, Chicago sure has them all. With structures all over the city that display a wide range of different architectural styles, it is definitely ripe and ready to be known as an architectural mecca. In fact, the city recently announced its intent to exhibit the city in its full architectural glory this October, the start of a regular event for years to come if the first one works as planned. So grab a Universal Taxi and start hopping on some of these architectural wonders and be part of Chicago’s rise to architectural history:

• The Pavillion at Lincoln Park Zoo South Pond (by Studio Gang Architects). It was mainly inspired by a tortoise shell, as it was made from prefabricated bent wood and interconnected fiber glass pods.
• Marina City (by Bertrand Goldberg). A mixed bag of commercial and residential complexes, it takes up an entire block on State Street. It is unique because of the fact that it does not contain any interior right angles.
• Carbide and Carbon Building (by Daniel Burnham Jr.and Hubert Burnham). The building exterior is covered with polished black granite while the tower is a dark green terra cotta. The structure is defined by the gold leaf accents found on the tower.
• Pritzker Pavillion (by Frank Gehry). Formally known as the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, it serves as a band shell at the Millennium Park. This is where the country’s only remaining free outdoor classical music series are held.
• The Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology (by Mies van der Rohe). A true architectural beauty, it is no surprise that it houses the IIT’s College of Architecture.
• Robie House (by Frank Lloyd Wright). A National Historic Landmark found within the University of Chicago campus, it is seen as the best example of the Prairie School style.
• Inland Steel Building (by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). Using brushed stainless steel cladding with all structural columns found outside the building perimeter, the building’s interior is fully flexible with an open layout and no interior columns standing in the way.
• Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co.Building (by Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham). Now known as the Sullivan Center, it was first developed after the Chicago Great Fire of 1871.
• Lake Point Tower (by John Heinrich and George Schipporeit). A high-rise residential structure found right at Lake Michigan’s lakefront, it was inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s glass-curtained skyscraper design in Berlin in 1922.
• Chicago Cultural Center (by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge). One of the city’s most popular landmarks, it was designed for the city’s central library in 1892, as well as to become the Grand Army of the Republic meeting hall.

These do not even cover half of the magnificent structures that are strewn all over the city, and an entire day would not be enough to marvel at each of these beauties. So the next time you’re in Chicago, just ask a Universal Taxi driver to show you the architectural sites and brace yourself to be blown away.