5 buildings worth the detour in Chicago

Designed by Mies van der Rohe as a quiet country retreat, this glass-and-steel structure reflects the modern architect’s signature style. It’s situated on a sparse piece of acreage that yields all attention to the building itself, and the fully restored 1951 interior is open for tours five days a week.

One of just 14 Baha’i temples in the world (and the only one in the United States), this intricate, dome-roofed structure was designed by Louis Bourgeois and completed in 1951 after 30 years of construction. In accordance with the Baha’i style, the nine-sided temple is surrounded by a series of nine pathways, all of which are surrounded by nine gardens.

If you’re even remotely interested in the work of prolific Chicago architect Frank Lloyd Wright, book an eye-opening tour of his home and studio. The exterior details of the adjoined buildings reflect the architect’s fondness for prairie-inspired ornamentation, and the interiors have been completely restored to their 1909 state – the last year the Wrights were in residence.

The famed architect and ‘father of skyscrapers’ Louis Sullivan built only two churches in his 50-year career, and this is one of them. Tucked onto a quiet residential street in the charming Ukrainian Village, the quaint cathedral features an octagonal dome and storybook bell tower, among other Eastern European flourishes. Tours are held most Saturday afternoons.

One of the best-preserved examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style of architecture, this is a rare opportunity to tour a nearly complete restoration. Narrowly saved from a bulldozer in the 1950s, the home was restored in the early aughts to its original style in 1910: the year the Robies moved in.