Midwestern Modern

By ROBIN CHERRY

A Road Trip to the American Heartland’s Architectural Masterpieces

People associate the Midwest with wide plains and cornfields, but surprisingly modern architecture has its roots here. After Chicago was ravaged by the Great Fire of 1871, architects embraced modernism and introduced it to neighboring states. This 8-day excursion features architectural icons from Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, and Mies van der Rohe. It begins and ends in Chicago, while taking in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Day 1 Chicago

Tribune Tower & Wrigley Building

Check into the Omni Chicago Hotel on the Magnificent Mile. After a recent renovation inspired by Louis Sullivan’s sketches, the hotel pays homage to the city’s iconic architecture. It’s conveniently within walking distance of Tribune Tower, The Wrigley Building, and the Water Tower, one of the few buildings to survive the fire. The Chicago Architecture Foundation Center’s River Cruise is a perfect overview of the city’s architecture.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation Center’s River Cruise

Day 2 Chicago to Davenport

❸ Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio

Head to Oak Park to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio where he created his hallmark Prairie style and The Robie House, considered the consummate expression of that style. Then head to Plano to visit Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, a glass and steel single room house in perfect harmony with its natural setting. Drive to Moline to see Eero Saarinen’s

Farnsworth House

Deere & Co. Administration Building, clad in glass and Corten steel that turns earth-colored as it ages. Enter Iowa and visit Davenport’s minimalist glass-clad Figge Art Museum, the first major American building by British architect David Chipperfield. Then drive to Iowa City.

Deere & Co. Administration Building

Day 3 Iowa City to Sioux City

University of Iowa

Explore the campus of the University of Iowa to see contemporary buildings by Frank Gehry, Gunnar Birkerts, and Steven Holl. From there travel to Grinnell to see Merchants National Bank, one of Louis Sullivan’s eight “jewel box” banks noted for its ornate terra cotta entryway and stain-glassed windows. Continue on to Des Moines Art Center museum which was designed by Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and Richard Meier.

Des Moines Art Center museum

The three buildings are set in a park with a reflecting pool and a sculpture garden. En route to Sioux City, take a short detour to Madrid’s 9-High Trestle Bridge, a tunnel of steel frames that crosses the Des Moines River.

High Trestle Bridge

Day 4 Sioux City to Owatonna

The Woodbury County Courthouse is the largest Prairie-style structure in the world. Its Roman brick exterior is decorated with terra cotta, metal grillwork, and classical figures; inside there are magnificent murals and a stained glass dome. The Art Deco Badgerow Building prominently features Native American heads in its design.

The Woodbury County Courthouse

Day 5 Owatonna to Dubuque

National Farmers’ Bank

Owatonna is home to Louis Sullivan’s first bank: National Farmers’ Bank. With ornate stenciling, stained glass windows, and cast-iron chandeliers, it’s considered his finest. The Owatonna Power Plant Building is a city icon. Renovated after a flood, the brick building with silver smokestacks and red neon lettering has been repurposed as administrative offices but kept its architectural purity. En route to Dubuque, stop in Winona and see Purcell & Elmslie’s Merchants National Bank which is known for its Tiffany-inspired stained glass windows and terra cotta bald eagle. Then head south along the Mississippi River to Dubuque on the Great River Road, a National Scenic Byway that follows the river from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Great River Road

Day 6 Dubuque to Madison

Eagle Point Park

On a bluff overlooking the river, Eagle Point Park is the only large example of Prairie-style landscaping. Alfred Caldwell’s buildings and gardens were inspired by Wright. Two of Wright’s most important sites, Taliesin III and the Unitarian Meeting House, are currently closed due to COVID-19, but updated information is available at franklloydwright.org. Taliesin III was Wright’s primary home, studio, and school, while the meetinghouse is an innovative example of church architecture.

Taliesin III

Day 7 Madison to Milwaukee

En route to Milwaukee, stop in Columbus to see Sullivan’s Union Bank, in Delafield to see the St. John Chrysostum Church which was built in the Carpenter Gothic-style by Richard Upjohn best known for Manhattan’s Trinity Church, and in Wauwatosa, home of Wright’s circular Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

St. John Chrysostum

Day 8 Milwaukee to Chicago

War Memorial Center

The Milwaukee Art Museum complex includes Eero Saarinen’s modernist War Memorial Center and the Quadracci Pavillon, Santiago Calatrava’s first US building. The pavilion is topped by a moveable, wing-like sunscreen. In Racine, check out Wright’s Johnson Wax Building; its curved brick exterior lined with windows made from 43 miles of glass tubing. Inside, open spaces are punctuated with soaring mushroom-shaped columns. From here, it’s less than two hours to Chicago.

Quadracci Pavillon

Wright’s Johnson Wax

Day 8 Milwaukee to Chicago

The Milwaukee Art Museum complex includes Eero Saarinen’s modernist War Memorial Center and the Quadracci Pavillon, Santiago Calatrava’s first US building. The pavilion is topped by a moveable, wing-like sunscreen. In Racine, check out Wright’s Johnson Wax Building; its curved brick exterior lined with windows made from 43 miles of glass tubing. Inside, open spaces are punctuated with soaring mushroom-shaped columns. From here, it’s less than two hours to Chicago.

To plan your Midwestern road trip, contact your trusted travel advisor today.