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Thank you to everyone who participated in our inaugural Arch Madness competition!

The votes are in, and our 2020 Arch Madness Champion is:

The Rookery!

With almost 63% of the vote, The Rookery claimed the title over Marina City.

Why did The Rookery take home the crown? Here’s what voters said:

“A magnificent light-flooded atrium, stairways that seem suspended in air, designs and finishes by Frank Lloyd Wright, the genius of John Root buoyed by the organizational leadership of Daniel Burnham–the Rookery has all of the best of Chicago’s architectural heritage wrapped up in one superb package!”

“The Rookery— Burnham & Root and Frank Lloyd Wright — oh my! Plus, pre build, the site was occupied not only by crows but also the empty water tank that served as the initial book repository for the Chicago Public Library AND the B&R conference room is where the architects met to plan the WCE. Nothing against Marina City but The Rookery has demonstrated staying power (and a mean jump shot)!”

“If I cannot have the Monadnock, I’ll take Burnham, Root, and Wright, wrapped in one. We should celebrate our earliest skyscrapers and phenomenal architects by choosing The Rookery: innovative grillage support, transitional hybrid load-bearing and steel frame structure, romantically exotic exterior terra cotta by Chicago’s Northwestern Terra Cotta Company, elegant welcoming light court, refined interior iron work, and carefully thought out updates over decades.”

“Depicts so much of Chicago’s history: load-bearing, steel skeleton, JW Root’s imagination, FLW re-do, what was on the site previously, inspiration for other designs (H Washington Library), always a winner with CAC tour guests.”

“People can see Rookery beauty inside and out. Its beauty, engineering, and design is a great story.”

And, since Marina City reached the very end, I feel it’s only fair to also share a few responses from folks who chose it as their winner:

“Marina City is Chicago at its best. It takes the simple unadorned geometry of modernism and turns it its head with its curvilinear form. In a city full of tacked-on balconies, it is still the best integration of outdoor space into a high-rise building. Best of all, it adorns the cover of the best album ever to come out of Chicago, Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.”

“Marina City is an icon even Archie Bunker would appreciate, built on the shoulders of working people. It’s the most-recognized building near Chicago’s birthplace. And in mid-20th-century, it bravely stuck its modern toes in the river water that made Chicago, reclaiming Chicago’s birthright. River cruises and the Riverwalk are more enjoyable because it made an architectural wake.”

Well folks, that’s it for Arch Madness (at least for now). The comments are open for some civil debate or to brag about your bracket. Thanks for playing!