A View from the River: The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise Aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises

The story of Chicago is the story of its river. A View from the River is an essential guide to more than 60 significant buildings and structures along the Chicago River. This visual tour, filled with stunning contemporary photography and a variety of historical images, serves as a companion to the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises.

Since Chicago was founded in the 1830s, architects and engineers have designed this city through a series of unforgettable engineering marvels, from the buildings of the Chicago skyline to the Chicago River itself. The river, though a natural feature, has been dredged, straightened, and even had its direction reversed in the past 200 years. Today, the river flows through a canyon of skyscrapers, civic structures, waterside homes, and parks.

As the city grows and changes, the river and our understanding of it changes as well. Now in its third edition, A View from the River is updated to reflect the city's latest developments and to further explore Chicago's past, present, and future.