The United States is a country with tons of sights to see and endless places to visit. If you’re planning your itinerary, you might end up searching for common travel tips like “top things to do in Santa Fe” or “best places to eat in Los Angeles.” But if you want to experience a unique type of sightseeing, then you should go for an architecture trip around the United States.
America has a lot of tall skyscrapers, stunning buildings, and great neighborhoods. These architectural jewels tell stories about US history. To appreciate more of its aesthetic and historic appeal, make sure to add these great architecture cities of the United States in your must-see list.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco is known as the home of the Golden Gate Bridge. This marvelous bridge was completed in 1937 and has long been an American icon. To get the most scenic views of the Golden Gate, you can visit Crissy Field or Baker Beach on the south side.
Aside from this, San Francisco has a scenic backdrop and distinct architectural style that amplifies most of the city’s structures. In many neighborhoods, you can find significant sights such as the Victorian row houses in the Haight-Ashbury. In Alamo Square, there is also the pastel-colored Victorian “Painted Ladies.”
San Francisco houses the oldest and largest Chinatown, as well as the three younger and smaller ones. Also, don’t forget to visit the Beaux-Arts Palace of Fine Arts, the Fairmont Hotel, the triumphant City Hall, and the triangular Transamerica Pyramid.
Washington D.C.
The nation’s capital is where the most significant monuments, architectural landmarks, and government buildings are in the United States. Washington DC is the home of marvelous Neoclassical structures such as the White House, the United States Capitol Building, the Treasury Building, the Herbert C. Hoover Building, and the National Gallery of Art. The vibrant urban center of DC is also known for the National Mall that features iconic monuments.
You can find breathtaking memorials of the Founding Fathers, great leaders, and other national events. These are the Washington Monument, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Pentagon Memorial.
New York City
When we talk about great architectural marvels, there’s no other place in the world to see all of these than in New York City. The New York skyline is filled with countless skyscrapers and buildings, as well as other structures like bridges and public spaces. The One World Trade Center, for instance, is famous for being the tallest building in the United States and the Western hemisphere.
In Midtown, you can find the Art Deco masterpiece Empire State Building, New York Public Library, the Gothic revival St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity Church, the Chrysler Building, the Hearst Tower, the Waldorf Astoria, Carnegie Hall, and the Grand Central Terminal.
If you go on the Upper East Side, you’ll see the neoclassical Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. While the Rose Center for Earth and Space is found on the Upper West Side. The southern part of the island is where you’ll encounter the historic Brooklyn Bridge and the famous Flatiron Building. In every borough of New York City, there are neighborhoods with hidden architectural treasures.
Chicago, Illinois
If you want to visit the Birthplace of the Skyscraper, don’t miss Chicago. Some call this city the home of American architecture. In Chicago, you will appreciate the roots of exceptional engineering and design with 19th and 20th-century skyscrapers from the “Chicago School” of architects.
It is where the biggest names in architecture have long been connected, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan, Daniel H. Burnham, and William Le Baron Jenney. Chicago’s notable buildings and structures include the Tribune Tower, Willis (aka Sears) Tower, the Old Post Office, Montgomery Ward Complex, Lake Point Tower, and the John Hancock Center.
You can also visit the masterpiece building of the Art Institute of Chicago that features great displays of the country’s art. Aside from that, the city is known for the 24.5-acre Millennium Park where the popular “Cloud Gate” sculpture (aka “The Bean”) is. It is Chicago’s premier outdoor venue with a distinct bandshell designed by Frank Gehry.
