Chicago is the architectural capital of the United States. It was the birthplace of the skyscraper, led so many architectural movements, and is home to so many masterpieces. "Chicago Architecture 101" is a six-part series of 45-minute tours chronologically profiling the major architectural styles found downtown, describing their influences and characteristics, and showcasing wonderful examples. All these styles build off each other and the stories are inter-connected, so I hope you can see all six parts in the series. With all the tours in this series taking place after sunset, you'll get fantastic night-time views of the architecture and surrounding skyline.

"Commercial Style" is the first part of the six-part "Chicago Architecture 101" series. When skyscrapers began appearing in Chicago in the 1880s, the tallest buildings ever seen in the history of world civilization emerged. This was a tremendous opportunity for architects, but it also posed a challenge: how do you organize the exterior facade for tall buildings? Along came a new style of design… the Chicago Commercial Style.

All of this and so much more is featured on this upcoming Tours With Mike virtual tour on Facebook Live. Throughout this interactive experience, you can engage with everyone else on the tour and your questions will be answered as we're together strolling through downtown Chicago. There is no charge for the live-streamed tour, but tips are appreciated and you can see the variety of ways to send them here.

Register for this virtual event for free here and then log into Facebook at the start time to watch the live-stream. The recording will be available on the Tours With Mike Facebook page for the following 48 hours in case you would like to check it out again or if you know anyone who would like to see it. I hope to see you as we explore Chicago’s amazing architecture!