Back in the early 1940s, Mies was still very new to the city. This particular design at the Illinois Institute of Technology campus (IIT) was the architect’s first commission for the school. It was also his first building in the country.

Unlike his first few buildings for IIT, Wishnick Hall hints at the full on steel beam and glass construction that would become what Mies was known for designing. In 2006, the building underwent a renovation effort that restored the lobby, auditorium, and hallways.

When it was constructed, this building was known as the Mechanical and Chemical Engineering Building. This design, centered around a vine-covered courtyard, was the architect’s largest building at IIT.

Perhaps one of Mies' most well-known projects, the twin apartment towers on Lake Shore Drive were the first residential project to use fully exposed steel I-beams. The use of this structural design on such a prominent sight signaled a pivotal moment in the Miesian Modern movement.

This small building was intentionally designed to be unassuming. Of the building, Mies once said, “There is nothing spectacular about this chapel; it was not meant to be spectacular. It was meant to be simple, and in fact, it is simple. But in its simplicity it is not primitive, but noble, and in its smallness it is great, in fact, monumental.”

This long, single story building was built to serve as the IIT campus' cafeteria and amenity space. It was restored in 2003, and still used as a dining hall for students.

Here’s another famous Mies and Greenwald project. The original site plan called for four towers, but ultimately the team opted for two. The apartments here have incredible views of Lake Michigan, which you can take a look into here.

The Mies Society says that this building is “by all accounts, a masterpiece.” The short, steel and glass building was a groundbreaking achievement at the time, but also very pricey. Designed and built as the home of IIT's School of Architecture and Institute of Design, the building would also become immortalized in Stanley Tigerman's collage, “The Titanic.”

In 1958, Mies retired from IIT and worked on projects for other cities in the following years (notably, the 39-story Seagram Building in New York City). However, in 1963, the architect’s focus returned back to Chicago to design and construction this aluminum, concrete and glass tower near Lake Michigan.

The School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago was Mies' last project before his death in 1969. The building’s design is heavily influenced by IIT’s Crown Hall—it’s one-story, steel beam construction is quite similar.

Finished after Mies’ death, this 52-story downtown tower is known to locals as the IBM building. Sitting along the Chicago River, it’s one of the first building’s pointed out on architectural river cruises. Not solely offices anymore, the monolithic, no-nonsense tower now houses the high-end Langham Hotel.