A goddess-topped water fountain in Chicago was created thanks to the dreams of a thirsty newsboy.

This Mediterranean castle was built for a millionaire and his giant dog.

Man-made geyser that rises to the exact height of the Gateway Arch.

The dream home of an iconoclastic renaissance man still stands as a monument to his domestically mundane vision.

Planes, trains, and automobiles have all been sunk as attractions at this Illinois diving spot.

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

This architectural stunner is one of the few surviving Egyptian Revival theaters in the U.S.

This historic lavatory leftover features two levels of defecation stations completely without context.

A shining sculpture made of 3,115 lights, the number of visible stars in the Northern Hemisphere.

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.

In the loving memory of a tragically deceased role-player this Illinois park is decked out with both dungeons and dragons.

Orthodox church partially financed by Tsar Nicolas II.

This alley in downtown Chicago held the bodies of over 600 people after the fateful Iroquois Theatre fire.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

A bloodstain from "the wound of the transverberation of the heart."

This botanical garden outside Chicago boasts an array of more than 300 varieties of lilacs.

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

An eccentric park and pool.

This urban drawbridge gained eternal pop culture fame when the Blues Brothers jumped it while it was raised.

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.

First known as the "Sample House," this construction mash-up was meant to be a living catalogue of building styles.