The concrete shell of an industry giant remains as a playground for graffiti artists, auto scrappers, and paintball warriors.

The world’s largest Masonic temple was saved by the White Stripes.

Enormous small-business mecca in the Midwest, serving dozens of artists.

These enduring murals depicting a distinctly Marxist tribute to capitalism could not even be defeated by McCarthyism.

Berry Gordy Jr.'s old home was the original headquarters of Motown Record Corporation.

A Beaux-Arts triumph set to become Ford's innovation campus

The Beaux-Arts aquarium boasts a vast collection of saltwater and freshwater fish on an island in the Detroit River.

Abandoned concert venue legendary for its rock counterculture.

This Detroit ruin was once a gothic bastion of its community, but now it stands as a haunting ruin.

"Polynesia on the Plains."

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.

A 400-foot-tall tall map of Chicago makes this once-ignored building stand out.

Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

The original Garfield station is the oldest station facility on the "L", with the station house dating from 1892.

Once at the center of U.S. finance, the historic Trading Room was meticulously recreated piece by piece and rebuilt in the Art Institute.

These chunky stone towers out in Lake Michigan are the key to Chicago’s drinking water.

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

This modest post office sits on the site of H.H. Holmes' famous murder castle.

The twin towers in this Chicago fountain use 50 foot tall video screens to spit on people.

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

Years of archaeology, just chillin' by the water cooler.