Chicago City Hall & County Building, Chicago

This edifice may look like your average government headquarters, but it’s really two office buildings in a trench coat-designed around light wells and doing double duty as City Council headquarters, thanks to a two-story interruption in the office floors.

The idea behind it was to build an eleven-story structure that wouldn't scream “skyscraper!” The solution was achieved by doubling the size of the exterior façade, reducing the number of windows, and introducing the biggest columns Chicago had ever seen-seventy-five feet tall, hollow, and made from fifteen massive granite slices. The Corinthian capitals on top are so tall, they’re basically equal to an extra floor. And to hold all that decorative drama in place, ten-foot-wide underground caissons were used. Yep, it’s as much sculpture as it is structure.

Wrapped in Classical Revival style, the whole thing was officially unveiled in 1911. Step up to the Chicago City Hall entrance and you’ll see four granite relief panels, each representing one of the city government’s Big Four concerns: playgrounds, schools, parks, and water supply. Head inside and you’re greeted by elegant marble staircases and bronze plaques honoring the many city halls Chicago has cycled through since 1837 (with this current one being the fanciest).

In 2006, the City Hall’s roof got a green makeover (literally). A full-blown garden was planted up top as part of a study on green roofs-tracking everything from heat island effects and stormwater runoff to which plants could hack it in Chicago’s mood-swinging weather. Bonus: it gave scientists the chance to compare energy use with the old-school roof on the County side next door.

So, yes, it's official: bureaucracy has never looked this architecturally ambitious-or environmentally curious.