Almost since the dawn of urban living, people have constructed spaces for viewing cities from above. This talk explores Chicago’s extraordinary history as a center for creating unique and imaginative functions for “spaces atop the city.” Theses spaces “above” have served as observation decks open to all to such unanticipated functions as places to pose for photographs above the city, gathering spots for extraordinary clubs, sites for daredevil stunts, pinnacles for conveying power and communication, and eye-catching emblems. In recent years, Chicago has become, once again, a center of innovative ideas for how to use ‘spaces atop the city’ in adventurous new ways. The lecture is a preview of Tony Macaluso’s forthcoming book.