Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City is a title that pops up frequently in reading groups possibly because it is a non-fiction book that seems so incredibly like fiction. It is the story of the building of the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, a massive undertaking created in difficult circumstances and in very little time led by master architect, Daniel Burnham. Interwoven with this story of the artistic and engineering triumphs of a century ago is the concurrent true-crime tale of mass murderer H.H. Holmes. The publisher's website for the book has an interview with author, Erik Larson, and links to information about the fair, the architect, and the murderer. For more information and pictures of the fair, go to this World's Columbian Exhibition website.
For other stories of true crime, browse in the stacks at 364.15.
For books on the Chicago school of architecture browse in the 725's.
For information on America's Gilded Age, try the reference book of the same title by Eyewitness Books in Reference 973.8 CLA