Chicago Architecture Center

09/26/2023

The Chicago Fire Department vacated this early 20th-century historic firehouse in Garfield Park/North Lawndale upon the completion of a new fire station. Sold in 2006 to a non-profit partnership and converted through pro bono design services from AAG Architects, the historic site reopened as the Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago (), an expansion of a series of hip-hop services for young adults started in 2003 by Pastor Phil Jackson.

See this site and more during Open House Chicago, 2023.

https://bit.ly/48qI3SJ

09/26/2023

Union Station's Clinton Street entrance, which has been closed for 4 decades after a deadly fire, has reopened.

Plans are in motion to make the space a new food hall.

📸 : Dave Newbart/Sun-Times

https://bit.ly/466DRG2

09/26/2023

Today is National Comic Book Day!

Did you know that CAC has published a graphic novel about Chicago architecture and history?

No Small Plans follows the neighborhood adventures of teens in Chicago's past, present, and future as they wrestle with designing the city they want, need, and deserve. It's inspired by the 1911 Wacker's Manual textbook that taught Chicago's young people about Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago.

All comic book fans need a copy of No Small Plans in their collection. Plus, every copy we sell enables us to give a copy away to a Chicago teen.

https://bit.ly/3PR31CN

09/25/2023

During Hispanic Heritage Month, discover Pilsen on our CAC walking tour. This neighborhood continues to welcome immigrants, adding to the mosaic that enriches urban life.

Walk a vibrant community whose architecture and art reflect the dreams of all who come to Chicago. You'll learn about Mexican and European influences through a wide range of commercial, residential, religious, and cultural sites.

📸 : Hector Duarte studio

https://bit.ly/3inBfO9

09/25/2023

Join us for the AIA Chicago ✨ Designight✨. Chicago is a city that prides itself on its extraordinary architecture. As a laboratory for innovation, Chicago’s architects never tire in their quest of creating beautiful and innovative masterpieces; buildings that contribute not just to our iconic skyline, but to the quality of life for its citizens.

During Designight, the CAC is proud to partner with AIA Chicago to present the People's Choice award, sponsored by Lerch Bates.

📸 : finalist from 2022, ComEd Recreation Center at Jane Addams Park, Tom Rossiter

https://bit.ly/46oXCZb

09/24/2023

Happy World Rivers Day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is known today as a place to play—any day you'll see River Cruises 🛥️ , water taxis 🚤 , kayakers 🐟 , tourists 🚶‍♂️ , and office workers taking lunch breaks while people-watching.

But the Chicago River was not always so idyllic. In 1860, the River was a working river that was described as "positively red with blood." 😬 It was a river busy with grain elevators 🌾 , swing bridges 🌉 and schooners ferrying lumber 🪵 from the northern woods of Michigan. It was a river that functioned as our city’s sewer—probably not our brightest idea. 🤢

Learn how the Chicago River, like the city itself, underwent a drastic makeover through the past 150 years https://bit.ly/422VcOH

📸 : Carbutt, John, 1832-1905 via Wikimedia Commons

09/24/2023

Look up! 6 spectacular Skybridges uplifting the urban landscape

⁠For clarity, this is not in Chicago! But we love to occasionally celebrate architecture in other locations.

Via: Architizer

https://bit.ly/3Rwk8uU



📸 : Steven Holl Architects

09/24/2023

It's a Chicago photographer's favorite time of the year! 🤩 Chicagohenge is in full effect. Check out this beautiful composition from CAC friend, Barry Butler and learn more about this effect at the link in bio.

📸 :

Link in bio. https://secretchicago.com/chicagohenge/

09/23/2023

🍂 Happy first day of fall, y'all! 🍂 Time for jeans 👖 , pumpkin spice 🎃 , fall leaves 🍁 and your favorite fall festival, Open House Chicago.

This beautiful fall photo was taken by CAC fan, during OHC2022.

📸 :

Link in bio.

09/22/2023

🤔 Can't decide on a CAC tour? Here are a few suggestions:

🧑‍🎨 Graceland Cemetery: learn about the movers and shakers of the 19th century and see monuments designed by the famous sculptors

🍾 Art Deco: The Loop: experience the Roaring 1920's with the glittering lobbies of some of the city's most beautiful Art Deco buildings

🚶‍♀️Walk the 606: hear the history of the railroad, get insights into the 4 neighborhoods the 606 passes through and learn about the process of re-imagining an old railroad viaduct

Details for these and all CAC tours: https://bit.ly/3sZ4NGc

09/22/2023

Get ready to head out to Lincoln Square during Open House Chicago! The Krause Music Store (Studio V Design) was architect Louis Sullivan’s final project and is one of this year's sites. The green terra-cotta facade, with its elaborate plant forms and geometric patterns, is one of Chicago's most recognizable storefronts. Plus, you'll get to see the inside, including the Zen garden 🧘

https://bit.ly/3PKZKoH

09/21/2023

Loving all that glitters in our skyline 🤩 ✨

📸 :

09/21/2023

Apple Michigan Avenue:

• Every design feature of the building minimizes the boundaries between the interior and exterior, including the ultra-thin roof and 32-foot glass walls

• The firm designed multiple cascading staircases with landings inside and outside the multi-story space. These staircases function as a “town hall,” where people can linger and exchange ideas.”

• Did you know? The plot of land the Chicago store stands on is unique because of its historic significance. It was here that Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler, lived.

https://bit.ly/3gG1Gfs

09/20/2023

It's Oktoberfest! 🍻 Which means it's time for CAC Pub Tours. Join us 9/24 for the Near North Pub Tour. You'll learn the rich history of the neighborhood, see a variety of living spaces, and visit a mix of pubs along the way.

Link in bio. https://www.architecture.org/tours/detail/pub-tour-near-north/

09/19/2023

Loyola University in Rogers Park is truly a gem on Lake Michigan. Take a virtual walk through the main campus, while learning about the rich history of this site.

9/27, 12:00 pm

$15 public/Free for CAC members

Link in bio. https://bit.ly/3Eu2JLO

09/19/2023

The Forum in Bronzeville is an incredible space that has been an OHC highlight over the years.

Built in 1897, The Forum includes a beautiful social and assembly hall that has hosted music greats from Nat ‘King’ Cole to Muddy Waters to the Jackson 5. During Open House Chicago 2023, visitors will enjoy performances by Sam Thousand and King’s Orchestra, Melody Angel, and Erthe St. James in the ballroom of The Forum Hall.

https://bit.ly/3fSpYGp

09/18/2023

Go for the Guinness 🍻 , stay for the stunning interior 🤩

Chicago’s Guinness Open Gate Brewery, only the second U.S. location for the famed Irish brewery, will soon open in the West Loop.

For beautiful interior photos: https://bit.ly/3rqq9i6

For more architectural information: https://bit.ly/48jZ2WB



📸: Kendall McCaugherty

09/16/2023

🚨 NEW TOUR ALERT! 🚨
Chicago's First Skyscrapers and Big Bus Bundle

Get an up-close look at these 19th Century marvels, learn about innovations used to build them, and discover how they transformed Chicago into a center of skyscraper design and engineering.

Highlights include Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888), Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium Building (1889), and Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895).

When your 2-hour tour concludes, use your 24-hour Big Bus pass to explore the rest of the city.

https://bit.ly/45T1Ybg

Hop aboard a Big Bus for an express trip to the Auditorium Theater where your Chicago’s First Skyscrapers…

09/16/2023

Did you know that today is National 🦇 Batman Day?? Ok, you may have known that but I bet you didn't know this...part of the Dark Knight was filmed at the Chicago Architecture Center. 😮 Check out this clip and you might recognize that the penthouse is actually CAC's 1st floor lecture hall.

https://bit.ly/3roO3up

09/15/2023

Hispanic Heritage Month starts today! Get to know Rene Cantu, a CAC Docent of Hispanic heritage whose passion for Chicago and architecture delights his tour attendees. Rene’s tours include Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age, and
What’s New.

www.architecture.org/tours

09/15/2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Designing Futures event last night held in the beautiful space, Convene, in the Willis Tower.

During the event we celebrated the first ever official Carol Ross Barney Day in Chicago! The first AIA Gold Medal Recipient from Chicago since Mies van der Rohe, Barney unapologetically breaks barriers, never staying silent in tough conversations. She brings immense integrity to architecture and design, and as she puts it “good design is a right, not merely a privilege."

Funds raised at Designing Futures will support CAC's free design education programs, like Girls Build!, Teen Fellows, and the Newhouse Architecture + Design Competition.

Learn more about the Chicago Architecture Center, our mission and how we serve the community: www.architecture.org

Ross Barney Architects

09/15/2023

Today is World Engineers Day! Take a moment to get to know one of the city's earliest and most influential engineers, William LeBaron Jenney. From a civil engineer in the Civil War to to engineering the first skyscraper, Jenney was invaluable in the creation of the American skyline.

https://bit.ly/3rd1ZYq

09/14/2023

🤩 Gorgeous! 🤩 's Grand Banking Hall in the Central Standard Building was completed in 1924 and stands as a neoclassical icon on LaSalle Street. Explore the lobby, vault room (which was once the largest safety vault in Chicago 😮 ), and Grand Banking Hall during this year's Open House Chicago.

📸 : Eric Rogers

https://bit.ly/3LnyQkg

09/14/2023

From the ✨ glitz ✨ of the Gold Coast and the Old Post Office to the 🙌 vibrancy of Chinatown, these 4 tours need to go in your 🪣 bucket list.

Check out architecture.org/tours for these and other CAC tours.

09/13/2023

This past Saturday, teens from all over Chicago joined us at CAC to learn about Architectural Photography. This workshop provided teens hands-on experience with a professional photographer and tested their new skills around the city.

Their photos are impressive! Congratulations to all the teens who participated in the program. We are excited to see what you create in the future!

Students with backpacks: Vivianna Yepez
Wrigley Building close-up: Vivianna Nieto
Wrigley Building Bridge: Max Filipiak
Marshall Field's clock: Maya Wrightsell
Marina Towers: Orbert Davis
Wrigley Building: Azalea Patterson
300 North Michigan Ave: Maya Deney
Fountain: Analia Arias

https://www.architecture.org/learn/teens/teen-programs/teen-saturday-studios/

09/12/2023

🚨 IT'S HERE!! 🗣️

✨Open House Chicago 2023 sites have been released✨

Visit openhousechicago.org for the complete list of sites and start creating your itinerary for OHC weekend, October 14-15. Then get ready to start exploring your city!

www.openhousechicago.org

09/12/2023

Can we get a couple more of these days before fall 🍂 goes into full swing? This view of the Ferris Wheel and St. Regis is spectacular.

📸 : via Instagram

09/11/2023

Is Mies's Chicago ready to replace "less is more" with "more is more is more is more is more is more..." 🤔

Introducing the latest design style: Maximalism.

📸 : Architizer



https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/the-new-maximalism-interior-architecture-design/

09/09/2023

Today is Drive Your Studebaker day! 🚗 It may be obscure, but Chicago has a cool Studebaker connection you can still see today.

Chicago's Fine Arts building (1898) on south Michigan Avenue, was once a thriving Studebaker dealership where the cars were on display through the large windows on the ground floor. When a car was purchased, the vehicle would be driven out a garage door on the south side of the building. Today, you can see the bricked-over arch that was once that garage door.

When it transformed into the Fine Arts building—an artists' colony that still exists today—the main theater became the "Studebaker Theater", keeping its history alive.

https://bit.ly/3gDQct8

09/09/2023

🚨 Last chance to take this tour in 2023 🚨

Step back in time and discover the secrets 🤫 , scandals, and architectural marvels of the late 19th century as we delve into two simultaneous events in the city's history: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 🎡 , and the emergence of the infamous serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes 👀 , whose gruesome acts unfolded amidst the backdrop of the World's Fair.

Our Devil in the White City bus 🚌 tour offers a unique blend of history, architectural discovery, and true crime. This is the last time this tour will be offered in 2023, so get your tickets 🎟️ now.

Link in bio. https://www.architecture.org/tours/detail/devil-in-the-white-city/

09/08/2023

Join us for a virtual walk through Loyola University Chicago's main campus in Rogers Park. We'll look at the rich history and architectural significance of the school's buildings along the beautiful lakeside site.

9/27, 12:00 pm
$15 public / Free for CAC members
Zoom Virtual Event

https://bit.ly/3Eu2JLO

09/07/2023

We're back with some great tours! We offer dozens of tours 😮 throughout the city. Get on out and explore! 🚶‍♀️
⁠
🌊 Evanston Along the Lake: take a walk through Evanston's beautiful historic district, organized in the 1850s by the founders of Northwestern University

🏠 Historic Austin: see the architectural gems of Austin, a former “railroad suburb” on Chicago’s West side

🧱 Rookery Building: explore the interior and exterior of one of Chicago’s most famous and beloved historic buildings

🎭 Uptown: get an overview of the neighborhood’s fascinating history, highlighting the evolution of its entertainment and arts district and ongoing preservation efforts
⁠
Details and tickets for these and more tours https://bit.ly/3sZ4NGc

09/06/2023

Chicago Architecture Center docents are the backbone of the organization, 💪 leading thousands of visitors on hundreds of tours every year. 😮

While CAC docents come from all walks of life, they have a passion for Chicago, its architecture, and the CAC.

And right now, the CAC is recruiting for the docent class of 2024. Applications need to be received by October 15th, and to become a docent you must attend one of the following informational sessions:

Thursday, September 14th at 5:30 (Via Zoom)
Sunday, September 17th at 10am (In-Person at our Gand Lecture Hall)

Details and to register: https://bit.ly/3uYeXIe

09/06/2023

Yesterday's sunrise was beautiful!

📸 : via Instagram

09/04/2023

Have you ever wondered about the origins of Labor Day? 🤔 Well, we have some answers!

The origins of Labor Day begin in Pullman—a planned community, or a "company town"—on Chicago's South Side. As a company town, Pullman was a neighborhood where virtually all buildings (stores, residences, etc.) were owned by the main employer of most of its residents, the Pullman Car Company owned by George Pullman.

Established in the 1880s, Pullman employed strict "company first" policies. He prohibited independent newspapers and public forums for discussion; inspectors routinely barged into homes under the guise of “inspections”; and leases could be terminated on a whim. George also did not want employees consuming alcohol, so he banned its sale within town limits.

Growing ill will among residents toward the oppressive town policies began to brew. When an economic downturn struck in 1894, George cut wages, but refused to lower rents. Worker tensions boiled over into the Pullman Strike.

The violent affair resulted in the death of 30 workers, dozens of injuries and a U.S. military intervention. In the aftermath of the strike, President Grover Cleveland and Congress created Labor Day, to be celebrated annually on the first Monday in September.

Learn more about Pullman FYI, the last paragraph is not yet updated...the National Park Foundation recently opened the Pullman National Monument Visitor Center 🙌 🙌 🙌 https://bit.ly/43P6wyW

09/03/2023

Happy National Skyscraper Day! 🏙️ Be sure to get out and hug a tall building today. 😉

09/02/2023

🎶 🎺 Jazz has been a staple in Chicago throughout the decades. From Bronzeville to Uptown, Chicago has hosted many jazz greats. One place you might not think of as a hub for jazz is the London Guarantee Building downtown.

In the early 1950s, the London House Jazz Club opened its doors on the building’s first floor. It was one of the foremost jazz clubs in the country and hosted musicians like Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Ramsey Lewis, Barbara Carroll and many others. As rock and roll began to eclipse jazz, the famous nightclub and restaurant closed its doors in the early 1970s.

https://bit.ly/3EnHxqG

09/01/2023

Want to be part of the biggest architecture fest in Chicago?? We are looking for volunteers for Open House Chicago 2023! OHC2023 is a FREE public architecture fest that gets you into some of the city's most spectacular places and spaces.

And being a volunteer has its benefits! All OHC Volunteers will receive an official OHC t-shirt 👕 , a discount in the CAC Store 🛍️ and for CAC Memberships 🪪 , 2 CAC walking tour passes 🎟️ and priority pass for you and a friend to use the whole OHC weekend. Prior experience or architecture education not required. We teach you everything you need to know!

Sign up today!

Details and more information: https://bit.ly/3Pjf9fN

08/31/2023

Did you know that the CAC offers more than 75 different tours around Chicago? 🤯Here are some tours that might pique your interest:

👿 Devil in the White City: you've read the book, now see the sites of the 1893 World's Fair
✍️ Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park: explore the works of arguably the most well-known architect in history
💎 Tiffany in Chicago: see the most magnificent art-glass and mosaic installations in the city
🏠 Wicker Park: a neighborhood known for a variety of architectural styles and a diverse and rich history

Details and tickets for these and more tours: www.architecture.org/tours

08/31/2023

Last call! 🎉 Sneak peek coming Sept 6 🎉

WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT OPEN HOUSE Chicago 2023?

Sign up to get first access to our list of neighborhoods, site announcements, and other fun surprises coming your way this year. Open House Chicago 2023, taking place October 14-15, 2023

https://bit.ly/3tFcfW8

📸: 110 N Wacker | Goettsch Partners | Nick Ulivieri Photography, courtesy Bank of America building