Chicago Architecture Center

We love the look of Marina City in the morning. 🌽

📸: via Instagram

Want a chance to have your photo featured in our social media? Just tag on Instagram!

Co-op grocer, Chicago Market, plans 2025 opening in the Ge**er building in Uptown.

The historic Ge**er building, the former ‘L’ station building at the corner of Wilson and Broadway, is a great example of adaptive reuse. The Chicago Market co-op plans a bright, beautiful full-service grocery store for the 13,000+ square foot space.

https://bit.ly/3UAZEBZ



📸 : Chicago Market

You may know that the design of the Tribune Tower at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River was selected through an architectural competition in the 1920's. But what would the city have looked like if a different plan was picked?

Architectural historian and cartoonist Luis Miguel Lus-Arana, known as Klaus, contemplated the same question and has reimagined downtown in his exhibition, “Welcome to Tribuneville: An Imaginary Vision of Old Chicago.”

https://bit.ly/3AfaaIq

📸: "Welcome to Tribuneville" is displayed across LED panels at 150 North Riverside, Photographer: Michael Salisbury

From kitchen counters to staircases to sculpture, marble has been used extensively in art, architecture, and design throughout history.

Marble was originally used as cladding in the 1970's for the Aon Building, however it was soon discovered that marble could not withstand the brutal Chicago winters. To avoid the danger of falling marble, the architects re-clad the building in granite, a much more sturdy material.

While extensive use of marble on the exterior of buildings is limited, marble can be found in the interiors of buildings throughout Chicago including the Field Museum, the Old Post Office (pictured) and the Chicago Cultural Center. What other Chicago buildings do you know that have marble features?

📸: Interior of the Old Post Office, Architect: Graham, Anderson, Probst and White

https://bit.ly/3YK7D2e

🎃 Happy Halloween! 👻 🧙

Explore five Chicago locations with eerie histories and urban legends, from ghostly apparitions at Camp Douglas to unexplained phenomena at Holy Name Cathedral.

https://bit.ly/4f33bl1

Did you visit the University Club of Chicago during OHC this year?? That fireplace was massive! (and the whole place was breathtakingly gorgeous)

📸: doorwaysofchicago via Instagram

University Club of Chicago

Love our river cruise? Help us secure the title of Best Tour in the Chicago Reader's 2024 Best-Of. Nominate and show your support! Check out the link in bio, type "Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady" in the box, and click nominate.

https://bit.ly/48zZOPV



Chicago Reader

✨ It's back! The Chicago Pedway tour returns—but not for long! ✨

Explore Chicago's underground on the Chicago Pedway tour before it returns to the vault in Spring 2025. You'll learn the history of the pedway and how it became an integral part of the city's urban plan. You'll discover the various Pedway businesses, links to rail and subway trains, and the interiors of a few of Chicago's famous historic and contemporary buildings.

https://bit.ly/3USc2Or

📸 Super shot of a super moon 🌙

📸 : via Instagram

Open House Chicago 2024 may be over, but but you can still explore the city with the Chicago Architecture Center! Limited tickets left for these upcoming tours:

🚶‍♂️ Civil War to Civil Rights at Oak Woods Cemetery: Visit the final resting place of Olympian Jesse Owens and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells Barnett

🌳 Millennium Park: Learn how architects, artists and engineers collaborated with Chicago’s movers and shakers to transform a railroad yard into a magnificent park

🌟 Gold Coast: Dearborn: Immerse in the Gold Coast’s charm with a walk on Dearborn Street, featuring early 1900s architecture and storied residential history

🌉 Movable Bridges: Witness the engineering marvel of Chicago’s moveable bridges, a testament to the city’s innovative spirit and architectural prowess

📸:
Grave of Jesse Owens as seen on the Oak Woods Cemetery tour
BP Bridge as seen on the Millennium Park tour. Photo by Dennis O'Neill.
1538 N. Dearborn as seen on the Gold Coast: Dearborn tour
DuSable Bridge as seen on the Movable Bridges tour, Architect: Edward Bennett

Visit the link in bio for information on these and all CAC tours: www.architecture.org/city-tours

🎭 Today is World Opera Day so let's take a look at Chicago's Civic Opera Building. 🎭

The Civic Opera Building was completed in 1929 and opened in November of that same year, just 6 days after the stock market crash. A spectacular hybrid of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the building is comprised of a 45-story office tower with two 22-story wings and a multi-use complex which is home to the world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The decorative character of the entire building and blend of styles give the building its stand-out characteristics. Comedy-tragedy masks and cornucopia of instruments abound as playful ornaments around entrances, inspired by the Paris Opera House designed by Jean-Louis-Charles Garnier.

Learn more about this building at: https://bit.ly/4hkL7Eb

🤩 The beautiful Riviera Theater during this year's Open House Chicago 🤩

📸: joshuamellin via Instagram

The Riviera Theatre Jam Productions

The Salt Shed is a 4000-person venue that has quickly become beloved among Chicagoans for its impressive acts, community involvement, and thoughtful renovation.

The site retains several original architectural features including the factory’s 4-inch-thick wood floors, iron skeleton frame, Chicago brick, metal warehouse doors, salt elevators, and more. The conveyor belt structure has been artfully repurposed as framing for the outdoor venue while the 50-foot-tall ceilings and column-free space indoors make it ideal for concerts.

📸: The Salt Shed, Architect: Graham, Anderson, Probst & White

Learn more about the Salt Shed https://bit.ly/4e68izo


The Salt Shed

📸 Did you take some great pics at Open House Chicago this past weekend? Don't forget to submit them to the first ever OHC Photo Competition—selected photos will be featured in an upcoming CAC exhibition!

Both seasoned photographers and novices are invited to participate!

We're looking for photos in the following categories:

- interior
- exterior
- architectural detail
- black and white

Please note, photos must be submitted by October 27th and each participant may submit no more than 4 photographs. Please read the full terms and conditions before submitting your entry.

https://bit.ly/3XzKM7T

The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival pairs community organizations in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood with diverse architectural designers to design and construct sukkahs—small outdoor pavilions built for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Explore the Sukkah Design Fest as well as CAC's Recovered exhibition—adjacent to each other in North Lawndale—before they're gone! For details, visit https://bit.ly/4hcqQAP

📸:
“Overstory” designed by Lindsey Krug, Andres Camacho, and Brad Silling; working with Sinai Chicago. Photograph by Brian Griffin for the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival.

“Twirl / Gira” designed by Cooperation Racine; working with Street Vendors Association of Chicago. Photograph by Brian Griffin for the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival.

We are still giddy over OHC2024! What were some of your favorite sites?

Check out this great pic from OHC site, One Pru by via Instagram

Check out this fun date night activity! LEGO and Libations is back and this time we're headed to ⭐ Big Star ⭐ in Wicker Park.

During this event, you'll learn about the design process while tackling a LEGO build challenge—perfect for first-timers and seasoned builders. Bring a friend, grab a drink and enjoy a hands-on workshop where you’ll think like a designer and bring your unique creation to life.

This event will sell out! Get tix soon.

For details and tickets: https://bit.ly/48jchYj

Big Star Chicago

Did you join us for Open House Chicago this weekend?

Tell us what you liked and your suggestions about the event at the link in bio. It will only take about 5 minutes and your input is so valuable!

https://bit.ly/4hh4sWQ

On Sunday September 22nd, over one hundred Scouts and their families visited CAC for a special day of educational workshops, and the opportunity to earn their architecture merit badge. See comments accompanying each picture to learn more about the day.

Open House Chicago relies on the dedication of hundreds of volunteers to make the event a success. Volunteers receive perks including swag and priority access passes for 2 to skip any OHC lines.

OHC 2024 may have ended but we're already thinking about OHC 2025! Interested in volunteering for this incredible event? Visit the link to sign up to volunteer at the next Open House Chicago!

https://bit.ly/3B2R8ow

Open House Chicago is presented by the Chicago Architecture Center—a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free educational opportunities in the fields of architecture, engineering, and design to young people from all backgrounds.

In addition to free programming for youth, the CAC offers free and discounted public programming, including Open House Chicago. These initiatives help to foster a sense of community, expand the public's knowledge of architecture and design, and inspire citizens to create the communities we all want and deserve.

If you have enjoyed Open House Chicago, please consider making a donation to help us keep these programs running, and check out architecture.org for information on upcoming events.

Thank you!

https://bit.ly/4h9viQT

Update: Astor Club is closing at 3:30 today. It will be open again for Open House Chicago on Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

See the details here: https://bit.ly/40b2ZLV

✨ Open House Chicago 2024 is underway! ✨ Big thank you to all of the volunteers who are making this festival happen. ❤️

These first few stops include the McCormick Bridgehouse, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, and Teatro ZinZanni. What sites have you checked out so far? Be sure to tag in your posts!