BIG NEWS: WE’RE BACK ON WACKER—AND THE WATER!

Beginning next Friday, July 3, we’re thrilled to welcome you back to the Chicago Architecture Center and Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruises aboard Chicago’s First Lady. The Center’s new hours are 10am to 4pm, Thursdays through Mondays; admission remains $12 for adults, $8 for students with valid ID and FREE to CAC members and children ages 5 and younger.

At the Center, you’ll notice we’ve taken full advantage of our temporary closure by improving and updating our two largest exhibits. Look for new models on display in our spacious Drake Family Skyscraper Gallery and more than 30 new buildings in the Chicago City Model Experience! Read more about these exciting changes in The Architect’s Newspaper.

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THREE WAYS TO TOUR SAFELY

Walking tours that begin at the Center resume with its reopening July 3, departing at 10:30am, 1pm and 3pm Thursdays through Mondays, including Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time, Mid-Century Modern and Must-See Chicago. In addition, the CAC has reinstated nearly 50 other walking tour options in various neighborhoods, other parts of downtown and several suburbs. To view the full calendar, visit architecture.org/tours. Public tours start at $26 and are FREE for CAC members!

Not ready to take a tour with people outside your household? My Social Circle private tours and Architecture Conversations custom tours are a great option for close friends and families who have isolated together. The CAC’s COVID-19 safety policies for walking tours apply to all private and custom tours as well.

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All Center visitors and attendees of all CAC tours are asked to acknowledge and accept our COVID-19 safety policies. To support appropriate distancing, each walking tour is limited to a maximum of six attendees. Visit our website to purchase tickets, required in advance for all CAC tours. Walk-ups without reservations cannot be accommodated at this time.

The CAC Call Center will reopen beginning July 3, from 10am to 3pm daily. Please call 312.922.TOUR for assistance.

Explore the wonders of Chicago as a CAC member! You’ll see our fascinating city in a whole new way with great perks like FREE CAC Live virtual tours led by expert docents—and a host of amazing benefits including FREE walking tours that are second to none. Memberships start at just $80.

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CAC LIVE

Women in Architecture Tour
Tuesday, June 30 at 5:30pm
Sunday, July 5 at 1pm

While women in architecture and design professions were historically limited by glass ceilings, they’ve secured bigger and more visible roles in the 21st century, opening and running their own offices and designing buildings that have changed cities and skylines the world over.

Retail Revolution on State Street
Wednesday, July 1 at 7pm
Saturday, August 8 at 1pm

CAC docent Brian Kelly shares how innovative collaborations between merchants and architects—along with the emergence of architecturally significant department stores—brought a retail revolution to State Street in the 19th and 20th centuries.

CAC FOR THE FAMILY

REGISTRATION ENDS SOON FOR TWO MORE CAC SUMMER CAMPS

The deadline to join us for CAC Summer Camps for the week of July 20 is Wednesday, July 8 at 5pm. Save your spot today for Design Your Neighborhood 1.0, for campers ages 8 to 10, and Design Your Neighborhood 2.0, for campers ages 11 to 14. Younger campers are encouraged to hone their observational skills through introductions to sketching and model-building, while older campers attend virtual tours and talk with design experts about their planning decisions.

READ AND BUILD

From author Andrea Beaty, creator of “Iggy Peck, Architect” and “Rosie Revere, Engineer,” enjoy an at-home activity inspired by “Sofia Valdez, Future Prez,” as read by CAC Senior Manager of Education and Experience Angela Esposito.

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LITTLE HOUSES ON THE PRAIRIE

The West Side neighborhood of Galewood, formerly a golf course and farmland, features an impressive collection of classic bungalows and revival homes in a panoply of architectural styles including Colonial, Norman, Romantic, Spanish, Tudor and even a little Art Deco. CAC docent and Galewood resident Tom Drebenstedt tells its story.

MODERNISM, THEN AND NOW

The postwar period lasted roughly 25 years, with numerous Chicago-based architects and firms affirming the city’s status as a global design center. While the era has since passed, its echoes are still felt today as contemporary architects reference, remix and revive the tenets of Modernism. This week, CAC staff share some of their favorite local buildings from—or inspired by—mid-20th century Chicago.

Save the date for the CAC’s annual gala—Open Doors Open Minds—online on Thursday, July 23 at 6pm Central Time! This FREE virtual experience will be entertaining and mission-driven—perhaps with a few surprises. Together, we will toast our honorees Edward J. Wehmer, Founder and CEO of Wintrust, and Nila Leiserowitz, recently retired Regional Managing Principal at Gensler. Stay tuned for more information.

THE LATEST

The CAC remains committed to providing the safest possible experience for its entire community of members, staff, visitors, volunteers and tour attendees. All Center visitors and CAC walking tour attendees are prompted to acknowledge and accept the CAC’s COVID-19 safety policies supporting recommendations from public health officials and developed in accordance with the Protecting Chicago and Restoring Illinois frameworks.

Thanks to generous gifts from our Board of Trustees, contributions through June 30 will be matched up to $50,000!