ONLINE PROGRAMS AND VIRTUAL TOURS CONTINUE

As we move through fall toward winter, the CAC is proud to continue offering engaging programs and virtual tours with architects, authors, designers, industry leaders and expertly trained CAC docents. Register today for these upcoming events and bookmark our online events calendar for more to come. As always, CAC members enjoy FREE or discounted registration.

Sacred Spaces in Downtown Chicago
Wednesday, November 25 at noon

Chicago’s skyscraper-studded downtown core is home to a surprising number of houses of worship, serving believers of multiple faiths and representing a wide variety of architectural styles. This daytime program reveals the architectural splendor, intricate details and religious symbolism of five sacred spaces in and around the Loop.

The Fields: Wrigley, Soldier and Guaranteed Rate
Wednesday, December 9 at noon

CAC docent council president Kent Foutty leads this virtual program highlighting three of Chicago’s most storied and recognizable arenas. One old, one new and one completely redesigned, these ballfields host games watched by millions worldwide, as well as the memories of generations of sports fans.

Chicago’s Holiday Traditions
Wednesday, December 23 at noon

Chicago has a habit of going “all in” for the holiday season. Join CAC docents Barbara Breakstone and Leslie Clark Lewis to hear the history behind these traditions, and learn how city landmarks get into the spirit, from display windows at Macy’s on State Street to the lions standing guard at the Art Institute of Chicago.

SAVE THE DATE—DECEMBER 1—AND SUPPORT THE CAC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

This year for the first time, CAC is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. The extraordinary decline in tourism in 2020—necessary to help prevent the spread of COVID-19—continues to severely limit the CAC’s ability to earn revenue. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the CAC—whether today or on #GivingTuesday, December 1—to help us weather this crisis and reemerge at full capacity once it’s finally safe to do so.

DONATE

PARTNER PROGRAM

Building Chicago’s Public Spaces with Julia Bachrach
Wednesday, December 2 at 6pm

The CAC is delighted to join forces with the Chicago Public Library Foundation for a special presentation led by historian and Chicago parks expert Julia Bachrach. Register today to learn more about public fieldhouses—an influential building type invented in Chicago—and the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 World’s Fair, better known today as the Museum of Science and Industry.

THESE BEAUTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING

If Paris is “a moveable feast,” Chicago is a visual one and, with each CAC walking tour temporarily limited to six attendees, they’ve never sold out faster. (For maximum flexibility, consider booking a private tour—discounted for CAC members—or a custom tour.) New to the schedule are Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present and the Illinois Center Pedway, while additional departures are now available for Aqua, Vista and Lakeshore East, Fulton-Randolph Market: From Gritty to Gourmet, Louis Sullivan and Lights, Camera, Architecture!

BROWSE TOURS

SWING BY AFTER YOUR PUMPKIN PIE

This coming Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Chicago Architecture Center will be open to visitors from 10am to 4pm on Friday, November 27 in addition to those same, regular hours the following Saturday and Sunday, November 28 and 29. Look for new models on display in the Drake Family Skyscraper Gallery, including NEMA Chicago and Solstice on the Park, plus numerous updates to the Chicago City Model Experience.

LEARN MORE

GIFT IDEAS GALORE DESIGN LOVERS WILL ADORE

It’s time to shop for holiday gifts but don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. Shop online anytime and get FREE shipping on orders of $75 or more and, beginning this Saturday, November 21, save 10% when you shop in person during Center visiting hours, no paid admission required. Take an additional 10% off in-store purchases by becoming a CAC member today and pass the savings along by giving a gift membership or CAC gift card. Discounts expire December 31.

SHOP NOW

CAC FOR THE FAMILY

SAVE THE DATE FOR GIRLS BUILD! DAY 2021

In a new article for the CAC website, education guide and docent-in-training Lisa Ciota provides a recap of how Girls Build! participants engaged Center visitors during opening weekend of Open House Chicago 2020. Afterward, exhibit host Cyriana, age 12, asked, “Can we do this again next year?!” The CAC’s answer to Cyriana is “Yes!”

Themed “Sustainable Futures,” the second annual Girls Build! Day, starting at 10am on January 9, 2021, brings participants together virtually with women changing urban landscapes through green design. Confirmed partners to date include Chicago Mobile Makers, CannonDesign, Open Architecture Chicago, the Center for Architecture in New York, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) and I-NOMA, a local chapter and subdivision of the National Organization of Minority Architects. Join us online!

THE LATEST

The Chicago Architecture Center, including all exhibits and the CAC Design Store, is open Saturday and Sunday from 10am–4pm plus, as noted above, special Thanksgiving holiday hours 10am–4pm on Friday, November 27. CAC building and neighborhood walking tours, departing from locations other than the Center at 111 E. Wacker Dr., are available for purchase on the 15th of the month prior to the month of the scheduled departure.

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 tour attendees are prompted to acknowledge and accept the CAC’s safety policies supporting recommendations from public health officials from the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.

Explore previous editions of CAC@Home →

Calendar Donate

The Chicago Architecture Center inspires people to discover why design matters.