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Created by Eliane vdB Updated On: October 12, 2012
The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago is a free public event that offers behind-the-scenes access to over 150 buildings across Chicago.
- For more info: www.openhousechicago.org
Eliane vdB: [Mies van der Rohe, 1971] Mies' second-tallest skycraper includes two design firms that are OHC sites: Thornton Tomasetti and Perkins & Will.
Eliane vdB: [Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, 1983] A local favorite, this curved building at the fork of the Chicago River is clad in reflective glass that mirrors the water and cityscape.
Eliane vdB: [SOM (Paffard Keatinge-Clay), 1958] This top floor office is centered around two courtyard spaces and "found gems" including existing green marble and stainless steel columns.
Eliane vdB: [Louis Sullivan & Dankmar Adler, 1889] Upon opening for the 1893 World's Fair, it housed a theater, offices & a hotel. Louis Sullivan's signature designs cover the lobby, library & Ganz Hall.
17 W Adams St (btwn S Dearborn St & S State St), Chicago, IL
German Restaurant · The Loop · 151 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Charles M. Palmer, 1872] See what Chicago looked like before the Great Fire, including an 1872 cast-iron façade. Visit this famous restaurant's bakery.
Eliane vdB: [George & Cornelius Rapp, 1926] One of the first motion picture palaces with décor inspired by the Far East. The theater closed in 1981 and was completely restored in 1998.
78 E Washington St (btwn N Michigan & N Garland Ct.), Chicago, IL
Museum · The Loop · 153 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: Chicago's first library and home to the world's largest Tiffany-glass dome ceiling. It was designed in the neo-classical style popularized by the 1893 World's Fair.
Eliane vdB: [Holabird & Root, 1928] One of Chicago's finest Art Deco skyscrapers. This "temple to the automobile" features an original 29-foot wide mural.
Government Building · West Loop · 19 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Kachoris Altay Architects, 2004] Visit the 33,000-square-foot green roof and enjoy spectacular views at the sustainability designed offices of t he CTA
Eliane vdB: [Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, 1929] This building features Art Deco and Art Nouveau styling, musical motifs and designs by Jules Guerin - famous for his watercolors of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.
20 W Kinzie St (btw Dearborn & State St), Chicago, IL
Tech Startup · Near North Side · 16 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: At Google’s newly constructed 13th floor, you’ll have the chance to visit their reception area, Tech stop, local art display, and 1920’s Speakeasy. [Saturday 9am-5pm]
Steakhouse · Near North Side · 106 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Henry Ives Cobb, 1895] From 1939-1943, the building housed the apartment of Frank Nikki - Al Capone's enforcer. Visit Nikki's vault, see the escape tunnel and view gangster artifacts.
329 N Dearborn St (btwn Kinzie St & Wacker Dr), Chicago, IL
Music Venue · Near North Side · 197 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Bertrand Goldberg, 1959-67] Visit the exclusive club where each of the three separate rooms is devoted to a deity and combines 11th-century artifacts with present-day treasures.
30 W Monroe St (Btwn Dearborn & State), Chicago, IL
Structure · The Loop · 3 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Skidmore Owing & Merrill, 1958] Inland Steel was one of the first skyscrapers completed in Chicago after WWII. Its sleek, shimmering façades could be mistaken for new even today-over 50 years later.
Eliane vdB: [Shaw, Metz & Associates. 1990 renovation by Lucien Lagrange Associates] The 360-degree observation level - the first such public area in the Loop - will be opened for the first time since 1972.
505 N Lake Shore Dr Lbby 2 (Grand Av and Illinois St), Chicago, IL
Gym · Streeterville · 1 tip
Eliane vdB: [George Schipporeit & John Heinrich, 1968] Stroll a hidden rooftop garden featuring a lagoon and waterfall, then ascend to the building's top-floor for 360-degree views of the city and the lake.
Eliane vdB: [Holabird & Roche, 1912] This Romanesque-inspired building recently underwent meticulous restoration including the recreation of design elements such as tile floors, elevator grills & light fixtures.
Eliane vdB: [John Ronan Architects, 2011] Catch a rare glimpse of the editorial process: see how Poetry Magazine is put together and get a sneak peek of an issue before it's printed.
College Academic Building · The Loop · 3 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [VOA Associates Incorporated, 2012] The zigzag lines of the Wabash Tower create a new icon on the Chicago skyline. Experience this "vertical campus" which is now in its first year of use.
435 N Michigan Ave (at E Illinois St), Chicago, IL
Structure · Streeterville · 55 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [ John Mead Howells & Raymond M. Hood, 1925] This neoGothic tower was influenced by cathedrals in France & Belgium. See the 24-floor office of the paper's legendary former publisher, Robert McCormick.
Eliane vdB: [Henri Louis Sullivan, 1899-1906] Formerly Carson, Pirie, Scott Bldg, its entrance @ State & Madison is ornamented with scrolling ironwork that is instantly-recognizable as the work of Louis Sullivan.
610 S Michigan Ave (at E Harrison St), Chicago, IL
College Academic Building · South Loop · 9 tips and reviews
Eliane vdB: [Krueck + Sexton, 2007] With its reflective, crystalline façade of folded glass, Spertus is architectural origami. the building's exterior includes 726 pieces of glass that form 556 unique shapes.