Chicago Architecture Foundation

Intersections define cities--streets, cultures, ideas and architecture come together and visually communicate cultural history and stimulate new ideas. Chicago's downtown intersections are at the core of the city's vibrancy. Intersections: An Introduction to Chicago Architecture is a two-hour walking tour that introduces architecture from 1871 to the present, and serves to create the context for Millennium Park.

The tour explores five street intersections: Michigan and Adams, Dearborn and Adams, Clark and Randolph, State and Randolph and Michigan and Randolph; and five architectural styles: Chicago School, Beaux Arts, Modernism, Post Modernism, and Deconstructionist. Different combination's of architectural styles, building ages, urban space uses from commercial to governmental to cultural, and varied economic, ethnic, religious and racial groups integrate to tell a city story.

Features of classic Chicago buildings, including the Marquette Building, Federal Center, Daley Center, Thompson Center and the landmark Reliance Building are examined during the tour. The tour culminates with a visit to Millennium Park, the ultimate Chicago intersection where world-class art and architecture continue traditions of juxtaposing old and new and celebrates our culture's similarities and differences.

March - November, 2008: Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am Chicago Old and New offers the dual pleasures of seeing over 130 years of Chicago architecture – from the 1870’s to the present – while examining how intersections of streets, styles, and cultures communicate history and reflect the vibrancy of the city.

At five major intersections in the Loop, you will view buildings as elements that combine to create Chicago’s unique urban fabric. The tour adds richness to the experience of seeing important Chicago architecture by comparing the histories, styles, and uses of buildings located within sight of each other at these intersections. The tour examines how buildings and public art have influenced each other and evolved to reflect a variety of architectural styles, advances in building technology, and Chicago’s place as one of America’s great cities.

The tour features buildings from the Chicago School, the Beaux Arts movement, mid-20th century Modernism, Post-modernism, and the latest in architecture as designed by Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano. Included in the tour are examples of commercial, municipal and cultural buildings such as the Marquette Building, Federal Center, Daley Center, Thompson Center, and the landmark Reliance Building. The tour culminates with a visit to Millennium Park, the ultimate Chicago intersection, where world-class art and architecture combine to juxtapose old and new while celebrating our culture’s similarities and differences.

• March - November: Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am

Chicago is not only the birthplace of the skyscraper, it is also where most of the innovations in early skyscraper design and technology originated! Take a step back in time for an informative look at some of our world famous early skyscrapers including: Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888) with its Moorish revival exterior and restored Frank Lloyd Wright interior; Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium Building (1889) a masterpiece of engineering, design and acoustics; Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895) an outstanding example of the Chicago School of design; and Holabird and Root’s Chicago Board of Trade Building (1930), one of the city’s most glamorous Art Deco skyscrapers.

• November, 2008 – April, 2009: Daily at 10:00am
• May – September: Daily at 10:00am and 3pm (no 3pm tour on Weds.)
• October: Daily at 10:00am and 3pm (no 3pm tour on Weds.)
• November - March 2010: Daily at 10:00am

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Come see some of the great architectural landmarks of State Street and Michigan Avenue from the late 19th/early 20th centuries. This was a time when Chicago was determined to be a great cultural—as well as commercial—city as evidenced and encouraged by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. You’ll see buildings by Burnham, Sullivan, Holabird and Roche and other noted architects—including the Reliance Building, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (Sullivan Center), the Chicago Cultural Center, the Palmer House and the famous Michigan Avenue streetwall. You’ll visit beautiful interior treasures that even many Chicagoans don’t know exist! You will hear the stories behind these architectural gems and the men and women who have added so much to the commercial and cultural life of this city. As icing on the cake, this tour also touches on Millennium Park, Chicago’s exciting new 21st century park, outdoor gallery, garden and music venue.

• April: Daily at 2pm
• May – September: Daily at 2pm
• October: Daily at 2pm
• November – February 2010: Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 2pm
• March 2010: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm.

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Immediately after World War II, Chicago reestablished itself as a world capital of Modern architecture. We examine many of the buildings that helped earn Chicago such acclaim, from the elegant minimalism of Mies van der Rohe's Federal Center to the brawny expressiveness of the Richard J. Daley Center. We also trace the evolution of Modernism in the hands of a second wave of notable architects such as Helmut Jahn and the rise of such Postmodern structures as Philip Johnson's 190 S. LaSalle. Modernism is once again flowering in Chicago, and we'll look at contemporary examples like the recently completed tower at One South Dearborn, Trump Tower, and the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

• October, 2008 - April, 2009: Daily at 1:00 pm
• May – September: Daily at 1:00pm
• October – March 2010: Daily at 1:00pm

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Art Deco was a sumptuous, modern style; its lavish materials and geometric ornament epitomized the prosperity and optimism of the Roaring Twenties. On this tour, you’ll learn the origins of Art Deco and the popular motifs that are its hallmarks throughout the world. At the same time, you’ll be sure to admire the soaring exteriors and opulent interiors of some of Chicago’s most magnificent Art Deco skyscrapers, including such city landmarks as the One LaSalle Street Building, the Field Building, and the Carbide and Carbon Building.

• April: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11:00am
• May – September: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00am
• October: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00am
• November – March 2010: Thursday, Saturday at 11:00am

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Though you may have already visited the Park, our in-depth tour is sure to enhance your knowledge and experience. Learn why this area was conspicuously left blank in the 1909 Plan of Chicago. Find out how top architects, artists and engineers collaborated with Chicago’s movers and shakers to transform an ugly railway and parking lot into a place that has thrilled millions and become the envy of cities throughout the world. Understand the inspiration for Anish Kapoor’s huge reflective Cloud Gate sculpture, nicknamed the “Bean,” or Jaume Plensa’s ever-changing high-tech Crown Fountain or Frank Gehry’s exuberant Jay Pritzker Music Pavilion and sculptural BP Bridge. Discover the many ways that Kathryn Gustafson’s Lurie Garden symbolizes Chicago history. See why the Park is the world’s largest roof garden.

And for five months beginning on June 19, 2009, view the temporary pavilions dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Burnham Plan designed by internationally-acclaimed architects Zaha Hadid and Ben Van Berkel.

• April: Friday and Sunday at 11am
• May – September: Friday and Sunday at 11am
• October – November: Friday and Sunday at 11am