There are a lot of great reasons to visit Chicago, including stellar food, art and cultural attractions, historic Wrigley Field, and of course, Lake Michigan. But among visitors, the city’s biggest distinction, the one that it is best known for, is architecture, as the Windy City is the birthplace of the skyscraper (this is a uniquely Chicagoan story that will get much more national attention when it at least partially told in one of the most anticipated movies now in production, Martin Scorsese’s take on the brilliant and widely acclaimed book, The Devil In The White City, starring Leonardo DiCaprio).
For this reason, when you ask locals what you simply must not miss when you visit, you get an answer you won’t hear in any other city: the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise. Experts explain the history of the city’s role in the world of architecture while you enjoy a leisurely boat cruise through the heart of Chicago. I’ve done it, and it doesn’t get much better as far urban tours go, which is why TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site and the place where millions of travelers book their tours, ranked it as America’s Number One Most Popular Experience. Amazingly, it is Number Two in the entire world, after only a VIP “skip the line” tour of Vatican City. More travelers using TripAdvisor booked the cruise last year than bought tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building (read more about the World's Top 10 Tourism Experiences here).
But Chicago is not resting on its laurels, and the city known for its awe-inspiring buildings and historical breakthroughs is doubling down with the opening next month (Labor Day Weekend, August 31) of the all new Chicago Architecture Center, another attraction that will truly be unlike any other in the country. The Center is operated by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which also hosts the popular cruises on board First Lady Cruises’ ships, as well as many other signature tours including one based on the current 125th anniversary of the 1893 Colombian Exposition, aka, Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the White City, and the subject of the forthcoming DiCaprio movie. All in all, the Foundation currently offers nine walking tours addressing different themes, from Art Deco to Skyscrapers to Frank Lloyd Wright, two tours using the city’s L, or elevated train, and three by bus in addition to the famous cruises.
The 20,000 square foot Chicago Architecture Center will now house the Foundation’s offices, dramatic new exhibits, and serve as the epicenter of all this action, with a prime riverfront location on East Wacker Drive, in the street level and lower floors of a skyscraper of course. The building was originally designed by the firm of Mies van der Rohe, a pioneer of Mid-Century Modernism. This in turn sits on the previous site of Fort Dearborn, the spot where Chicago was founded. It is just above the docks where the architecture cruises leave from for all-in-one tourism shopping.
The Center will add several new tours to its extensive slate, exploring new buildings and paths right from the lobby. Tour descriptions are still being finalized but more information will be available on the website in the next few weeks.
Highlighted exhibits within the center include:
Skyscraper Gallery: Building Tall is the permanent exhibit in this flagship gallery celebrating the city’s status as the birthplace of the genre and the home of America’s tallest building, the 110-story 1,450-foot Willis Tower. The exhibit will feature supersized scaled models of the world’s tallest buildings, including Willis Tower, the Burj Khalifa and a first look at the not yet complete but soon-to-be tallest building, Jeddah Tower (designed by a Chicago architect). To give an idea of the scope, the Jeddah model stands 40 feet tall. Guests will learn more about architects’ ongoing “race to the top” as they use scientific innovations and discover new ways to build taller and taller.
Chicago Gallery: The famous Chicago Model is a scaled down 3D version of the city, inspired by similarly detailed Shanghai model in China. Originally built in 2009, the Chicago Model has become a tourist attraction its own right, drawing 100,000 visitors annually, but it is now closed for major refurbishment in advance of its grand reopening in the new Architecture Center. The major upgrade more than doubles its meticulous scope, and the model will expand from 1,300 buildings to more than 3,000. Even more dramatically, the new model will be interactive, with a multimedia film, sound and light show taking onlookers on a roller-coaster ride through Chicago’s history, from The Great Fire through the subsequent rebuilding of the city to today’s tallest buildings. The Chicago Gallery also has exhibits on the city’s most famous architects, unique homes and buildings, and most notable new projects.
Rotating Gallery: The Center’s rotating gallery will feature new exhibits regularly and debuts with From Me to We: Imaging the City of 2050. This will give visitors an inside look at the major current urban disruptors and how they’ll change the way our cities look in the future, starting with Chicago.
“We can’t wait for people to visit the CAC and experience how Chicago architects have influenced the world through their innovation and vision,” said Lynn Osmond, CAF’s president and CEO, via press release. “We’ve engineered a stimulating and immersive space where visitors can have fun discovering Chicago’s groundbreaking architecture - and appreciate its profound impact on the world.”
