Best Chicago Architecture

First-time visitors who come to town for the buildings should head directly to the Chicago Architecture Center’s new (in 2018) home along the Chicago River downtown. Two-story windows frame landmarks like the Tribune Tower and The Wrigley Building. And a vast model of the city uses 4,200 scale-model buildings to orient you for upcoming explorations. A historical film interacts with the tiny city via a light show, helping you visualize events like the Great Chicago Fire. Upstairs in the Skyscraper Gallery, you’ll walk among towering models of the world’s tallest buildings. Other exhibits highlight Chicago’s neighborhoods and show the evolution of the city’s housing over the last 150 years. Check the center’s schedule for info on upcoming programs.

Want to see even more?

The Chicago Architecture Center’s new location perches above the Chicago River docks, where its docent-led architecture cruises aboard Chicago’s First Lady depart.

Come on in! During this free event, you can explore interiors of the city’s architecturally significant skyscrapers, theaters, offices, private clubs, sacred spaces and more, including many that are rarely open to the public. The weekend event lets you design your own tour by choosing from among more than 250 buildings across the city. You could step inside the basement vault of the Art Deco Chicago Board of Trade Building; admire the six-sided Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, styled like a Greek amphitheater; or marvel at The Brewster Building, a light-filled 1893 residential masterpiece with a cage elevator and suspended glass-block walkways.