The city’s sixth annual Great Chicago Places and Spaces festival, a weekend celebration of local architecture and design, offers more than 130 free tours by foot, bus, el, trolley, or boat, all led by architects, docents, and other aficionados. Seats for Friday’s opening “Great Chicago Conversations” discussion are available on a first-come, first-served basis. (A related program of “Great Excursions” tours is also being held this weekend but advance registration was required by May 14.) Tours will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23, “rain or shine.” Tickets are available at event headquarters at the Chicago Architecture Foundation ArchiCenter, 224 S. Michigan, on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the tour; registration begins at 7:30 AM. Each participant is limited to two tickets per tour and two tours per day. Most leave from event headquarters unless otherwise noted, or your ticket will state where to meet. “Great Interiors” tours require no ticket, as noted below. Arrive early for ticketed tours; spaces will be given away if you’re not there ten minutes before departure time. For more information call 312-744-3315 or see www.cityofchicago.org/specialevents.
FRIDAY, MAY 21
Great Chicago Conversations: 25 Years of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
Discussion with architects Frank Gehry and Stanley Tigerman, journalist Bill Kurtis, and Pritzker Architecture Prize executive director Bill Lacy. Art Institute, Rubloff Auditorium. 6:30 PM.
SATURDAY, MAY 22
Rookery Building Lobby
“Great Interiors” drop-in self-guided tour. 209 S. LaSalle. 8 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Historic and Significant CTA Rail Stations
Trolley tour led by CTA traffic engineering manager Ron Weslow. 9 AM (2 hours).
Murphy/Jahn Architects Offices and Cupola
Office tour led by Murphy/Jahn VP Keith H. Palmer. 9 AM (1 hour).
Richard Nickel
Trolley tour led by Richard Cahan, author of They All Fall Down: Richard Nickel’s Struggle to Save America’s Architecture. 9 AM (2fi hours).
Sustainable Design in Chicago
Trolley tour led by architect Jonathan Boyer. 9 AM (3 hours).
Union League Club of Chicago
“Great Interiors” drop-in tour; guides available. 65 W. Jackson. 9 to 11 AM. Tickets not required.
Broadway in Chicago
Walking tour of downtown Chicago theaters presented by Broadway in Chicago. 9:15 AM (3 hours).
It’s Not Mies’s Fault
Trolley tour of “International Style” buildings led by Will Tippens of LR Development Company. 9:15 AM (2 hours).
Near South Redevelopment
Trolley tour led by geographer and historian Dennis McClendon. 9:15 AM (2 hours).
Chicago Mosaics: Underfoot and Overhead
Walking tour led by Smith Museum of Stained Glass curator Rolf Achilles. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
First Railroads, Then Skyscrapers
Trolley tour led by architect Darrel G. Babuk. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
Historic Private Clubs of Chicago
Trolley tour led by architect Philip Hamp. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
Historic Public Schools
Trolley tour led by Globetrotters project director Virgil Anthaney and designer and preservationist Bill Latoza. 9:30 AM (3 hours).
Loop Photography
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 9:30 AM (2 hours). “Bring your own camera.”
Los Vecinos Supportive Housing
Trolley tour led by architects Jeff Bone and Marsha Spencer, Archi-treasurers director Joyce Fernandes, and Heartland Housing director Andrew Geer. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
School of the Art Institute Dorms
Walking tour led by William Smith of Smithfield Properties. 9:30 AM (1 hour).
Architecture River Cruise
Boat tour led by WTTW producer Geoffrey Baer. Departs from dock at southeast corner of Michigan and Wacker. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Carbide & Carbon Rocks Chicago: Hard Rock Hotel
Building tour led by architect Lucien Lagrange. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Chapel in the Sky at the Chicago Temple
“Great Interiors” drop-in tour; guides available. 77 W. Washington. 10 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Digital Chicago
Trolley tour of computer-designed architectural projects led by University of Illinois at Chicago assistant professor Ammar Eloueini. 10 AM (3 hours).
Fine Arts Building and Congress Plaza
“Great Interiors” drop-in tour; 30-minute tour given every half hour. 410 S. Michigan. 10 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Hidden Treasures
Bus tour presented by the Chicago Park District. 10 AM (6 hours; bring your own lunch).
Historic Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 10 AM (2 hours).
LaSalle Bank Executive Dining Room
“Great Interiors” drop-in self-guided tour. 135 S. LaSalle. 10 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Loop Sculpture
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Public Art Program. 10 AM (1 hour).
Murphy/Jahn Architects Offices and Cupola
Office tour led by Murphy/Jahn VP Keith H. Palmer. 10 AM (1 hour).
Restored Chicago Landmarks
Walking tour led by Dijana Cuvalo and Michael Kirchner of the landmarks division of the Department of Planning and Development. 10 AM (2 hours).
Riverwalk
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Public Art Program. 10 AM (1 hour).
Soldier Field Redevelopment
Trolley tour led by architect Joseph Caprile. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Symphony Center
Building tour. 10 AM (1 hour).
Great Green Spaces of Chicago
Trolley tour led by Barry Burton, assistant to the mayor for landscape greening efforts. 10:15 AM (21/2 hours).
Just Beyond the Loop: Community Murals and Mosaics in Chicago
Trolley tour led by Public Arts Group executive director John Pounds. 10:15 AM (21/2 hours).
The Landscapes of Dan Kiley
Trolley tour led by Astrid Haryati of the American Society of Landscape Architects. 10:15 AM (2 hours).
Auditorium Building
Building tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 10:30 AM (2 hours).
Austin Village Historic District
Walking tour presented by the Austin Schock Neighborhood Association. 10:30 AM (2 hours).
Chicago Bridge Houses
Walking tour led by Janet Attarian, streetscape and urban design project director for the Department of Transportation. 10:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Director’s Cut: Landmark Movie Locations
Walking tour led by Chicago Film Office director Rich Moskal. 10:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Harold Washington Library Center
Building tour led by architect Dennis Rupert. 10:30 AM (1 hour).
Historic Homes of Prairie Avenue
Trolley tour presented by the Glessner House Museum. 10:30 AM (21/2 hours).
Picture This
Walking tour led by Hedrich Blessing photographers Bob Shimer and Jeff Millies. 10:30 AM (2 hours). “Bring your own camera.”
Streetwall in Context
Michigan Avenue walking tour led by architect Brad Lynch and Chicago Architecture Foundation curator Ned Cramer. 10:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Chicago Cultural Center
Building tour “peopled with period characters” led by actress and playwright Donna Blue Lachman. 11 AM (1 hour).
Downtown Deco
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 11 AM (21/4 hours).
Greater North Michigan Avenue
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
LEGO Block Party
Children and adults create a cityscape using LEGO blocks; led by architects Kerl LaJeune and Tom Daly. 520 N. Michigan, ground-floor guest lounge. 11 AM to 3 PM. No tickets required.
Merchandise Mart
Building tour led by architect Mark Dewalt and Merchandise Mart director of education Monica DeBartolo. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
The Michigan Avenue “Streetwall”
Walking tour led by Department of Planning and Development landmarks division research director Terry Tatum. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
Modern Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 11 AM (2 hours).
Mural Tour/Chicago Conservation Center
Bus tour led by Chicago Conservation Center CEO Heather Becker. 11 AM (6 hours; bring your own lunch).
Murphy/Jahn Architects Offices and Cupola
Office tour led by Murphy/Jahn VP Keith H. Palmer. 11 AM (1 hour).
Plan for Transformation
Trolley tour presented by the Chicago Housing Authority. 11 AM (21/2 hours).
“The Rest of” Grant Park
Walking tour led by Eric Davis of DMJM Chicago. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
“Re-Viewing” Chicago in the Reflection of Gehry
Walking tour led by architect and critic Edward Keegan. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
Treasures of Marshall Field’s
Building tour led by corporate archivist and historian Tony Jahn. 11 AM (2 hours).
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Building tour led by NMH community relations VP Ralph Weber and campus development VP James Bicek. 11:30 AM (1 hour).
Green Architecture in the Loop
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Noon (11/2 hours).
Chicago Bridge Opening
Bascule Bridge House tour led by Janet Attarian, streetscape and urban design project director for the Department of Transportation. 12:15 PM (11/2 hours).
North Lawndale: A Cultural and Historical Journey
Trolley tour led by Charles Leeks of Neighborhood Housing Services Chicago. 12:30 PM (3 hours).
ABC 7 Chicago
TV studio tour led by reporter John Garcia. 1 PM (1 hour).
Hidden Spaces/Secret Places
Trolley tour led by architect Andrew Metter. 1 PM (3 hours).
Hollywood on Lake Michigan
Trolley tour led by Arnie Bernstein, author of Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100 Years of Chicago and the Movies. 1 PM (11/2 hours).
Lookingglass Theatre and Water Tower Pumping Station
Building tour led by architect John Morris and designer Melissa Neele. 1 PM (1 hour). “High heels are discouraged.”
Modern Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 1 PM (2 hours).
Rooftop Real Estate
Walking tour led by Susan King of Environ HarleyEllis. 1 PM (21/2 hours).
Chicago Cultural Center
Building tour “peopled with period characters” led by actress and playwright Donna Blue Lachman. 1:15 PM (1 hour).
The Inside Story
Office tour led by Jim Jankowski and Robert Finigan of Ross Barney & Jankowski. 1:30 PM (11/2 hours).
Navy Pier Smith Museum of Stained Glass
Museum tour led by curator Rolf Achilles. 1:30 PM (2 hours).
Streeterville Walk: Michigan Avenue to the Lake
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 1:30 PM (11/2 hours).
Architecture of Culture and Commerce
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 2 PM (2 hours).
The Trump International Hotel and Tower: Creating a New Landmark for Chicago
Talk by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill managing partner Richard F. Tomlinson II and consulting design partner Adrian D. Smith. Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington. 2 PM. Tickets not required; seats given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Historic Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 3 PM (2 hours).
SUNDAY, MAY 23
Rookery Building Lobby
“Great Interiors” drop-in self-guided tour. 209 S. LaSalle. 8 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Auditorium Building
Building tour presented by the Auditorium Theatre Council. 9 AM (1 hour).
Designs for Health
Walking tour led by architect Eva Maddox and Kristine Cichowski of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. 9 AM (11/2 hours).
Maxwell Street Neighborhood: People and Places
Trolley tour led by Carolyn Eastwood, author of Near West Side Stories: Struggles for Community in Chicago’s Maxwell Street Neighborhood. 9 AM (21/2 hours).
North Burnham Park
Trolley tour led by landscape architect Peter Lindsay Schaudt. 9 AM (2 hours).
The Blooming of Chicago
Walking tour led by landscape architect Doug Hoerr. 9:15 AM (2 hours).
Burnham in Chicago, With John Wellborn and After
Walking tour led by Reader architecture contributor Lynn Becker. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
Chicago Mosaics: Underfoot and Overhead
Walking tour led by Smith Museum of Stained Glass curator Rolf Achilles. 9:30 AM (2 hours).
Chinatown “Lunar New Year of the Monkey”
Trolley tour led by city of Chicago deputy chief of staff Gene Lee. 9:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Elevating Architecture: Stations of the Chicago “L”
El tour led by Graham Garfield, CTA manager of capital construction. 9:30 AM (3 hours).
Millennium Park
Walking tour led by Millennium Park design director Ed Uhlir. 9:30 AM (1 hour).
Motor Row: Birthplace of American Auto Sales
Trolley tour led by Jim Peters of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. 9:30 AM (21/2 hours).
Recent Chicago Landmarks
Trolley tour presented by the landmarks division of the Department of Planning and Development. 9:45 AM (21/2 hours).
Architecture River Cruise
Boat tour led by WTTW producer Geoffrey Baer. Leaves from dock at southeast corner of Michigan and Wacker. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Auditorium Building
Tour presented by the Auditorium Theatre Council. 10 AM (1 hour).
Fine Arts Building and Congress Plaza
“Great Interiors” drop-in tour; 30-minute tour given every half hour. 410 S. Michigan. 10 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Historic Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 10 AM (2 hours).
LaSalle Bank Executive Dining Room
“Great Interiors” drop-in self-guided tour. 135 S. LaSalle. 10 AM to 2 PM. Tickets not required.
Lost and Found Chicago
Multimedia walking tour led by architect Kevin Pierce. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Olmsted’s Vision
Trolley tour of Jackson and Washington parks led by architects Peter Kindel and Chris Hall. 10 AM (3 hours).
A Structural Engineer’s Perspective of Chicago’s Skyscrapers
Walking tour led by structural engineer Robert B. Johnson. 10 AM (2 hours).
“Re-Viewing” Chicago in the Reflection of Gehry
Walking tour led by architect and critic Edward Keegan. 10 AM (11/2 hours).
Just Beyond the Loop: Community Murals and Mosaics in Chicago
Trolley tour led by Chicago Public Art Group executive director John Pounds. 10:15 AM (21/2 hours).
North Town and Cabrini-Green: The Remaking of a Community
Trolley tour led by Eben C. Smith, president of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. 10:15 AM (2 hours).
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of River North
Walking tour led by architect Linda Searl. 10:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Historic Homes of Prairie Avenue
Trolley tour led by Glessner House Museum docents. 10:30 AM (21/2 hours).
Chicago Cultural Center
Building tour “peopled with period characters” led by actress and playwright Donna Blue Lachman. 11 AM (1 hour).
Dearborn Corridor From Randolph to Van Buren
Walking tour led by architect Stanley Tigerman. 11 AM (1 hour).
Hollywood on Lake Michigan
Trolley tour led by Arnie Bernstein, author of Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100 Years of Chicago and the Movies. 11 AM (21/2 hours).
Medinah Temple
Building tour led by Fred Romano of Daniel P. Coffey & Associates. 11 AM (1 hour).
Millennium Park: Supporting the Curves
Walking tour led by structural engineer Chris Rockey. 11 AM (1 hour).
Modern Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 11 AM (2 hours).
Mural Tour/Chicago Conservation Center
Trolley tour led by Chicago Conservation Center special projects officer Megan Jones. 11 AM (2 hours).
Pullman Historic District
Walking tour presented by the Historic Pullman Foundation. 11 AM (3 hours). Trolley provided from event headquarters or meet at the Historic Pullman Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove.
“The Rest of” Grant Park
Walking tour led by Eric Davis of DMJM Chicago. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
State Street, That Great Street
Walking tour led by Greater State Street Council executive director Ty Tabing. 11 AM (11/2 hours).
Treasures of Marshall Field’s
Building tour led by Field’s corporate archivist and historian Tony Jahn. 11 AM (2 hours).
Chinatown “Lunar New Year of the Monkey”
Trolley tour led by city of Chicago deputy chief of staff Gene Lee. 11:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Building tour led by NMH community relations VP Ralph Weber and campus development VP James Bicak. 11:30 AM (1 hour).
River North
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 11:30 AM (11/2 hours).
Green Architecture in the Loop
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Noon (11/2 hours).
Austin Village Historic District
Walking tour presented by the Austin Schock Neighborhood Association. 1 PM (2 hours). A trolley will be provided from event headquarters or meet at 5700 W. Midway Park.
Chicago’s Green Projects: South-Side Loop
Trolley tour led by Sadhu Johnston, assistant to the mayor for green initiatives, and David Reynolds, deputy commissioner of the Department of Environment. 1 PM (3 hours).
The Great Train Stations of Clinton Street
Walking tour led by architect Darrel Babuk. 1 PM (11/2 hours).
Inside the Wigwam
Trolley tour led by Craig Sautter, author of Inside the Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions, 1860-1996. 1 PM (2 hours).
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Trolley tour led by Jane Addams Hull-House Museum docents. 1 PM (11/2 hours).
Lookingglass Theatre and Water Tower Pumping Station
Building tour led by architect John Morris. 1 PM (1 hour).
Loop Sculpture
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Public Art Program. 1 PM (1 hour).
Medinah Temple
Building tour led by Fred Romano of Daniel P. Coffey & Associates. 1 PM (1 hour).
Millennium Park: Supporting the Curves
Walking tour led by structural engineer Chris Rockey. 1 PM (1 hour).
Modern Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 1 PM (2 hours).
Really Bad Buildings
Walking tour led by architect Dan Wheeler. 1 PM (11/2 hours).
Riverwalk
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Public Art Program. 1 PM (1 hour).
South Side Prairie
Trolley tour led by Vince Michael, director of historic preservation at the School of the Art Institute. 1 PM (3 hours).
A Taste of Bronzeville Architecture
Trolley tour led by Susan Ellis, architecture historian for the Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. 1 PM (2 hours).
Chicago Cultural Center
Building tour “peopled with period characters” led by actress and playwright Donna Blue Lachman. 1:15 PM (1 hour).
The Art Institute of Chicago’s New Museum Wing
Talk by Robert A. Jones, Art Institute director of design and construction. Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington. 1:30 PM. Tickets not required; seats given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bones of the Modern Skyscraper
Trolley tour led by structural engineer Bill Baker. 1:30 PM (11/2 hours).
Boulevards and Streetcar Strips
Trolley tour led by geographer and historian Dennis McClendon. 1:30 PM (31/2 hours).
Pullman Historic District
Walking tour presented by the Historic Pullman Foundation. 1:30 PM (3 hours). Trolley provided from event headquarters or meet at the Historic Pullman Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove.
Showcase Chicago by Boat
Wendella Boats tour. 1:30 PM (3 hours). Meet at the Wendella dock, 400 N. Michigan, northwest corner of the Michigan Avenue bridge.
Historic Skyscrapers
Walking tour presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 3 PM (2 hours).
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Trolley tour led by Jane Addams Hull-House Museum docents. 3 PM (11/2 hours).