Open House Chicago

Oct29

Open House Chicago Sets Records, Strains Necks

Written By Editor on October 29, 2018 in events, _story

If you were one of the 100,000 people who attended Open House Chicago earlier this month, congratulations! You were part of a record setting event. Word out of the Chicago Architecture Foundation is that attendance for the city’s annual architecture festival reached six figures this year. Coincidentally, regional chiropractors report a 14% increase in “looking up”-style neck strain, dentists saw a 16% increase is...

Sep11

Big List: Here’s What’s New For Open House Chicago 2018

Written By Editor on September 11, 2018 in events, _story

Chicago’s architecture festival is back for another season, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This year there will be 250 places and spaces that you can visit for free during Open House Chicago, including 50 new locations. OHC will happen October 13th and 14th. It’s free to the public. But a few places require you to RSVP online. And if you’re a member of the Chicago Architecture Foundation you get to...

Oct12

Your 10 Best Bets for Open House Chicago 2016

Written By Editor on October 12, 2016 in architecture, events, _story

The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s annual Open House Chicago event happens this weekend (October 15-16, 2016). If you’re new to town, it’s a two-day event where dozens of the city’s interesting buildings and other spaces are open to the public. Many of them are private places where the public isn’t normally welcome. The good news is that the list of participants is very long this year. The bad news is...

Dec31

Aon Center And Prudential Plaza Offer Great Views Of The Loop And Downtown

Written By Bill Motchan on December 31, 2015 in Lakeshore East, The Loop, _story

We end 2015 featuring a pair of venerable downtown buildings that offered visitors million dollar views during this year’s Open House Chicago, hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Those two buildings, the Aon Center (at 200 East Randolph Street) and its next-door neighbor Prudential Plaza (at 130 East Randolph Street), have far different exterior styles. One thing they have in common is an excellent view of Millennium...

Dec29

Mies Stairway Is Focal Point Of The Arts Club Of Chicago

Written By Bill Motchan on December 29, 2015 in _story

Climb the stairs from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor of the Arts Club of Chicago, and you’ll be walking on architectural history. It’s not any old flight of stairs–this one was rescued from the previous Arts Club building two blocks west of this location at 201 East Ontario Street. The old Arts Club building, stairs and all, was designed by Mies van der Rohe. In 1997, the new Arts Club was built, designed by John...

Dec24

Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral Stands Tall In Ukrainian Village

Written By Bill Motchan on December 24, 2015 in church, Ukrainian Village, _story

From nearly any vantage point in the Near West Side, you can spot one of the baker’s dozen of ornate spires atop Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. The church is located just off of Chicago Avenue at 835 North Oakley Boulevard. This stately 1915 structure, designed by Worthmann & Steinbach, was one of the 200 buildings featured during the 2015 edition of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House...

Dec22

Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist Offers A Friendly Welcome To Visitors

Written By Bill Motchan on December 22, 2015 in church, The Loop, _story

Architects who design buildings for a city center must often contend with a lack of one thing that’s far more available in the suburbs. That precious commodity is space. And it becomes even more of a challenge when the building in question is a house of worship. Think about some of the enormous sprawling churches, synagogues and mosques you’ve seen. It would be hard to squeeze one of them in to a neighborhood like the Chicago Loop....

Dec21

Final Stats Show Open House Chicago Scored Big With Visitors And Economic Impact

Written By Bill Motchan on December 21, 2015 in _story

Earlier this month, Chicago Architecture reported on the huge success of this year’s edition of Open House Chicago. The Chicago Architecture Foundation just released additional details on attendance, illustrating just how big OHC has become in only its fifth year. If you ventured out to visit the unique architectural gems during OHC weekend on October 17-18, you’ll recall CAF volunteers performed a head count and asked for visitor’s...

Dec17

Neo-Egyptian Reliefs Abound At Inter-Continental Chicago Hotel

Written By Bill Motchan on December 17, 2015 in Magnificent Mile, _story

Earlier this week, Chicago Architecture visited the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, one of the 200 locations featured during the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s 2015 Open House Chicago. Today, we venture up North Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile to look at a building with very colorful components. The Inter-Continental Chicago Hotel at 505 North Michigan was built in 1929, then known as the Medina Athletic Club. The...

Dec15

Once A Storefront, The Ukrainian Institute Of Modern Art Now Gives Artists An Airy Gallery Space

Written By Bill Motchan on December 15, 2015 in Ukrainian Village, _story

One of the best things about the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s annual Open House Chicago event is its variety. This week Chicago Architecture features two sites from the 2015 OHC that illustrate the wide range of structures open to the public for tours. Later this week, we’ll look at the Inter-Continental Hotel on the Magnificent Mile. Today, let’s venture a bit west to Ukrainian Village, and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art...