Open House Chicago Now In Extended Play Mode
If the most recent University of Chicago Medicine TV ad hasn’t made you jump in front of a CTA bus yet, you may have taken that conveyance around town during Open House Chicago this week. If you didn’t, you’re in luck. Open House Chicago is now an EP. We didn’t do much with OHC this year because it is so watered down. The houses are “open” in title only. It’s essentially self-guided tours that you could...
A Little COVID Can’t Stop Open House Chicago
This morning we were watching Chicago Department of Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady on WGN-TV tell us that there’s a concerning upward trend in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city. It made us wonder, “Will there be an Open House Chicago this year?” Minutes later, an e-mail arrived from the Chicago Architecture Center confirming that, yes Virginia, there will be an OHC. The South Shore Cultural Center, a...
OHC Photos: Museum of Science and Industry
There exists a scientific formula known as the Nike-Starbucks Coefficient. By comparing the amount of tread worn off of your sneakers with the amount of coffee consumed in mid-October, it’s possible to predict how many photographs you took during Open House Chicago. We can only speculate what the Nike-Starbucks Coefficient is for Jennifer Mishra of Wits End Photography, who shared with us her OHC pictures of the Museum of...
OHC Photos: Wrigley Building
Small things can beget greatness. Look at the humble stick of chewing gum, which gave us the magnificent Wrigley Building. Jennifer Mishra of Wits End Photography got a chance to wander around the terra cotta gingerbread castle during the Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago event, and shared these photographs. (And if your building’s sidewalk is polka-dotted with black ovals of discarded flavor, this is a...
Photos: A Look Back at Open House Chicago
If you were among the people who had to put a winter coat over your child’s Halloween costume when you went trick-or-treating, you might be pining for the halcyon days of mid-October already. To indulge your nostalgia for the days of near-past, here are some photographs from Open House Chicago, taken by Jennifer Mishra of Wits End Photography. Jennifer Mishra/Wits End Photography Jennifer Mishra/Wits End Photography Jennifer...
2019 Stats and 2020 Open House Chicago Dates Announced
Chicago’s premiere architecture event continues to grow. Numbers released by the Chicago Architecture Center show that 109,000 people attended last month’s Open House Chicago. The skyline during Open House Chicago. Photography was invented for cities like this. (Courtesy of Jennifer Mishra/Wits End Photography) That’s an eight percent increase in people over last year. If you’re counting bodies through...
10 Tips For Surviving Open House Chicago
Chicago’s premiere architecture event is just days away. And whether you’re a veteran of the views, or a newbie with a Nikon, there are plenty of things to keep in mind when embarking on this weekend of binge-arching. Recently we were asked for some pointers for getting the most out of Open House Chicago. The smart thing to do is pick two or three places you want to see, then have a nice lunch and go home. But...
City Has a Bee In Its Bonnet Over West Side Apiary
If the only reason you go to the North Lawndale neighborhood is to see the original Sears Tower during Open House Chicago, then you might not be familiar with the North Lawndale Employment Network. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the organization: NLEN helps people find jobs when they get out of prison. One way it does that is by employing people to manufacture its own brand of personal care products made with honey. Think soaps,...
Open House Chicago Sets Records, Strains Necks
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...
Big List: Here’s What’s New For Open House Chicago 2018
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...
