Chicago Architecture Walking Tour: What's New

Fantastic! Barbara was my tour guide and she was amazing, complementing architecture information with her time as journalist. We explored some of the newest buildings focusing on construction elements and their impact on the city’s built environment.

This was a fantastic tour to compare and contrast classic Chicago architecture with new developments in the Streeterville area. Our tour guide was passionate, informative, and engaging!! She taught us about the transformation of public spaces and utilization of buildings too. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

This tour introduced me to new buildings and a tiny but beautiful park that was hiding in plain sight on a busy street in Streeterville. Paula was a fantastic tour guide - knowledgeable, friendly, and full of great information on all things architecture. I loved the tour, even though we were caught in a torrential downpour for much of it. (Paula kindly offered me her umbrella.) I learned a lot, not only about the new construction, but also about older buildings that I thought I was quite familiar with. The walk along the north side of the river was also new and interesting territory. Highly recommend this tour and you'll love Paula if you're lucky enough to get her as your expert guide!

I just went on a 90-minute walking tour in the Northalsted neighborhood of Chicago, formerly known as “Boystown”, led by the Chicago Architecture tour guide Rene Cantu. This area of Chicago is one of the biggest and most vibrant LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in the country, and Rene did an excellent job of highlighting the architecture of the 'hood, both new and old, and tying it into the history of the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions to the neighborhood for over 100 years. Highlights include the rainbow pylons that help define the neighborhood and the Legacy Walk plaques installed on them; the Center on Halsted, a state of the art community center focused on the LGBTQ+ population, but offering programs and services for the whole community. The space includes a theatre, multiple gymnasiums, a computer lab, art galleries, meeting spaces, cafes and comfortable common areas; the Howard Brown Medical Center set on Halsted in the heart of gay nightlife; and mostly, the stories of the people who willed this neighborhood in to being, as well as those who still work to make a vibrant, safe and prospering environment for the whole population. Rene led us on about a mile of walking. It was a lovely summer stroll in Chicago, sandwiched between Wrigley Field and Lake Michigan. If you would like to feel some Pride, not just in the month of June, I highly recommend this excellent excursion.

+3

We booked through our membership with the Chicago Architecture Center for the art deco loop tour. The guide was phenomenal. Loved all the intricate details. Can't wait for the next tour!

This is a wonderful tour, a continuation of the past history leading to the current skyscrapers of the city. Paul S. is very knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic about Chicago. We enjoyed the tour leaded by him very much.

We really love the Chicago Architecture Center tours and lately , we’ve been focusing on neighborhood tours. We’ve had tours of Pilsen, Uptown, Hyde Park, Wicker Park, Beverly, Old Town and the Gold Coast. All have been superb. We just went on the Bohemian National Cemetery tour this weekend and it was outstanding. We highly recommend the CAC tours if you are interested in history, architecture and culture.

We did the Women in Architecture tour and learned so much about their contribution to our city’s architecture. Highly recommend it!

While the tour was interesting, headphones would have been very helpful to hear what the docent was saying. There was a lot of street noise so instead of being able walk around a bit and look at the buildings, we all huddled close to hear what was said.

John gave a detailed, informative tour with great props demonstrating architectural features. He is genuinely interested in Chicago buildings and construction design. Highly recommend!