Chicago Architecture Center

Chicago Architecture Center The Chicago Architecture Center showcases Chicago and ideas from cities worldwide to inspire better living through design.

When you hit the pavement on one of our 75+ walking tours through Chicago neighborhoods, set sail on our award-winning river cruise, gift a membership to friends and family, or visit the stunning riverfront Center, you’re helping fund CAC youth education initiatives like Girls Build!, Teen Fellows, and the Newhouse Architecture + Design Competition. Or you may be helping to keep programs like Open House Chicago free for participants for years to come. As a certified nonprofit, all CAC ticket purchases directly support our education efforts and community engagement projects.

• 1 walking tour ticket = transportation and lunch for a CAC summer program student.
• 2 river cruise tickets = sketching materials and drafting tools for a student.
• Sold out walking tour = tuition for a Teen Fellow to take a digital lab course at a local community college. EDUCATION • TOURS • EXHIBITIONS • CRUISES

Learn more at architecture.org

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE HOURS OF OPERATION

We’re thrilled to welcome Hebru Brantley to the Chicago Architecture Center Board! 🎉Hebru is a contemporary artist known...
10/13/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Hebru Brantley to the Chicago Architecture Center Board! 🎉

Hebru is a contemporary artist known for his narrative-driven work and original characters, including Flyboy, who was inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen. Just as importantly, he has spent years encouraging young people to explore their creativity, develop their talents and discover new possibilities through art.

We’re excited for the creativity and perspective Hebru brings to our mission to inspire better living through design.

Welcome, Hebru!

Hebru Brantley / Hebru Brand

Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate the work of the Center for Native Futures, the only Native artist-led fin...
10/12/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate the work of the Center for Native Futures, the only Native artist-led fine arts gallery in Zhegagoynak (Chicago). Through exhibitions, residencies and programming, the center amplifies contemporary Indigenous voices and challenges outdated narratives by showcasing Native cultures as living, evolving and future-focused.

Visitors can also explore the space during Open House Chicago.

Did these sites make your Open House Chicago itinerary?
10/12/2026

Did these sites make your Open House Chicago itinerary?

It's bridge lift season in Chicago once again! For more than a century, Chicago's moveable bridges have risen to make wa...
10/10/2026

It's bridge lift season in Chicago once again!

For more than a century, Chicago's moveable bridges have risen to make way for river traffic. While bridge lifts once happened whenever a tall vessel needed to pass, today they're performed on a regular schedule.

The bridges that once required round-the-clock staffing have largely been modernized, but many still remain as fascinating pieces of Chicago history.

Want to see the inside of one? Visit the historic McCormick Bridgehouse during Open House Chicago.

Visit the link in first comment for details.

10/08/2026

Many Chicagoans know them as trunnion bascule bridges. Many people outside the city simply call them "Chicago bridges."

Learn how this iconic bridge design became so closely associated with Chicago in this video with docent Patti Kelly.

10/08/2026

🌟 Let's get ready to explore!!

Just 9 days until Open House Chicago 2026! What sites are at the top of your list?

📍 Visit the link in first comment for complete site list and details.

🎉 2026 marks 60 years of the Chicago Architecture Center inspiring people to participate in building vibrant communities...
10/07/2026

🎉 2026 marks 60 years of the Chicago Architecture Center inspiring people to participate in building vibrant communities.

To celebrate, we're launching a $60,000 Annual Giving Campaign to support education, programming and tours that inspire better living through design. Help us honor this milestone with a gift to our Annual Giving Campaign and help support CAC's work for the next 60 years.

Link in first comment.

✅ You've blocked off your calendar for Open House Chicago, 10/17 & 10/18✅ You've created your itinerary at openhousechic...
10/07/2026

✅ You've blocked off your calendar for Open House Chicago, 10/17 & 10/18
✅ You've created your itinerary at openhousechicago.org
❓ Do you have your OHC swag?

Prep for OHC2026 weekend with exclusive, limited-edition swag. Featuring artwork by Chicagoan Jaz Rodriguez, this collection celebrates our city's iconic architectural styles and native flowers. Four unique designs are featured on stickers, magnets, postcards and posters.

Order today for delivery or in-store pick up and kick off your OHC weekend at the Chicago Architecture Center!

Link in first comment.

Check out these must-see sites for Open House Chicago 2026, October 17-18!
10/06/2026

Check out these must-see sites for Open House Chicago 2026, October 17-18!

10/06/2026

🪄 🎩 Did you know architects have long used illusion as a design tool?

In the early days of the skyscraper, architects often used design tricks to make towering buildings feel less intimidating to a public who was still getting used to once unthinkable heights. Today, architects continue to use proportion, perspective, light and materials to shape how we experience buildings.

So naturally, we had to introduce the "Davids" from Theater of the Mind to some of the city's greatest architects who also challenged our perspectives. Watch this video to see what they discovered and then join us for a River Cruise to learn about other tricks and techniques architects use in their designs.

Theater of the Mind Chicago

10/05/2026

🌎It’s World Architecture Day and this year we decided to keep it low-key...by OPENING A NEW LOCATION!! 🎉

Check out the brand new Chicago Architecture Center Marquette Hub in the historic Marquette Building at 136 S. Dearborn. You can purchase tour tickets, shop our retail or chat with an associate about everything we have going on here at the CAC.

Stop by and see us!
Open every Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

📺 The Chicago Stories series returns to WTTW is back and we're delighted that Angela Esposito, CAC's Vice President of E...
10/05/2026

📺 The Chicago Stories series returns to WTTW is back and we're delighted that Angela Esposito, CAC's Vice President of Education, will be appearing on the October 16th episode, offering her expertise on the evolution of the skyscraper.

Watch on , or stream on the PBS app and wttw.com/chicagostories.

🌟 BIG NEWS! 🌟The Chicago Architecture Center Marquette Hub opens today, Monday, October 5!📍 Located at 136 S. Dearborn i...
10/05/2026

🌟 BIG NEWS! 🌟

The Chicago Architecture Center Marquette Hub opens today, Monday, October 5!

📍 Located at 136 S. Dearborn in the historic Marquette Building (Holabird & Roche, 1895), the Marquette Hub serves as an additional departure point for CAC tours and a new place to shop for artist-designed gifts, books and more.

Join us for the grand opening on Monday, October 5, fittingly coinciding with World Architecture Day. 🌏

Following the grand opening, the Marquette Hub will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address

111 E. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL
60601

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 7pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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