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

Did you know Maggie Daley Park actually sits atop the roof of a parking garage? Once the location of the Daley Bicentenn...
08/22/2026

Did you know Maggie Daley Park actually sits atop the roof of a parking garage?

Once the location of the Daley Bicentennial Park, Maggie Daley Park was created when the parking garage below sprung a leak. After the leak was repaired, landscape architects replaced the original Daley Bicentennial Park with an imaginative, inviting and enjoyable play space.

Learn more at the link in first comment.

Chicago is hiding incredible stories in plain sight. Explore them with a Chicago Architecture Center docent. Link in fir...
08/20/2026

Chicago is hiding incredible stories in plain sight. Explore them with a Chicago Architecture Center docent.
Link in first comment.

At the confluence of the Chicago River—where the main, north and south branches all meet—stands one of the city's most r...
08/20/2026

At the confluence of the Chicago River—where the main, north and south branches all meet—stands one of the city's most recognizable buildings, 333 W. Wacker.

Completed in 1983 by KPF, the color of the building's glass is designed to mimic the river, while the glass itself reflects the city differently throughout the day. A stunning example of postmodern architecture, it has been an icon of Chicago for decades.

Learn more about this building at the link in first comment.

08/20/2026

ON THE AIR: Michael Davidson, Openlands President and CEO, discussed bird-friendly architecture and Openlands' exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) on WBEZ's In The Loop this week.

Alongside Jeanne Gang, architect and founder of Studio Gang, and Eleanor Gorski, President of CAC, and host Sasha-Ann Simons, Michael talked about how Openlands' exhibit, Chicago’s Living Habitat, helps us understand the natural systems we’re building within, while Studio Gangs' exhibit, Flyway City, help us imagine how architecture can work with those systems rather than against them. The CAC gives this conversation a powerful platform, at a moment when the once-dormant Bird-Friendly Buildings Ordinance is being discussed in Chicago’s City Hall.

Listen to the full segment here: https://ow.ly/4cyl50ZBYPG

And ask your alder to support bird-friendly building standards: https://ow.ly/TUWZ50ZBYPF

And get tickets to see Chicago's Living Habitat and Flyaway City at the CAC, now through January 2027: https://ow.ly/vANb50ZBZ2u

📸 Today is National Photography Day, and if there’s one thing Chicago proves, it’s that architecture and photography go ...
08/19/2026

📸 Today is National Photography Day, and if there’s one thing Chicago proves, it’s that architecture and photography go hand in hand. 🤝

A huge shoutout to the talented photographers who capture our city’s skyline, streetscapes and architectural details from every angle. Thank you for helping us see Chicago in new ways and for documenting everything that makes this city soooo special. 😍

📸 : via Instagram

🏙️ What might Chicago look like in 2050? And what would it take to get there?Last night, an enthusiastic crowd at the CA...
08/19/2026

🏙️ What might Chicago look like in 2050? And what would it take to get there?

Last night, an enthusiastic crowd at the CAC considered these questions while hearing pitches from the six finalists of the Horizon Lines 2050 competition. From lidded interstates re-connecting communities and livelier alleys and boulevards, to a reuse shopping district, a livable food production district and re-greened communities, each idea presents a bold vision for Chicago. Thank you to all who participated and attended this sold out event!

You can view the “Horizon Lines” finalists at the link in first comment.

Congratulations to all of the teams: The Morton Arboretum Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, MKSK, Wheeler Kearns Architects, Loop Layer, Metroplanners

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
World Business Chicago

08/18/2026

🏛️ The Wrigley Building was one of the first "skyscrapers" built on Chicago's mushy, swampy land along the Chicago River. How did engineers ensure the building didn't sink?

🎥 Check out the video with docent Patti Kelly Doyle to learn how!

✈️ 🛥️ That's a wrap on the 2026 Chicago Air and Water Show! ⛈️ It may not have been the best weather for the annual even...
08/18/2026

✈️ 🛥️ That's a wrap on the 2026 Chicago Air and Water Show! ⛈️ It may not have been the best weather for the annual event but Chicagoans still showed up. Here is a great skyline shot from CAC friend, .

📸: via Instagram

Chicago isn't the first place people think of as a boating city.But spend a summer here and you'll realize: this is abso...
08/17/2026

Chicago isn't the first place people think of as a boating city.
But spend a summer here and you'll realize: this is absolutely a boating city.

📸: zachreider via Instagram

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