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The Old Post Office

  • bright marble lobby with inlaid marble compass on floor,brass light fixtures and a vintage elevator sign
Explore the new Old Post Office Building, whose early 20th-century design has been adaptively reused into a beautiful, modern Class A Office building.
  • bright marble lobby with inlaid marble compass on floor,brass light fixtures and a vintage elevator sign

See how historic artifacts and building details have been creatively incorporated into the Old Post Office's design including the conversion of the roof to a 3.5 acre urban rooftop park.

Duration
1.5 hours
Site Type
Buildings
Location
Downtown
Architects and Styles
Meet

433 W Van Buren St.; meet inside the Van Buren entrance

It once looked as though the stunning architectural details of Chicago's Old Post Office would be lost to time while the building sat vacant for almost two decades. But the 2.8 million square foot building, completed in 1934, recently went through a monumental renovation and now serves as a modern multi-use event and office space that meets today's need for large, light-filled work spaces.

Old places can become new spaces when a developer with vision collaborates with an award-winning architectural team.

Know before you go:
  • All visitors of the Rooftop must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.
  • Accessibility: The tour route requires slightly less than a mile of walking and requires use of an escalator or elevator.
  • Professional photography equipment is not permitted. However, visitors are welcome to use phone cameras for personal photography.

Tour reviews

    • The Old Post Office tour is phenomenal! Alice, our guide, filled our heads with wonder with the mail and rail connection, the reasons for the existence of world’s largest post office (mail order businesses) and now the repurpose of this stunning building.
      suzychi10Tour attendee
    • The Old Post Office is an amazing example of how a grand, old building that was abandoned for 20 years can be saved and adaptively transformed into a stunning modern office building that attracts prestigious tenants.
      Lorie WestermanCAC Docent
  • lounge with white marble fireplace and tufted brown leather chairs

    Old Post Office North Lounge

  • Image of a large hall with modern furniture and colorful screens on the far wall

    Grand Hall designed by Gensler. Photo by Eric Laignel

  • Image of a large hall with marbel colunmns and a lobby desk with gold walls behind it.

    Old Post Office lobby desk designed by Gensler. Photo by Eric Laignel

  • Image of a rooftop green space with paved sidewalks

    The Meadow designed by Gensler and landscape by Hoerr Schuadt. Photo by Tom Rossiter

Tour Accessibility

CAC is committed to improving access to our tours. The accessibility information below reflects our docents’ experience and is provided for general guidance only.

What to expect on this tour

  • Icon of a person walking with a red percentage sign

    Terrain & Surfaces

    Easy - Paved and flat the entire route

  • Icon of a wheelchair and red arrow

    Wheelchair & Walker Access

    Easy - Fully accessible; no barriers

  • Icon of the outline or some steps and a red arrow pointing diagonally right and up.

    Steps or Stairs

    Easy - No stairs, step-free route

  • Icon of an ear with a red throughline

    Hearing Access

    Easy - Quiet setting, easy to hear

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MORE ABOUT THIS BUILDING

Discover more about the Old Post Office in CAC's Buildings of Chicago online library.

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