Awards & Accolades

"A must-see, whether you live in Chicago or are visiting the city."

— TripAdvisor user, Salt Lake City, Utah

2022

The Chicago Architecture Center

• AIA National Design Award for Interior Architecture

2021

CAFC River Cruise Aboard Chicago's First Lady

• Voted the #1 Boat Tour in North America by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards

2020

CAFC River Cruise Aboard Chicago's First Lady

• Voted Best Tour by the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2020"

2019

The Chicago Architecture Center

• TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence
• "Top Five Best New Attractions" — USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice
• "Business Impact of the Year" — The Magnificent Mile Association
• "Best New Attraction" — Friends of Downtown
• "Special Achievement of the Year" —Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards

"The latest jewel in Chicago’s architectural crown."

— Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune

Tours

• Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady and other CAC tours — “Best Tour,” Chicago Reader
• Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age tour —GetYourGuide award

2018

“Visitors linger to take advantage of the city’s great food [and] world class museums (The Art Institute and Chicago Architecture Center to name two).”

– Best Business Travel Cities in USA, CNN Business

• AIA Illinois Richard Nickel Award for (non-architect) citizens who lift up architecture and the profession awarded to Lynn Osmond, Hon AIA, CAC President and CEO
• Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise listed under Illinois in Money magazine's "This Is the Most Popular Tourist Attraction in Every State" article

2017

• River Cruise named "Best Tour" in Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2017" issue
• "#1 Chicago Boat Tour" dubbed by Time Out Chicago in July 2017
• U.S. News & World Report named the Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises as one of the top six tours in Chicago for first-time visitors
• No Small Plans made Curbed.com's list of "101 Books About Where and How We Live." It ranked at #74, alongside impressive works by authors like Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, W.E.B. Dubois and Studs Terkel.
• @chiarchitecture named "Best Instagram Account to Follow" in Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2017" issue

"If you've only got 90 minutes in Chicago, or 90 minutes to live...this is where you want to spend them."

— Chicago Reader, Reader's Choice, Best Architecture Tour, 6.26.08

2016

• Open House Chicago is one of the "reasons to love Chicago" in the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago"

2015

• Based on TripAdvisor user reviews, the "official" Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises is the #1 ranked tour in Chicago and a top 10 tour in the U.S. in 2015

2014

• Keystone Award, American Architectural Foundation

2013

• Congress for the New Urbanism
• American Society of Landscape Architects
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement for DiscoverDesign.org