Join us to celebrate the opening night of our new exhibition, celebrating the CAC's 60th anniversary.
Opening Night – Currents: 60 Years of CAC
Board of Trustees Chair Marian Despres introduces the first docent class at their graduation in 1971. Photo from the CAC archives.
The Chicago Architecture Center turns 60 years old this April!
The opening night event begins with a reception and unveiling of the new exhibition, Currents: 60 Years of The Chicago Architecture Center. The exhibition celebrates the spirit that has defined our organization, highlighting key moments in the city’s evolution when CAC staff and volunteers introduced new tours and initiatives that sparked energy and civic pride.
Following the reception, we'll convene in the lecture hall for a special panel program with individuals involved in the establishment and long-term stewardship of both the Chicago Architecture Center and Glessner House. The conversation will be moderated by CEO & President Eleanor Esser Gorski.
The reception will be in the Skyscraper Gallery from 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., followed by the program in the CAC Lecture Hall from 6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
If you are new to CAC or a longtime member or volunteer, this is a unique opportunity to honor the people and personalities that make CAC a cherished institution.
Keynote speaker
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus leo nulla, porta a ligula ut, commodo ultrices quam. Suspendisse non mollis odio.
Sed vestibulum ut arcu vel feugiat. Morbi iaculis augue risus, at pharetra nibh blandit nec. Etiam feugiat volutpat nunc vel aliquet. Maecenas mollis turpis at odio fringilla, eget iaculis tortor congue.
Featured Panelists
Susan Benjamin is an architectural historian with 45-plus years of experience in a broad variety of preservation activities. In 1967, Susan, armed with a master’s degree in art education, was hired as an administrative assistant for the first executive director of the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation (as CAC was then known).
Susan Benjamin went on to establish her own business, Benjamin Historic Certifications. She and members of her team have written numerous local and National Register landmark nominations for noteworthy Illinois buildings of all periods and styles, often to help owners receive tax benefits for rehabilitating their historic buildings. She is also a practiced lecturer and co-author of several titles on Chicago area architecture, including “Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929-75" (with Michelangelo Sabatino), as well as "Great Houses of Chicago: 1871-1921" and “North Shore Chicago: Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs 1890-1940" (both with Stuart Cohen).
Wayne Benjamin is one of the four official founders of the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation in 1966 (as CAC was then known). He served as the organization’s first treasurer and paymaster, and remained on the board of trustees through 1973. A professional urban planner, Wayne was also part of another handful of founders who helped conceive of a special board committee, chaired by Benjamin Weese, that mapped out a preservation plan for the neighborhood surrounding Glessner House. Their forward-thinking efforts eventually secured the Prairie Avenue Historic District designation from the City of Chicago in 1978, which we enjoy through to the present day.
William Tyre has served as Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House since 2007. He holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2008, Tyre published Chicago’s Historic Prairie Avenue, part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia. From 1999 to 2007, he served as comptroller for the Society of Architectural Historians, headquartered in the Charnley-Persky House, where he also served as manager of tours and programs.
Before Cynthia Weese was a founding partner of Weese Langley Weese (now Weese Langley Kein) and before she served as dean of the Washington University College of Architecture, she was an indispensable early volunteer of the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation (as CAC was then known). Her husband, Benjamin Weese (1929-2024), is largely credited as the lead organizer of efforts to save H.H. Richardson’s Glessner House.
Cynthia has been an incredibly active member of the Chicago architecture community. She is a founding member of Chicago Women in Architecture and the Chicago Architectural Club. All this in addition to enjoying a long, successful career as the architect of several affordable housing and education building projects. She is the recipient of the Society of Architectural Historians’ Award for Architectural Excellence and a recipient of AIA Chicago’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Moderator
Eleanor Esser Gorski, AIA, has served as the CEO & President of the Chicago Architecture Center since 2022. Eleanor brings a wealth of knowledge to the CAC, with over 25 years of experience in architecture, historic preservation, and urban planning. Her distinguished career includes leadership roles within the City of Chicago, where she served as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development. She spearheaded complex district-level planning work such as the Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative and the Fulton Market, Innovation District Plan, while also managing the City’s role in many notable projects, including the five-year renovation of Wrigley Field and early planning for the iconic Obama Presidential Center.
