Your official guide to Open House Chicago 2019

Have you ever walked by a building and thought, “I wish I could see what’s inside?” Now you can.

By Emily Koval & Eric Rogers

On October 19–20, join us for the ninth annual Open House Chicago (OHC)—sponsored by Wintrust—and get access to 350 architectural treasures across the city for free. Here are some of this year’s highlights.

Explore new neighborhoods

Three northwest neighborhoods are new to OHC in 2019: Irving Park, Jefferson Park and Portage Park. In Irving Park, check out Carl Schurz High School. This Prairie style structure has several outstanding interior spaces including an exquisite and soaring domed library with beautiful murals.

The Copernicus Center in Jefferson Park is among the grandest of Chicago's movie palaces. It's one of just four remaining atmospheric theaters in the city, with a design intended to make you feel like you’re in an exotic place under a starry night sky.

Finally, be sure to explore Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church in Portage Park. Feast your eyes on the original Marian Chapel and colorful main nave of this distinctive Spanish-style church.

Follow the 2019 Year of Chicago Theater Trail

In celebration of the Year of Chicago Theater, more than 40 must-see magical theaters and theater-related spaces are part of OHC this year!

The Second City is making its OHC debut this October. Visit this world-renowned center of improv comedy training and performance, and explore the crazy quilt of historic and new spaces hidden within the building.

Don’t miss Broadway In Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre, a historic Balaban & Katz movie palace that is now a major center for live Broadway shows in Chicago.

Explore a different side of Chicago theater at Zap Props, a 36,000-square-foot warehouse that holds hundreds of thousands of items that are rented out as props for movies, TV shows, plays and other occasions.

If you want to grab a drink

From mild lagers to bitter IPAs, Chicago has never been short on quality homegrown brews. Treat yourself to some local libations at one of the many sites on the Brewed in Chicago Trail.

Located in a historic former Masonic Temple, Eris Brewery & Cider House worked with brewery design specialist WRAP Architecture to convert the space while salvaging as many structural and architectural elements as possible.

Opened in 1888, The House of Glunz has been family-operated for 131 years, making it the oldest business in Old Town. In 2012, the neighboring Glunz Tavern reopened for the first time since Prohibition. Peek inside a private tasting room packed with old-world charm.

Looking for something a little different? Enjoy a tour and tasting at Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery, Chicago’s first meadery and winery.

Many sites will offer meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages as well. Explore the full list of places where refreshments will be available.

For the best skyline views

Calling all photography buffs! Get the best views of the city at sites like Prudential Plaza, Eastlake Studio and Essex on the Park. Check out the view from the original Sears Tower when you visit Nichols Tower in North Lawndale.

For a South Side perspective, explore the NEIU Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies—one of only three Frank Lloyd Wright buildings participating in OHC and his very first non-residential design, with a library that provides skyline views.

Sites you can only see during OHC weekend

OHC gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at many of the city’s great spaces that are rarely, if ever, open to the public. But some are more exclusive than others. Here are just a few of the sites that are only open to the public during OHC weekend:

• Step inside the rapidly transforming Chicago Post Office, the largest adaptive reuse project in the nation, to see the enormous restored Art Deco lobby.
• Explore the ground floor of the Salvation Army College for Officer Training, and see the grandeur of what was originally one of the largest mansions in Chicago.
• Discover the Edgewater Beach Apartments, the only remaining part of the Edgewater Beach Hotel complex. This massive, Spanish-style “Pink Palace” looks more like it belongs in Miami than on the north lakefront!

What’s on the CAC staff’s itinerary?

“St. Ignatius College Prep—so much prestige! I knew people from the suburbs who commuted here for school every day. It’s a beautiful historic building very close to my home, so I pass by it all the time and always wanted to see what’s inside!”

–Jessica Cilella, Managing Editor

“Carl Street Studios—the craftsmanship that has been incorporated in these private courtyards and gardens is astounding. As an amateur artist, I'm so excited to explore and take note of all these details that are translated through mosaics, stained glass, and carvings.”

–Patricia Doyle, Manager of Membership

Carl Street Studios is a Members Only site. To get access to exciting sites like this one, as well as tons of other great benefits, become a member today!

“I can’t pick just one! You’ll get a different answer every time you ask me, because working with so many amazing sites is the best part of my job. I get especially excited about sacred spaces, because I love photographing them, so three of my favorites are:

• First Church of Deliverance in Bronzeville—has an enormous colorful light-up cross, streamlined architecture, and strong cultural significance
• Third Unitarian Church in Austin—an understated and ahead-of-its time design that is very warm and welcoming
• Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist—the spaceship church on Wacker Drive, with a strikingly spare auditorium”

–Eric Rogers, Manager, Open House Chicago and Community Outreach

"I Grow Chicago Peace Campus —I am proud to see this space in Open House Chicago for the first time! I Grow Chicago is a site fostering collective healing and transformation for residents of the Englewood neighborhood. I am really looking forward to touring the Peace Gardens and learning about their goals to provide fresh food for the community."

–Madison Smith, Coordinator of Public Programs

“I love Park No. 571 Boathouse by Studio Gang. Recently my husband and I rented kayaks at Ping Tom Park and paddled to Bridgeport to see it from the water. As a former oarsperson, I loved looking at the rhythmic roof form that emulates the motion of rowing.”

–Lynn Osmond, President and CEO