Programs & Events at CAC

Join us as we travel south to 95th Street. We’ll explore residential neighborhoods from the early 1900s, as well as modern institutions serving South Side communities today.

Design your holidays with us! The CAC invites members to preview the reimagined Design Store during an evening of members-only festivities at the Center.

Join us for a lively presentation on Mid-Century Modern women architects, developers, interior designers and landscape architects from the 1950s–1970s.

Architect and engineer Werner Sobek has a knack for making the world’s most complex designs possible. His imaginative structural solutions have aided the work of Helmut Jahn, Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Rem Koolhaas and others over a fruitful career.

Rosehill Cemetery is the final resting place of many individuals involved in the Civil War including political leaders, newspaper editors who shaped public opinion and officers who led brigades.

The pandemic puts health and safety in the workplace to the test, with improved airflow and sanitation taking on new urgency. Learn what goes into designing healthy buildings and how these approaches apply to office and residential settings alike.

Chicago is home to more moveable bridges than any other city in the country, keeping all sides of the city connected despite waterways that cut across them. Explore how these marvels of engineering helped shape the Chicago we know today.

Don’t miss this donor-exclusive virtual tour of the nearly complete St. Regis Chicago (formerly Vista Tower). The architect-led tour reveals design and engineering moves, newly finished spaces and sweeping skyline views. A live Q&A follows.

During the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the Midway Plaisance offered visitors an array of food and fun, ways to visit far-off places, the first-ever Ferris Wheel and other diversions. But the Midway was more than that.

Join designers and planners from Chicago and London as we discuss how tall buildings and the zero-carbon agenda affect both cities.

From historic buildings that escaped the Chicago Fire of 1871 to stunning contemporary designs, explore how Chicago's schools have been adapted for today's needs.

Twenty-one years in to the new millennium, innovative construction materials are altering Chicago in noticeable ways. CAC docent Kevin Griebenow highlights changes in skyscraper construction and engineering tied to recent material breakthroughs.

Join us for an exclusive screening of Episode 3 of Bruce Orenstein’s new documentary series, The Shame of Chicago, exploring predatory contract home sales in Chicago after World War II. Moderated discussion to follow.

Join us as we commemorate 50 years of the CAC Docent program. Enjoy reflections from a panel of docents as they revisit memorable chapters and look towards the future.

Brooks + Scarpa founding principal Lawrence Scarpa explores how design excellence can revolutionize housing for communities in need, in conversation with Maurice Cox, Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.

Architecture in Chicago has long drawn influence from Japan. Trace the connections beginning with parallels to Japanese architectural tradition found in Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and continuing on to Japanese architects practicing in Chicago today.

Research shows Chicago has become more segregated by income over time with growing pockets of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. This special hour-long event tackles the challenges of rebuilding the middle class as we mount recoveries in our cities.

2021 marks the 150th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. Join author Carl Smith as he discusses his new work of nonfiction, Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City.

Terra cotta, brick and stone masonry have been fundamental building materials since the Neolithic age. Join us as we explore how these materials make Chicago’s architecture, even as they are often taken for granted.

Add a splash of color to your child’s day when they spend an hour in our Design Studio creating a masterpiece using color, shapes, and materials.