At the Chicago Architecture Center, our programs and events help you think differently about the places we live, work and play. Get behind-the-scenes access to the city's architectural treasures. Practice your design skills while you play with your family. Participate in expert-led discussions about the latest urban design issues. With these offerings and so many more to choose from, we guarantee there’s something inspiring and fun for you at the CAC.
Take a virtual tour of the former Central Park Theater in North Lawndale, a 1917 movie palace that marked the start of a fruitful partnership between architects Rapp and Rapp and theater corporation Balaban and Katz.
Exclusively for CAC members • Hear fascinating stories about the multi-year, award-winning Chicago Riverwalk project, from two women who worked together to bring it to fruition: architect Carol Ross Barney and CAC docent Michelle Woods.
This special collection of virtual tours and brief performances brings attendees “into” spaces they wouldn’t ordinarily see at storied Chicago music venues, including the Avalon Regal Theater, The Forum, Thalia Hall and the Vic Theatre.
OHC 2020 community partner Chicago Cultural Alliance co-convenes this discussion among representatives from its member organizations. Hear (im)migration stories from panelists and discover local sites that are meaningful for their communities.
Join OHC 2020 community partner Design Evanston for a look at its new book, "Evanston’s Design Heritage," featuring 127 notable architects, designers, landscape architects and planners who lived or worked in the suburb since its founding in 1863.
Exclusively for CAC members • 93XRT radio host Lin Brehmer stops at sites of significance in the history of rock music in downtown Chicago on this virtual tour.
Based on the CAC’s popular "Get to Know Your House" series, this program provides attendees with tips for researching their historic homes, using Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood as a case study.
Learn about recent efforts by the City of Evanston to recognize sites and buildings that speak to the role African Americans played in shaping the suburb. This conversation is co-convened by the Evanston History Center, an OHC 2020 community partner.
Join CAC docents Lance Friedmann, Wayne Johnson, Kelly Jones and Alison Schlickman as they share highlights among the many new buildings, neighborhood developments and works of public art along the Chicago River.
After decades of disinvestment, could historic preservation be used as a tool to help rebuild vibrancy in the Roseland neighborhood? Find out at this roundtable discussion, co-convened with OHC 2020 community partner Preservation Chicago.
Take a 45-minute live, virtual tour with CAC docent Mary Jo Hoag's in downtown Chicago to discover stunning buildings designed by female architects, including the Equitable Building, Aqua Tower and Vista Tower.
Exclusively for CAC members • Join Jazz Institute of Chicago executive director Heather Ireland Robinson on a video tour through the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side, where she grew up.
Hear recent architecture school graduate Migel Santos’ fascinating proposal to revitalize a decommissioned rail line on the South Side, with hopes of boosting socioeconomic equity and neighborhood vitality.
Exclusively for CAC members • Visit the curious, mural-filled rooms of the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse on this virtual tour with Free Street Theater, which is headquartered in the historic building.
Exclusively for CAC members • Hear what inspired the design of the CAC and discover the skyline-altering work of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture on this virtual tour with renowned architect Gordon Gill.