This tour explores the art glass designed, crafted or installed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, Louis Comfort Tiffany and his contemporaries, in four late 19th Century Chicago landmarks:

• The Art Institute
• The Marquette Building
• The Chicago Cultural Center
• Macy's on State Street (historic Marhall Field's store)

Discover mosaics, lighting fixtures, vaults and domes, as well as the buildings in which they are housed, recent restoration efforts, and the history behind this dramatic art form.

This tour includes general admission to the Art Institute for the tour and one other day, plus a visitor's gift courtesy of Macy's on State Street. ... More info ›

This tour explores the art glass designed, crafted or installed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, Louis Comfort Tiffany and his contemporaries, in four late 19th Century Chicago landmarks:

• The Art Institute
• The Marquette Building
• The Chicago Cultural Center
• Macy's on State Street (historic Marhall Field's store)

Discover mosaics, lighting fixtures, vaults and domes, as well as the buildings in which they are housed, recent restoration efforts, and the history behind this dramatic art form.

This tour includes general admission to the Art Institute for the tour and one other day, plus a visitor's gift courtesy of Macy's on State Street.

Less info

Discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings in this 2 hour tour. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of lively architectural heritage.

During the period between the two World Wars, an eclectic design style developed that later became known as Art Deco, used to refer to a mix of styles from the 1920s and 1930s. Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Art Deco style infused the everyday world with an elegant style of cool sophistication.

What characterizes Art Deco design most is its geometry and simplicity, often combined with vibrant colors and simple shapes that celebrate the rise of commerce and technology. From luxurious objects made from exotic materials to mass produced, streamlined items. Chicago's Jazz Age architecture was simply called Modernistic when it was created in the 1920s, and Moderne as it evolved into the Swing era of the 1930s. Whether starkly cubistic or smoothly streamlined, the new office and apartment buildings that redefined the skyline embodied the new language of building until the 1950s.

On this tour you will discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco buildings and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of this short-lived but lively architectural heritage. Come and experience the very essence of Art Deco! ... More info ›

Discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings in this 2 hour tour. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of lively architectural heritage.

During the period between the two World Wars, an eclectic design style developed that later became known as Art Deco, used to refer to a mix of styles from the 1920s and 1930s. Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Art Deco style infused the everyday world with an elegant style of cool sophistication.

What characterizes Art Deco design most is its geometry and simplicity, often combined with vibrant colors and simple shapes that celebrate the rise of commerce and technology. From luxurious objects made from exotic materials to mass produced, streamlined items. Chicago's Jazz Age architecture was simply called Modernistic when it was created in the 1920s, and Moderne as it evolved into the Swing era of the 1930s. Whether starkly cubistic or smoothly streamlined, the new office and apartment buildings that redefined the skyline embodied the new language of building until the 1950s.

On this tour you will discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco buildings and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of this short-lived but lively architectural heritage. Come and experience the very essence of Art Deco!

Less info

Perhaps Chicago's most identifiable claim to fame resides in its architecture. The prototype of the modern industrial metropolis arose from the charred landscape left by the Great Fire of 1871. Many of Chicago's surviving buildings are the forefathers of the great modern skyscrapers and on this walking tour you will discover the historic beginnings of the Chicago School of Architecture and the earliest skyscrapers, built between the 1870s and the 1930s.

The tour features numerous buildings in Chicago's Loop that were built in this era, including:

• Chicago Board of Trade Building, one of the city's finest examples of Art Deco architecture
• The Auditorium Building, a Louis Sullivan masterpiece
• The Rookery, a National Historic Landmark

Learn about the architects who influenced the city's architecture and view their creations on this guided walking tour, sampling Chicago's rich past. As they say in Chicago, "The City is Our Museum" so come walk with the experts! ... More info ›

Perhaps Chicago's most identifiable claim to fame resides in its architecture. The prototype of the modern industrial metropolis arose from the charred landscape left by the Great Fire of 1871. Many of Chicago's surviving buildings are the forefathers of the great modern skyscrapers and on this walking tour you will discover the historic beginnings of the Chicago School of Architecture and the earliest skyscrapers, built between the 1870s and the 1930s.

The tour features numerous buildings in Chicago's Loop that were built in this era, including:

• Chicago Board of Trade Building, one of the city's finest examples of Art Deco architecture
• The Auditorium Building, a Louis Sullivan masterpiece
• The Rookery, a National Historic Landmark

Learn about the architects who influenced the city's architecture and view their creations on this guided walking tour, sampling Chicago's rich past. As they say in Chicago, "The City is Our Museum" so come walk with the experts!

Less info

Explore Chicago's international, modern and postmodern movements, from the powerful, minimalist work of Mies van der Rohe's to contemporary styles that incorporate new, environmentally-sustainable technology. A great 2 hour tour for architecture buffs as well as anyone with a simple interest in the buildings of Chicago.

Learn about post-WWII developments and the impact of technological and zoning changes. Admire the stainless steel cladding on the Inland Steel Building, the whimsical post-modern designs of the Harold Washington Library and 190 S. LaSalle, and contemporary buildings like One South Dearborn, Blue Cross-Blue Shield and the Art Institute's Modern Wing. ... More info ›

Explore Chicago's international, modern and postmodern movements, from the powerful, minimalist work of Mies van der Rohe's to contemporary styles that incorporate new, environmentally-sustainable technology. A great 2 hour tour for architecture buffs as well as anyone with a simple interest in the buildings of Chicago.

Learn about post-WWII developments and the impact of technological and zoning changes. Admire the stainless steel cladding on the Inland Steel Building, the whimsical post-modern designs of the Harold Washington Library and 190 S. LaSalle, and contemporary buildings like One South Dearborn, Blue Cross-Blue Shield and the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

Less info