Free Insider Tours With openhousechicago

Chicago Architecture Foundation Offers October 14-16 Weekend

 

Chicago, IL – Modeled after popular programs in New York, London and Toronto, the Chicago Architecture Foundation will offer more than 150 unique locations—all free of charge—for the first openhousechicago weekend, October 14-16, 2011. Locations not usually open to the public will allow visitors to get a “backstage pass” to Chicago’s most interesting spaces and places. Designed to appeal to local residents as well as out-of-towners, the weekend will offer visitors opportunities to explore a wide variety of buildings and neighborhoods, from Chicago’s Loop to lesser known communities like Bronzeville and Little Village. In all, 150 different sites are expected to draw at least 50,000 people during the weekend.

Many of the sites demonstrate how buildings and whole neighborhoods have been repurposed. Buildings that were once derelict have been adapted for entirely different uses. The Power House High School is a perfect example. The 1905 building once provided power, heating and cooling to the Sears Headquarters in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the near west side of the city. Sears moved out more than three decades ago and the building sat vacant until 2009. Now it is bustling with high school students in a state of the art high school.

“The Chicago Architecture Foundation has always provided a rich variety of culture for our visitors,” said Lynn Osmond, Chicago Architecture Foundation President and CEO. “However, openhousechicago has allowed us to work in collaboration with local community organizations to showcase the unique and often hidden architecture gems in their neighborhoods.”

The Glenwood Arts District on the far north side of Chicago is an example of a repurposed neighborhood. Once a small commercial district, the whole neighborhood has been reinvigorated with galleries, restaurants, theaters and nightlife. The Mayne Stage Theater opened in 2008 in the former Morse Theater, once a vaudeville house. This intimate theater-in-the-round offers a popular multipurpose entertainment venue with state-of-the-art audio and video systems for recording sessions.

Featured sites of openhousechicago include:

• Christy Webber Landscaping in Garfield Park
• Emil Bach House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Rogers Park
• Chicago Police headquarters in Bronzeville
• Indian Boundary Park in West Ridge
• Chicago Transit Authority Headquarters in the West Loop
• The Pritzker Military Library in the Loop
• Private dining room in135 S. LaSalle (formerly the Field Building, now Bank of America) in the Loop
• Little Village High School – a $200 million campus of four schools
• University Club in the Loop
• Devon Avenue’s multi-cultural commercial strip in Rogers Park

All the tours will be self guided but maps and event directories will be distributed to the public in advance. Mobile-enabled technology will also let the social media types navigate the locations on their smart phones.

openhousechicago is presented by the Allstate Insurance Company with leading foundation support from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust. Major support is provided by Bank of America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Tawani Foundation, with additional support from Dyson, Northern Trust, the Chicago Park District, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Chicago Tribune is the official media sponsor of openhousechicago.

Information on www.openhousechicago.org is continually updated. Hotels and tour operators are planning special promotions to encourage out-of-town visitors.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. The Chicago Architecture Foundation pursues this mission through architecture tours, exhibitions, panel discussions, and youth and adult education programs. A permanent exhibition, Chicago Model City, includes a highly detailed scale model of Chicago. The Chicago Architecture Foundation is located at 224 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60604. For further information visit www.architecture.org or call 312.922.3432 or become a facebook fan: www.facebook.com/chicagoarchitecture or follow on twitter: www.twitter.com/chiarchitecture