Exclusive Tour With Prosecco On Pastor’s Skyscraper Balcony
CHICAGO, IL - On Friday, April 25th, 5:45pm, tour company Chicago Detours will offer a rare chance for the public to experience the Chicago Temple Building’s skyscraper terrace and a “Chapel in the Sky” on a one-off tour entitled “Exclusive Temple Tour with Views and a Toast.”
Chicago Detours Founder Amanda Scotese will share fascinating stories of the history of this downtown building, which houses the First United Methodist Church, offices for various businesses, and the pastor’s private residence. On this special tour, which has 24 limited spots, guests will experience the building’s beautiful Neo-gothic architecture as well some surprises hidden in the ornate and colorful stained glass windows of the church’s sanctuary.
The scope of the tour extends beyond church history. Guests will hear the fascinating and radical story that surrounds a sculpture that incorporates an actual KKK cross, and they will walk down the marble hallway that leads to Clarence Darrow’s former office, the famous lawyer for the Leopold and Loeb murder trial.
On the 26th floor the group will visit the magnificent Chapel in the Sky with its carved walnut beams and stained glass windows. The tour will conclude with a prosecco toast on the pastor’s private roof terrace with fantastic views of downtown Chicago. (See images here.)
As with all of Chicago Detours’ walking tours, guests will share iPads with historic images and video clips while the tour guide gives commentary.
Tickets for the Chicago Temple Tour are $36 for the 2 hour, 15-minute long tour, which includes guide commentary, shared use of iPads, sparkling wine, cheese and other light snacks, entrance to the Chapel in the Sky, access to the private terrace, and the gift of a historic print of the building. Additionally, guests get a peek inside the mid-century modern interior of the pastor’s three-story penthouse. For this special event, Scotese gives half of guide gratuities to a church initiative that gives specially designed backpacks for homeless people.
Reservations are required via www.chicagodetours.com. Group size is limited and tickets sell out each year for this special event.
About Chicago Detours:
Since 2010 Chicago Detour has been offering guided tours of architecture, history and culture that bring curious people to explore stories and places locals don’t even know. The tour company is a team of educators, historians, artists and storytellers, founded by Amanda Scotese, who honed her skills as a tour professional during her work as a tour guide and guidebook researcher with Rick Steves. Chicago Detours is one of the few Chicago tour companies with five solid stars on both Yelp and TripAdvisor.
