Long hot summer brings shorter Architecture Tours

The Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan, has added new bus, and walking tours this summer. These shorter tours give locals and travelers a chance to get to know the city better in a shorter period of time. All tours are provided by Chicago Architecture Foundation docents. Dates and times are all posted on www.architecture.org.

Skyscraper Walk through Time – a quick walk through the Loop provides insights into typical skyscrapers characteristic of their era, from early masonry buildings through the 21st century super-tall highrises. This one-hour tour includes a look at how architects adapted building styles using cutting edge technology specific to their time enabling them to meet the current building style characteristic of the period. Weds, Fri at 10:30 am; and Sat at 3:30 pm.

Early Riser Tour
An energetic 60-minute walk through the loop on Friday mornings at 7:30am. A perfect fit for people with busy schedules who want to take advantage of summertime’s early daylight hours. Tour includes the Marquette Building, the Rookery, Mies van der Rohe’s Federal Center, the Willis Tower and the Trump Tower and ends in Millennium Park at 8:30 am just in time to get on with your day.

Inland Steel building tour
One of Chicago’s most iconic modern skyscrapers, Inland Steel is the newest 45-minute lunchtime tour. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill in 1958, this building symbolizes Chicago’s emergence as a center for cutting-edge design in the 20th century. Last Friday of the month at 12:15 pm.

Skyscraper Express Bus Tour – a one hour, 45 minute tour that appeals to people who love to get great photos from special vantage points. This tour takes people to some out of the way places with excellent views of the city such as Wolf Point, the Museum Campus, and East Wacker Drive. There are plenty of opportunities to get off and on the bus for some closer looks at each of the locations. Starting August 27, the tour departs every Friday and Saturday at 3:30 pm.

Rolling along the lakefront
Chicago’s beautiful lakefront by bike or Segway. These tours help showcase Chicago from a whole new perspective.

Elevated Architecture: Chicago’s Loop by ‘L’
This new train tour explores downtown Chicago from the unique perspective of its famous elevated train system. The trains and platforms are elevated 20 feet over the street, allowing for a view of the city from a unique vantage point. Tour includes a discussion of how the ‘L’ system developed and the opportunity to see some of the Loop neighborhoods it passes through.

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. The current 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