Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century marvels, learn about innovations used to build them and discover how they transformed Chicago into a center of skyscraper design and engineering.
Highlights on this walking tour include Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888), a transitional building with a Moorish and Romanesque exterior and a stunning interior atrium re-designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium Building (1889), a masterpiece of acoustical and structural engineering; and Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895), an outstanding example of the metal frame expression with traditional details and decorations.
As a certified nonprofit, all CAC ticket purchases directly support our education efforts and community engagement projects.
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Admission to the Galleries of the Chicago Architecture Center
Narration by a professional and certified Guide
Historic walking tour of Chicago's architecture
Food and drinks
Coat check
Storage for luggage and strollers
Departure Point
410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605, Verenigde Staten
This tour meets at 410 S. Michigan Ave., outside the Fine Arts Building.
Return Details
53 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604, Verenigde Staten
Monadnock Building. Actual ending location may vary.
Fine Arts Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States Meet here to start the tour. 10 minutes
Auditorium Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States View the building from the outside 10 minutes
The Rookery Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States View the building from the outside 10 minutes
Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States View the exterior of the building 5 minutes
Marquette Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States View the building from the outside 5 minutes
Monadnock Building, Chicago, Illinois, United States View the exterior of the building 5 minutes
Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States This building is not directly part of the tour, however, the tour ticket includes admission to the galleries at the Chicago Architecture Center 1 minutes
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
This tour will depart from the Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Ave.
Not recommended for young children.
Pets are not allowed.
Access to building interiors featured on this tour may be subject to change without notice due to weekend and holiday schedules or unforeseen closures.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
giapet333
30 Sep 2024
Our guide was friendly a knowledgeable and gave us a great crash course in early Chicago architecture, we absolutely loved it!
pdxbbtravelers
22 Sep 2024
We have taken many walking tours with the Chicago Architecture Center, and loved every one of them. This tour about Chicago’s first skyscrapers was the best of the best. The guide was fantastic. We highly recommend the tour!
H36CDalexisb
20 Jul 2024
You can’t understand Chicago without understanding its historic first skyscrapers. These gems are worth seeing and preserving for many generations. I learned so much on this tour. I highly recommend!
This tour in
Chicago
is organized by
Chicago Architecture Center
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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