Chicago Architecture Center

Very nice facility. I went inside only briefly to get information regarding one of their river tours. I enjoyed the tour as well as the guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and brought a lot of personality. In addition the boat was nice and the views from it fantastic.

A must while visiting Chicago. Best tours in the city. Take both tours; the walking tour and the river tour and you’ll get the whole idea of the architecture scene in Chicago. Gift shop is wonderful. Totally recommended.

Had a great experience on Chicago's First Lady! Steve H. was the best tour guide in the city! He brought architecture and history to life!

This was one of the best boat tours I've ever taken in the US. I was particularly impressed by the speaker's evident love for the city. The way she talked about it made me feel so happy and connected. It was a beautiful and informative tour!

The Architecture Centre, with its free entry, stands as a brief yet captivating window into Chicago's towering legacy. In just 30 minutes, it unfolds the rich history of the city's iconic skyscrapers. The curated exhibits and informative displays are a testament to Chicago's architectural prowess, offering a condensed journey through time. The Center's design mirrors the innovative spirit it showcases, creating an engaging space that immerses visitors in the evolution of Chicago's skyline. The concise yet comprehensive experience makes it a worthwhile stop, providing a snapshot of the city's architectural narrative. From the birth of the first skyscraper to the cutting-edge designs of the present, the Architecture Centre condenses Chicago's architectural journey into a short but impactful visit. It's a testament to the city's vertical evolution and a must-visit for those seeking a brief but enlightening exploration of Chicago's towering history.

Nice place and it is just in front of the Chicago river walk, neat and beautiful, no wait time, it was a short walk through the two exhibitions, amenities were fine, including the bathroom, I love the miniature city and the gift shop, a good spot to visit while you are in Chicago downtown.

This is an awesome place with very informative displays. It's a must-see for those who want to know more about the history of Chicago🏙

Had an awesome architecture river cruise tour with Sam! Would highly recommend this tour if you’re trying to choose between the various options.

Chicago, IL - Top on my list for our Chicago trip was an architecture boat tour. The Chicago Architecture Center volunteer docents lead the tours making this company unique from all the others plying their tours up and down the river. Our tour guide Susan was top notch! Additionally, I joined a walking tour led by Michelle and Sally - again top notch. They knew exactly where we should stand to get the best views. And the ear pieces really helped me hear their narratives. I would definitely do this again when i next return.

Stopped into the Chicago Architecture Center to become a "Dual" member, as that allowed my husband and I to have a "buy one get one" river cruise, free walking tours, free admission to their museum, AND reciprocal membership benefits at more than 1.300 cultural institutions across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This was a phenomenal value, and I'm delighted to be supporting the museum and their efforts. We really enjoyed touring the museum, and I especially enjoyed that it covered architecture around the world. The docents were extremely informative, and we enjoyed chatting with them.

Entertaining a friend who's a teacher of architecture, we spent an entire day walking the city, doing an architectural boat tour, and ended it here at the CAC. He was so blown away by this place. He took so many pictures to share with his students and was a kid in a candy store when we shopped the gift shop. The scale models on the 2nd floor and the models of the entire city on the first floor were truly impressive. While architecture isn't my field, I loved the CAC. You certainly don't need to be an architect or a teacher to appreciate it.

This is such a gem in a large city! Our volunteer docent was incredible. It is well worth both your time and money to take advantage of this resource! Guarantee you will see the skyline differently after.

We arrived before 10am and waited outside till they opened. We entered from the adjacent building and walked into the gift shop. It's a nice gift shop. I was informed that the ticket sales were on the other side. It costs $15 per person. If you have a NARM you can get in with your membership card. Soon as you enter there is a movie. It's worth your time to see it. Under the movie screen is a model of the city. To the right is an interactive kiosk. You can choose a building or an architect and learn more. Upstairs there is an exhibit about skyscrapers.

We booked the sunset tour boat tour and were blown away by the scenery. Our hotel recommended we book our tour directly with the center and we were so glad that we did. The tour was 90 minutes long and we enjoyed every second. We got to learn so much about Chicago's architecture history and about the different districts along the river. The stop in the middle of the tour where we got to enjoy the breeze and admire the chicago skyline was my favorite part. Everyone on board was very friendly and most were tourists like us which allowed us to get to know other people and hear some of their recommendations. Also they serve drinks on board!

One of the best ways to explore the city and take in some incredible views. Knowledgeable tour guides volunteer their time to share the history of these beautiful buildings. We scheduled an am tour and would love to go back for the sunset tour sometime. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Chicago!!

Didn't take a tour or anything, so this is just a review of the center itself. There's really not much to see or do. The upper level has some simple models of some large buildings, and plenty of educational content on building materials, future plans around the world, and historical notes. It doesn't feel overly organized, and mostly was just lots of text and photos of upcoming buildings in other cities. The main floor housed a cute gift shop and a scale model of Chicago. The scale model was very cool and I had a great time finding my home and other recognizable buildings. I especially loved the tiny Cloud Gate! I was able to enter for free (available from November to January, there are specific dates, I believe) and it was worth a stop, but if I had to pay, I would not recommend.

This was a great tour. Tour guide Barbara had her info down and was able to answer questions and still stay on track. The architecture in Chicago is amazing and the tour gives you the best info on, not just the old, but the newer buildings as well. Definitely the river cruise to take.

I attended the architecture boat tour and it was amazing! Chris was our tour guide and he was great. Chris was informative and funny!

There wasn't a lot to see and do here. Add to that the total indifference of the woman that 'helped' us when we walked in and it wasn't a great experience. It's basically a museum. On the first floor there's a pretty cool diorama (not sure that's exactly the right word) of the entire city. Everything appears to be in scale, but it's all white other than the water, which is blue. There's a movie that follows the history of the city. Outside of this exhibit, there's a lot to see upstairs, but there's much, much more to read. I don't know. I know how to read, but in a museum I tend to find it a little boring. That's just me. If you're into museums that present information in written form, then give it a try. Otherwise, I think the Big Bus tours that provide views of the actual city is a better experience.

The gold standard. There are a lot of knock offs and they are always throwing around discounts but there is nothing close to the real Chicago Architecture Center boat tour. Betsy was our docent; she was brilliant, knowledgeable, thorough, charming, and perfectly paced. Learned SO much I started jotting down notes. The quality of the presentation is comparable to a TedTalk or college seminar. The boat is clean and large, plenty of space. The captain and crew are first rate. Worth every penny -- all of which supports the architecture foundation.

We took an architecture tour with First Lady Cruises and it was very interesting to learn about the different buildings along the Chicago River! Anne was our river guide and she was amazing! Very knowledgeable and a delight to listen to. The captain and crew were friendly and helpful as well. There is also a bar onboard with a wide selection of beverages. Highly recommend taking the river cruise with the Chicago Architecture Center!

We took the boat tour today and it was outstanding. Our docent Susan was the best we've ever had for something like this. Highly recommended this boat tour over the others.

There are many options for boat tours in Chicago, I can wholeheartedly recommend the First Lady and the Chicago Architecture Museum tour. The docents are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate. We took the 5pm tour and the lighting and temperature were ideal. 5 stars!

After lunch nearby, my friend and I were looking for something to do. Chicago Architecture Center came up on our search within walkable distance so we thought it would be fun. Entrance is $14/adult. There are two floors and they recommend starting at the top. The top floor was a celebration of trees and nature. Something interesting we learned is that there has been scientific studies to support a correlation between urban tree canopies impact on the residents quality of life. Basically there is not tree-equity and the areas of socioeconomic struggles have less trees. There was also many structures in miniature form made of wood. It was beautiful to see, but a quick browse on 2nd floor. Coming down to 1st floor was a better experience for me. It was a beautiful history lesson about the city of Chicago and their architecture evolution throughout the years and how they are a trendsetter for other cities. There was an audio visual presentation that my friend and I enjoyed. A quick visit, but interesting if you need something to do. They also have a gift shop but we didn't see anything too appealing to take home. The memories are enough.

Is this a MUST DO when in Chicago? Is it thrilling and amazing? No. But it's a neat place to spend an hour or a little longer learning some neat stuff about architecture's history and future, especially as it pertains to Chicago. Entry is 14 dollars. I didn't have to pay because it was included with my priority boarding architecture cruise ticket. If you see my review on the cruise, I'm not sure priority boarding is worth the extra cost. The first floor is the gift shop and focuses on Chicago history. There is a model of the city as well as info on the history of Chicago homes and architecture through the years. There is also a film playing. The second floor holds a rotating exhibit and models of famous skyscrapers. The exhibit that was on when I visited focused on the growing use of timber as the primary framing for skyscrapers--so interesting and teaching me things I never imagined! The center organizes the architecture cruises, walking tours, and other special events. It's located on the riverfront, right across the street from the boat dock site.

This is a great resource for many different tours of the super architecture in the Chicago area. We first spent about an hour in the center where you check in for the tours. There was a very nice exhibit overviewing architecture in Chicago and one about timber framed buildings. Both were interesting. I especially liked the large model of downtown Chicago and all of the buildings. The particular walking tour we went on was very good as was our tour guy David. It was helpful to have the audio sets or it would have been hard to hear the narration given all of the city noises. There were many tours to choose from depending on day of the week and time of year. Many years ago I went on their excellent boat tour of the architecture along the river. We need to return to town to go on more tours!

This review is with regard to River Architecture Boat Tour...... It was top notch and phenomenal!!! (Mostly because of our tour guide Wayne) A perfect activity to keep you busy for just the right amount of time (1.5 hrs) and the staff and crew were top notch and on the ball and they even had a bar with a tasty adult beverage menu. You could sit on the top deck (better views) or inside the interior cabin. The boat was clean and spacious. The real reason our tour was superb was our Docent (tour guide) WAYNE!!!! (The Real Superstar). He let us know everything you could possibly need to know including little factoids & info that made you feel like you were on a floating educational journey thru the cities rich and expansive history Architectual Wonders. My family and I really enjoyed our trip primarily because of Wayne's great narration. One little tidbit that i find very obsurd and shocking..... Wayne should have been paid or able to accept tips however he was volunteering his time and guidance and he should have easily made some nice coin for the service he provided. That is something the management should greatly consider consider by my calculations that large amount of $$$ they make with each boat trip My family and I highly recommend this boat tour service it was fantastic!!!

Basically if you like architecture, you need to look around this museum because this is all about it. It has tons of exhibits on the history of local buildings and more. Chicago Architecture Center is a museum yet it's also more, as in it's also a foundation for preservation and other causes. Lots of interesting things about the city to learn in here. This is also operating in relation to the architecture boat tours. As for the actual museum, it's two floors of a pretty modern looking building. It's not that bad of a price to get in. They have packages for those also wanting to do the boat tours. Get on Groupon. It's about $9 there for museum tickets. Helps you save a bit. There's quite a bit more in here than you may think. On the first floor there's some exhibits on the history of Chicago architecture. There's a large diorama of the skyline. Also there's a film about the early years, the Chicago Fire, and how it resulted in better building materials. The second floor features large models of famous skyscrapers. Also there's a few smaller exhibits on conservation and energy. The boat tour is an additional cost, but you can learn a lot. Good museum with lots to see and not that bad of a price for everything. It has some very knowledgeable staff. There's also tours that are good if you're okay spending a few more bucks or whatever.

my husband and I wanted to do an architecture boat tour while visiting chicago and heard CAC had the best one. we booked it and had a great time! barbara was our tour guide and very fun, informative, and kind. the boat was clean and spacious - highly recommend!

The Chicago Architecture Center sits just south of the Chicago River on Wacker and is a nonprofit promoting the city's architecture and environment through tours, exhibitions, and events. If you're planning on coming here, I'd recommend booking the associated boat tour. If you purchase tickets for the boat tour, tickets here are only an extra $5 per person instead of the typical $14 so save some money! There were only two floors and wasn't entirely about architecture as I was expecting. There were some exhibits about the history of Chicago architecture and the future of architecture, but there were also exhibits about climate change as well as conservation tips and alternatives. It was an interesting and convenient spot that was worth the reduced price.

There is so much architecture it could be easy to do the tour more than once and be sure to add on the extra tour inside the Center. However, give yourself plenty of time, there is a lot to see. We sat on the lower level, not wanting to navigate the stairs, one person in our party had a broken foot. Sitting there, we were seeing things before they were talking about them. Which had us turning around more than we would like to think. Also spend an hour looking down, to balance out all the looking up. Haha!

If you are a student of architecture or just like how buildings are built, this is the place to go. All about Chicago architecture on lower level with models and a short film of history of Chicago architecture. Middle level is where you come in and the gift shop. Upper level is architecture with models on loan from around the world. Take the architectural society river tour and the museum is only $5 more. This museum will probably take an hour or so to tour.

Another Windy City hidden gem. If you're into architecture, Chicago is a great city to see. If you're don't know anything about architecture, this place located along the river, motivates folks to learn more. This center teaches why buildings are built a certain way... weather it be a citywide devastating fire or just to keep the heat in. It certainly gives the city context for when you walk amongst the giant buildings yourself. Beatiful and interactive model of the city, that maps out green spaces, bike routes, and other areas of interests. It also has skyscraper models of the tallest buildings in the world. Again, it's another place that will eat up some time between river tours, ball games, and foodie locales. Enjoyed it.

I thought this museum would cost money. But surprisingly, it was free until the end of 2023 for some reason. The exhibits about green architecture, architecture of Chicago, and small-scale models of super-tall skyscrapers were interesting.

The awards they win are so true - this was an awesome tour. Our guide, Steve, was easy to listen to and our entire family enjoyed the river tour. It is well worth the time to take this tour!

We stopped by here with our discounted tickets with our architectural boat tour! It was a neat museum like space that featured all kinds of details of skyscrapers and Chicago suburbs. There's a scaled model of the city and many other models of skyscrapers. Definitely worth a stop if you're into architecture.

This review is only for the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), not the cruise. Overall, the CAC was an okay(ish) experience. The city model and video presentations were quite good. Though, the Queens Museum of Art is a better option if you're looking for city models (in general). All of NYC is in a model compared to the more portion of the city. The CAC seemed to be much more about sustainability in design than the architecture (of Chicago or elsewhere). As such, the CAC didn't stand out, and the name felt like a misnomer.

Four of us did the Pilsen Neighborhood Walking Tour with Dan on June 18th. It couldn't have been better. Dan was knowledgeable, personable, and engaging. He communicated the history and current state of the neighborhood extremely well. There was not a question he couldn't answer.

It's so beautiful here! I visited downtown Chicago for a business trip and I was in awe of the architecture. There are so many buildings from modern to some some of the older buildings it felt like being in a whole new world. I love the Riverwalk as well. Seeing the people out on the boats and enjoying dinner was just nice! There were also so many luxury/high end stores were on the strip near our hotel. Those buildings were also nice. Chicago is such a beautiful city and I look forward to visiting again.

Unfortunately my experience has been terrible with CAF. A few years ago, I wanted to participate in one of their events. I signed into their website and it had my name--but someone else's information. I tried changing it but could not. At that time, I emailed CAF's member services seeking assistance to rectify the issue of my email being associated with someone else's information. I received no response. Several months ago, CAF was doing some virtual programming that we were interested in. I mean, a discussion about Sears Homes? I'm in. So we joined CAF as members in order to view. I tried to create an account, and it said I already had one. So when I finally got logged in, everything came rushing back because it was the same issue--my email is associated with someone else with the same first name, and I can't do anything with it. I called CAF's member services this time for assistance. I'm now a *paying member* of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, yet I never received a response. I still can't get into the account to be able to use the membership, and of course the two presentations we wanted to see--the specific reason we joined--have long passed (and probably other interesting events we may have wanted to join in on). That's over $100 wasted; maybe as much as half the year of membership is gone. I won't give money to CAF again unless there's literally no other option, because they treat both members and non-members with total disdain. Thankfully there are other options in the city for boat, historical, and architectural tours that operate with more integrity.

This is strictly for the review of the CAC add-on and not including the river cruise, which was amazing. For a $5 add-on to the river cruise, I say worth it if you have the extra time. Not a must. It's two levels with limited number of displays that I would say not entirely worth the full value of $14 unless you're really into city models or would like to make a donation. The main level has the Chicago city display and a short video about Chicago architecture history approx 10 mins long. It's nothing new to what you'll hear on the river cruise. There are also limited exhibits explaining different family situations living in the city, housing designs that can work for multi-generations and the history of housing plans in the city. The second level talks about sustainability in your home, different types of heating, washing machine, and stovetops but without much depth in comparisons. We were there on Memorial Day (it's open) so perhaps there is more action on a regular day? You can zoom pass this place as little as 30 mins if you want to squeeze this into your itinerary. For a relaxed pace, we finished within an hour. I have to say the architecture river cruise is a must when you're in Chicago. We chose to go with the one hosted by the Architecture Foundation as I've heard great things of how knowledgeable the folks are running the river tour. This is a separate $5 add on to check out the CAC. The particular rep we spoke to at the CAC doesn't seem as knowledgeable. We may have expected a bit more exhibits at the retail value of $14 and asked if there is more to do and if we missed anything. The person at the front info booth seemed like she was unsure and unhelpful. In comparison, the Museum of Contemporary Art offered more displays and it was a suggested donation. I know completely different material but I just thought there would be more to chew on, information was very brief. The particular staff didn't help point out displays or things we could do. It seems like there are walking tours from prior reviews. The staff at the info booth didn't inform us, or maybe it wasn't available during Memorial day. It could be because we already went on the river cruise, so this is a bit underwhelming. Better to do this first before the cruise. Tip: Purchase this in-person at their booth with the river cruise instead of online, you'll save in online fees. The amount saved is equivalent to getting this CAC add-on for free. Total $60USD/pp each incl. tax for the cruise and CAC add-on.

I took a boat tour and our docent Mary was knowledgeable, funny, and engaging to listen to. I would definitely plan on doing another tour the next time I'm in Chicago

Nice museum on the history of Chicago and it's architecture. It's a great place to wander around in before you take the architecture cruise to familiarize yourself with some terms and major architectural movements reflected in the buildings you will see along the Chicago River. 5 architecture is art stars

Beautiful and worth the trip if your in Chicago. One of the best part of my trip . Price with yours worth every penny .

I've been on several of the CAF walking tours which have been outstanding. Really informative, varied and interesting. Great way to explore the city and feel comfortable with a guide at the helm. Needed to be out of the house all day for some renovation work and decided to treat myself to a walking tour. The only one available was the Tiffany stained glass tour. Seemed like a bit of a mishmash of recycled bits of other tours, and in the end it was. Very little of it was actually outdoors which was a pity as the weather was pretty nice. But you can't predict the weather in Chicago, am I right? Our guide engaging, but the whole experience kind of missed the mark for me.

CAC is a great place to learn about Chicago's history through architecture. We came here after our fantastically informative boat tour with them. We spent over an hour going through their exhibits. The main one upstairs was about renewable energy and innovation in construction. I enjoyed dancing on the floor to create energy. They also have an excellent gift shop with unique items that you can take home to everybody on your list and yourself.

Great informational Center! This is one step better than HGTV. The history of how Chicago was built is placed here in a logical fashion. On the second floor the history and knowledge of skyscrapers put me at aw! Great place to visit especially after doing the river cruise. Visitors tip, you can pay $5 as an add on with the cruise through Ticketmaster.

This is not a recommendation to visit the Center. The Center is interesting, and I stop by a couple times a year to see what is on display. But you can be in and out in a half hour or less. $14 for an adult ticket is probably not going to be worth it for most people. I am giving them 5 stars for what they offer beyond the center, as there is not spot on Yelp at this time for all their individual tours. What I am recommending is that you take the time to review their options for membership and tours. Yelp currently only has a sections for their architecture cruise and the Chicago Open House they facilitate twice a year, which are fantastic, really! They have quite a few tour options every year, and we have enjoyed several over the years: University of Chicago Tour, History of the Skyscraper Tour, Columbia College Student Union Tour, etc. You have to dig into their website a bit to find what is available. They used to have an excellent feature in their app that allowed you to go to an area in the city, turn it on, then it walked you through a tour of architectural points of interest. We used it for tours of Oak Park, University of Chicago, and a couple other places, and we truly enjoyed the feature, but they only list about four or five options now. Final note: Consider a CAC membership is you live in Chicago or visit often, as it gets you discounts on the river cruise and their tours.

We toured the Chicago Architecture Center during Open House Chicago and it was a fantastic experience! Although they offer a wide variety of architectural tours all over the city, their building itself is a treasure not to be missed. They sell Chicago merchandise and schedule tours out of this space so it's also open to the public. The first floor holds a room sized model of the entire city of Chicago. It is absolutely unbelievable! We watched a movie there that highlights much of the city's history and architecture. One of the most dramatic parts was the highlighting (in orange flame looking lighting) of the entire area the Chicago fire engulfed. The sheer scope of the area destroyed really stuck with me. The 2nd floor holds models of some of the most iconic skyscrapers and new innovative architectural designs around the world. It's great fun and very educational to explore. The Chicago Architecture Center is true gem the heart of downtown Chicago!

On Friday noon I stopped by the Architectural Center for its exhibits. For a $12 admission I entered into its 3 exhibits - a rotating gallery, the skyscraper gallery, and the Chicago gallery. The rotating gallery featured multiple wall displays about designing cities for the 21st century, taking into consideration sustainability, greenery, and post-automobile transit. The exhibit, as a guest exhibit, was the smallest, providing ~10-15 minutes of reading. The second exhibit, the skyscraper gallery, featured many replica models of skyscrapers and their descriptions. Icons such as the Sears Tower made an appearance. Additionally, the gallery showcased design considerations, such as mass dampers to counteract building sway due to high winds and the evolution of structural reinforcement. The third exhibit, the Chicago gallery, traces the city's architectural evolution of not only high rises, but also smaller, single-family swellings. Moreover, it has a scale model of the city itself for a neat bird's eye view. In all, this entertained me for an hour, and I got to learn about an iconic American city!

Highly recommend the architecture boat tour ran by the architecture center! Beautiful views of the city and a highly knowledgeable tour guide! It was freezing out but the boat had warm drinks for purchase and an indoor area that still allowed you to enjoy the views

I booked this Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise with 3 other guests. It was an excellent experience that I truly recommend for visitors and natives to learn about Chicago history. Our guide was Dick, who had a wealth of knowledge about the city, the architecture and the reasons for the designs. I could have spoken with him for hours. The city and the buildings sell themselves without any comment.The tour is great for people who are familiar with Chicago because it provided history and context for some many sites that we take for granted.For example, I finally understood how the Chicago River was reversed and the size of the 1871 Chicago fire. It also exposed places that are not easily seen from the road, such as riverside residences. The only shame was that there are so many buildings and that the docent could only spend limited time discussing each place. Parking is reasonable, but be wary of the 4 hour limit. I lost my discount because I had a leisurely lunch. I would not get the Chicago Architecture Center upsell unless you know that your party wants to go inside to see the exhibit.

Very interesting history of schedule in chicago. Answered all my questions. Wish we had time to do the walking tour

An amazing tour guide whose love for the city was obvious and contagious. Highly recommend!

Great experience for all, especially, if you want to learn about the history of Chicago and the buildings which makes it beautiful. As some who knows a lot about the city, you won't be disappointed. Our tour guide was awesome. He was very entertaining and personable. The best times too take your tours are early in the mid day morning or the evening to see all the lights between June to October when it not too windy or cold.

Highly recommend! Another great experience with CAC. Our docent, Jonelle (a Northwestern alumnus), was knowledgable and very pleasant, making our tour very enjoyable.

Chicago needs this place, and thank goodness we know it! A must-stop for any get-to-know-Chicago visit.