Historic places in Chicago

228 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Chicago.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 228.

Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5 (licence)

SeeNature museumNear South
Field Museum of Natural History
The largest museum on the campus; highlights include SUE, the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world, and the man-eating Tsavo lions. Part of the collection came directly from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, adding a layer of intrigue to all of those dusty old animals. Another highlight is the great, kid-friendly Egyptian exhibit, and the Hall of Gems will impress, too. Traveling exhibitions tend to be excellent, so this is one place where it's worth shelling out for the extra shows.
9AM-5PM daily, last admission 4PM; closed Dec 25General admission $30 adults, $23 children, $27 students; Admission including some/all special exhibits is $43 adults, $32 children, $38 students · Wheelchair accessible
SeeArt museumLoop
Art Institute of Chicago
One of the premier museums in the U.S. — and with the opening of the sensational new Modern Wing, it's one of the largest, too. Set aside a whole day and arrive early! Iconic pieces on display include "American Gothic" by Grant Wood (the stoic farm couple), "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper (the late-night diner), Georges Seurat's pointillist masterpiece "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". The Art Institute also boasts the world's best collection of Impressionist painting outside of France. But there's a lot more to discover, including a great selection of early 20th-century painting, architecture, and photography, as well as archaeological finds covering 5,000 years of art and cultural history.
10:30AM-5PM, Thu to 8PM; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day$32 adult, $26 children over 13 and seniors, free children 13 and under; free to Illinois residents Th after 5PM
SeeMusic museumNear South
Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation
Chess Records Studio
A major blues hotspot where Muddy Waters, Ahmad Jamal, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Bo Diddley, Etta James, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Ramsey Lewis, and many other greats recorded during Chicago's bluesiest period. The Rolling Stones also recorded here, paying tribute in their instrumental "2120 S Michigan Avenue." Public tours.
Mon-Fri noon-3PM, Sat noon-2PM
SeeLoop
Grant Park
Right at the center of Chicago, this has been a park space for almost the entire history of the city. Most citywide events and festivals (see below) are held in Grant Park and the Petrillo Bandshell. The centerpiece of the park is Buckingham Fountain (10AM-11PM), which is sometimes accompanied by music and colored lights (8-11PM, May-Sep). There are also tennis courts, softball fields, and a walking trail near the lake. Millennium Park is to the north and the Museum Campus is to the south, so there is a large area to wander.
6AM-11PM dailyEntrance to the park and most events & festivals is generally free, although some concerts do have an admission charge; in that case, admission to other areas of the park is still free · Built 1844 · Heritage listed
SeeHistoric buildingNear North
Water Tower
In 1871, when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over the lantern in her barn — or was framed for the act, depending on who you ask — the Gothic Revival spires of Water Tower were only two years old. Today, along with the Pumping Station on the other side of the street, the Water Tower is the last, dream-like symbol of the Old Chicago that disappeared in the Fire. Surrounded by hotels and colossal department stores, it's also the icon of the new city that arose. At night, the Water Tower is lit from within, and it's a memorable sight. Inside, the vintage machinery is long gone (along with the water), and the plain interior is occasionally used as a gallery space.
Open now · closes 7 pm
SeeHistoric siteLoop
Aon Center
1136 ft. Built as the Standard Oil Building, the Aon Center is America's sixth tallest building from base to roof, after the Empire State Building in New York City, and fifteenth tallest in the world by architectural detail. It was built in 1972 by architect Edward Stone and initially was faced with marble, but the windy city began to blow the marble off the sides of the building. The entire building had to be refaced with granite — a costly job at one-half of the entire building costs! A walk around the base can be particularly gratifying to admire the uninterrupted views straight up the shear walls and the "musical sculptures.".
DoTheatreLoop
Chicago Theater
An old Balaban & Katz movie palace, refurbished as one of the city's premier performance venues. It hosts a wide range of events, from spoken word and stand-up comedy to jazz, gospel, and rock. Most people, however, know it for the iconic marquee out front.
Box office Mon-Fri noon-6PMGenerally $27.50 and up. Tours available Apr-Sep Tu,Th noon and Oct-March Tu noon, also the third Sa of every month at 11AM, noon; $5 · Heritage listed
DoParkNear South
Soldier Field
Home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, and from 2020 home (again) to Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer. If you'd like to see a Bears game, then you have something in common with many Chicagoans; there's no point in listing ticket prices, because they sell out long before the season starts. On the other hand, if you're a soccer fan, you have a much better chance of getting in for a Fire game, even though that team plans on using only the lower seating bowl for most of its games. The original Soldier Field was built in 1924 to honor veterans of the First World War, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. By 2002, the stadium was in dire need of renovations, and the Bears promised to preserve the majestic colonnades of the old stadium. However, when the renovations were complete, what appeared to be a giant spaceship had landed at midfield. The amenities have improved, and it really is a nice facility... on the inside. On the outside, it's hard to say what it is, other than probably the strangest-looking sports venue in America. (It's not a Historic Place any more, having been stripped of that designation in 2006.) Tours are available during the week, M-F 9AM-5PM, by phone appointment; $15 adults, $10 students, $7 seniors, $4 children.
SeeAttractionNear North
Navy Pier
Built in 1916, Navy Pier has had many different uses over the years; in 1994, it became a tourist attraction, with more than 50 acres of restaurants, shops, and activities by Lake Michigan. It's an easy place to entertain children. Unless otherwise noted, all of the attractions are open during Navy Pier operating hours. Several buses reach Navy Pier, including #29 State, #65 Grand, #66 Chicago, and #124 Navy Pier Express from the two Metra stations in the Loop.
Open 10AM daily; closes in summer Sun-Thu 10PM, Fri Sat midnight, fall/spring Sun-Thu 8PM, Fri Sat 10PM, winter Mon-Thu 8PM, Fri Sat 10PM, Sun 7PMParking available $19-23 per day · Wheelchair accessible
SeeHistory museumNear West Side
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
UIC was built on top of the original Hull House, where the prolific writer and reformer Jane Addams lived and worked to help people in need. This museum is dedicated to her memory in two surviving buildings from the complex, now absorbed into the UIC campus, and features exhibits on local history and social justice throughout the world. Occasionally hosts speakers during the day, and offer a free soup lunch during the discussion.
Tue-Fri 10AM-4:50PM, Sat 10AM-3PMfree
SeeHistoric siteNear North
Marina City
No tours available, unless you're cheeky enough to fill out a fake rental application (24 hours in advance), but these iconic twin buildings are worth a photo. (You might recognize them from the cover of Wilcos Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, among many others.) Designed to be "a city within a city," they include a wildly overpriced bowling alley and the House of Blues (see Drink below). If you like Marina City, be sure to visit the South Loop for two more of architect Bertrand Goldbergs corncob structures.
Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-2PM
SeeHistoric siteLoop
Aqua
823 ft. The biggest American project ever to be headed by a woman, Jeanne Gang's skyscraper was named the world's best new building by Emporis when it opened in 2009 (four spots ahead of the Trump Tower across the river). Its most distinguishing feature is its series of undulating balconies, which extend as far as twelve feet from the building's walls, giving the building a surreal "rippling" effect. It uses an unforgettable curtain wall that compliments wavy balconies. Though impressive from any angle, it's best viewed relative to the water — either from a boat tour or the riverwalk over in the Near North.
SeeHistoric siteNear North
Tribune Tower
Built in 1925, the walls of the Tribune Tower contain rocks from many famous world landmarks, including: the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, the Great Pyramid, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and from the New York World Trade Center, demolished in 2001. The Tribune Tower even managed to get its hands on a moon rock, but so far NASA hasn't allowed it to add the rock to the wall.
SeeHistoric siteBronzeville
S.R. Crown Hall
A major architectural landmark designed by Mies van der Rohe.
Locked on weekends, tours available by appointmentHeritage listed
SeeHistory museumLincoln Park-Old Town
Chicago History Museum
Chicago Historical Society
A creative urban history museum. Exhibits include The Pioneer, the first railroad locomotive to operate in Chicago, and the bed upon which Abraham Lincoln died; more fun for kids is the Chicago-style Hot Dog showcase, which supplies all the giant plastic ingredients you'll need to turn yourself (or your little brother) into a life-sized hot dog (no ketchup, of course). They also host regular tours of different CTA lines and walking tours of Lincoln Park and Old Town.
Mon-Sat 9:30AM-4:30PM, Sun noon-5PM$14 adults, children 12 and under are free · Wheelchair accessible
SeeLocal museumNear North
Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
A small museum spread over the five floors of the southwest tower of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Visitors can see displays on the history of Chicago's famously abused river, and also check out the machinery used for raising the bridge. Tower tours are Fridays and Saturdays at 11AM and 2:30PM beginning in June, book online. The bridge lift times depends on tides, but is usually between 10AM and 1PM on W and Su.
Mid-May to Oct: Wed-Sun 10AM-5PM;$5 - $10 donation recommended, tower tours $15
SeeHyde Park
Oriental Institute Museum
The University of Chicago Oriental Institute has one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archeology in the world, which is moreover free, small, very well exhibited, and basically started by Indiana Jones. Some highlights include: much of the Assyrian "Fortress of Sargon," a colossal statue of King Tutankhamun, and the Mummy and Coffin of Meresamun. Visitors with a strong interest may want to devote several hours to pore over the dense exhibits, but the small museum can be quickly skimmed in 15 minutes.
Tue,Thu-Sat 10AM-6PM, Wed 10AM-8:30PM, Sun noon-6PMFree, suggested donation $7, $4 child
SeeHyde Park
Frederick C. Robie House
This fabulously impractical house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the world's most famous examples of the Midwestern "Prairie School" of architecture, which aimed to create buildings with prominent horizontal lines evocative of the prairie landscape. The interior is bizarre, intended to remind its inhabitants of a ship, and is surrounded by stained art glass windows. You must take an official tour to see the interior, which lasts about an hour. Tours of the surrounding historic neighborhood are offered as well — it is best to make reservations online beforehand. Be sure to take a gander at the University of Chicago's Business School across the street, which was designed to emulate the style of the Robie House in a more modern fashion. It is one of eight buildings by Wright that is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tours Thu-Mon 11AM-3PM every 30 minutes$17, $14 seniors/students/military, children under 4 free
DoTheatreLoop
James M. Nederlander Theatre
Oriental Theater
The Oriental Theater was once Chicago's most ornate movie palace, but this is now another Broadway in Chicago theater outlet.
Hours vary$29.50-122.50
SeeLibraryNear North
Newberry Library
The oldest public library in Chicago, although not part of the city library system. The collection focuses on the humanities, American and European history, and the age of exploration. Occasional author events are held.
Reading rooms Tue-Sat 10AM-4PM; Exhibition galleries Tue-Thu 10AM-7PM, Fri Sat 10AM-5PM; Bookshop Wed-Sat 10AM-12:30PM 1:30-4PMFree
SeeHistoric siteLoop
The Reliance Building
Root/Atwood, 1890/1895
A then-unprecedented amount of glass was used in this early skyscraper, bewildering a public still used to masonry walls. Note the difference between the first two floors and the ones above: hold-outs among the previous building's tenants forced developers to build the foundation and the first two floors under the top three floors from the old building, and then knock off the top three when their leases had expired. It was restored when it became the Hotel Burnham (see below) in 1999, and can be explored with a stop at the Atwood Cafe (also below).
SeeHistoric buildingLoop
Monadnock Building
Burnham & Root, 1891
Named appropriately for a mountain in New Hampshire, the Monadnock was the last tall building to be supported by its own walls (not a metal frame, although the 1893 addition by Holabird & Roche does use one). It's a masterpiece of simplicity and power in form. The block-long hallway that serves as a lobby has incredible ambiance: it's always kept at a level of brightness that suggests gas lamps, and the small stores on the first floor (a coffee shop, a shoe-shine, a restaurant) are all turn-of-the-century tile-and-polish.
Heritage listed
SeeHistory museumNear West Side
National Hellenic Museum
Now housed in a beautiful glass building, the National Hellenic Museum sits neatly at the start of Greektown's best restaurants. Partnered with the Field Museum, they host many actual Greek relics and also support Greek and Greek-American artists.
Thu-Sun 10AM-4PM$10/adult, $8/concession, $7/child
SeeHistory museumWicker Park
The Polish Museum of America
Library and exhibitions on Polish heritage, both in Chicago and in Poland. It is home to the largest collection of memorabilia relating to Ignace Paderewski, and the museum is purportedly haunted by the once famous pianist.
Fri-Wed 11AM-4PM$5 adults, $4 children
SeeHistoric siteLoop
Crain Communications Building
Diamond Bldg
582 ft. Anyone who has seen Adventures in Babysitting should immediately recognize this 1984 building, as its slanted roof (lit up at night) played a very important role in the film's climax. It's a hard building to miss, as it is just across the street from Millennium Park.
SeeLoop
311 S Wacker Dr
961 ft. For a time this was the tallest building in the world without an official name, although locals know exactly what to call it: The White Castle Building. It is distinctive for its "crown," which is brightly illuminated at night. If you are nearby, head into its lobby to see its enormous indoor garden and fountain.
SeeHistory museumNear North
Illinois Holocaust Museum Presents Experience360
The Skokie-based museum has a temporary exhibit here while its main building is under renovation.
10 am-5 pm$12 adults, $8 seniors and students, $6 children 5-11. Free on the last Wednesday of the month.
SeeArt museumPilsen
National Museum of Mexican Art
A lovely, small gallery full of vibrant colors and well-curated installations focused on understanding Mexican as well as Mexican-American history and culture through art. The museum serves as the center of the annual Day of the Dead celebration in the fall — this is a great time to visit to see all the brightly painted, skull-filled, and often humorous Ofrendas.
Tue-Sun 10AM-5PMFree
SeeHistory museumNear South
The Clarke House Museum
Built in 1836, this unassuming little white house is the oldest surviving structure in Chicago. Tours are available through the Glessner House, but it's free to walk around the lovely Women's Park & Gardens that surround it.
Tours Wed-Sun noon & 2PM$10 adults, $9 students/senior, $5 children; add $5 to visit the Glessner House as well. Wednesdays free
SeeMemorialBronzeville
Victory Monument
This monument was built in 1928 to honor the service of the African-American Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard in France during World War I.
SeeHistoric siteNear South
Dearborn Station
Built in 1885, this was one of the great stations of the railroad era, the first glimpse of Chicago for countless visitors from across the country. (It also became a focal point for the anti-vice crusaders, with pamphlets describing lurid tales in which innocent farm girls fresh off the train were seized and sold into prostitution.) The rail yard is gone, with traffic having ceased in 1971, but the station house has been renovated into mixed-use commercial space, with a bar and restaurant on the ground floor.
SeeUptown
Graceland Cemetery
A stunner. Chicago history lies in rest here, from the major names (Burnham, Sullivan, Field, Pullman, Mies) to the footnotes (Charles Dickens' obscure brother Augustus). Some credit Sullivan's 1890 design for the Getty Tomb as the opening act of modern architecture. (And Inez Clarke's grave is one of the most famous "haunted" spots in Chicago.) The new (and warm) office can supply a map for the grounds, which are quite large. Come with time to wander.
Grounds 8AM-4:30PM, office 8:30AM-4:30PMFree
SeeHistoric buildingLoop
The Rookery
Burnham & Root, 1888
The Rookery is gorgeous to the point of absurdity, with delight to be found in details in the rustic lower walls and the triumphant upper walls. (Note the helpful street names carved in the corners.) Named for pigeons' habit of roosting in the then-new skyscrapers, this was the first Loop building to be granted preservation status in 1972. The lobby was remodeled in 1907 by enfant terrible Frank Lloyd Wright, adding his own touch to the interior.
Heritage listed
DoTheatreLoop
Cadillac Palace Theater
A Broadway in Chicago outlet, this opulent theater was built in 1926 for the vaudeville circuit and is now glossed up for high-profile productions with 2,300 seats per show. The Producers and the mighty Oprah's The Color Purple both enjoyed long runs here.
Hours vary$27.50-77.50 · Limited wheelchair access
SeeHistory museumBridgeport-Chinatown
Chinese-American Museum of Chicago
A museum with exhibits on Chinese-American culture, history, and the community's contributions to American society. Long closed due to a fire, the museum has finally reopened 25 September 2010.
Tue-Fri 9:30AM-1:30PM, Sat Sun 10AM-5PMSuggested donation: $1-2
SeeMuseumWicker Park
Ukrainian National Museum
Almost certainly the best collection of Ukrainian ethnographic exhibits (musical instruments, traditional costumes, folk art, etc.) in the United States. Historical exhibits cover issues such as the famines under Stalin and the fallout after the Chernobyl meltdown. The museum also hosts an impressive library and archives for researchers, as well as occasional Ukrainian-related art exhibitions.
Mon-Wed by appointment, Thu-Sun 11AM-4PMFree, suggested donation $5
SeeWicker Park
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Russian Orthodox church in Ukrainian Village, designed by Louis Sullivan in 1903. It was funded in part by Czar Nicholas II; today, it thrives as a neighborhood parish.
Open for visits Sat 11AM-4PM
SeeHistoric siteBronzeville
Ida B. Wells House
The home of Ida B Wells, prominent African-American civil rights activist and suffragette, founder of the Black Women's movement, and founding member of the NAACP, lived here from 1919–1929. Today it is a private residence and is closed to the public.
Heritage listed
SeeCathedralWicker Park
St Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church
No shortage of magnificent Ukrainian churches in this part of town — this soaring example was built in 1913 on the model of St Sophia's in Kyiv. The eye-catching thirteen onion domes stand for Christ and the 12 apostles. Most masses are in Ukrainian but there is one weekly English-language mass is at 11:30AM on Sundays.
SeeBronzeville
Sunset Cafe
Ace Meyers Hardware Store
Countless jazz legends played at this legendary jazz club, including: Bix Beiderbecke, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, and of course, Louis Armstrong. The club was run by unsavory mafia types and the musicians often had no choice but to keep playing here! Disjointed as it may be, the legendary club no longer exists and the building houses a hardware store. Nonetheless, the Sunset Cafe is Chicago's number one jazz history site and should not be missed by anyone traveling along The Jazz Track. There has been talk of resurrecting the club, but plans remain embryonic. Feel free to stop in if you'd like — the owner is used to all sorts of foreign jazz aficionados wandering in.
Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM, Sun 11AM-2PM

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Chicago (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps.