13 Things to Do in Chicago Neighborhoods – NBC Chicago

One of the most famous ways to explore the city is here: Open House Chicago.

The Chicago Architecture Center’s annual Open House Chicago Weekend will take place October 19th and 20th, offering a rare opportunity to take free behind-the-scenes tours of iconic Chicago landmarks. The program covers over 170 locations in more than 20 neighborhoods, including schools, churches, pubs, theaters and other architecturally notable buildings from the city’s history.

In addition to free access to these buildings, participants can take self-guided historical tours and participate in various programs scheduled this weekend.

But with more than 100 attractions, it can be difficult to decide where to visit.

Here’s a look at 13 Chicago open house locations you should check out, along with descriptions from the Chicago Architecture Center.

Avalon Regal Theater – 1645 E. 79th St., Chatham/South Shore

This 2,500-seat auditorium opened in 1927 as the Avalon Theater. It was renamed in 1987 as a tribute to the original Regal Theater in Bronzeville, which was demolished in 1973. The atmospheric Moorish Revival design by John Eberson was similar to that of the Paradise Theater on Chicago’s West Side, which was demolished in the 1950s. Aside from hosting an election night party to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008, the theater has sat empty and mostly unused since 2003. A mural on the building’s exterior features portraits of many famous jazz and blues musicians associated with the Regal Theater, including Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. The building was declared a Chicago landmark in 1992.

Central Park Theater – 3535 W. Roosevelt Rd., Garfield Park/North Lawndale

The Central Park Theater has been a hub of North Lawndale’s arts and culture since it opened in 1917. Central Park was one of the first theaters in the country to have air conditioning. With nearly 1,800 seats, it remained profitable for decades. The historic exterior and interior are well preserved and the owner is working with the Central Park Theater Restoration Committee to restore and reopen the theater as an event and programming space for the North Lawndale community.

Hector Duarte Studio – 1900 W. Cullerton, Little Village/Pislen

Three sides of muralist Héctor Duarte’s home and studio are covered with his mural “Gulliver in Wonderland,” a frequent stop on public art tours in Pilsen. It stars a giant, sprawled Mexican immigrant as Gulliver, struggling to free himself from the barbed wire that binds him. Duarte’s murals, mosaics and studio works explore themes such as identity, immigration and freedom.

Duarte has created more than 50 murals in the Chicago area. His paintings and prints have been exhibited at the National Museum of Mexican Art (located just a block away), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the State of Illinois Gallery, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Casa Estudio Museo Diego Rivera in Mexico issued city.

Ingersoll-Blackwelder House – 10910 S. Prospect Ave., Beverly/Morgan Park

One of the oldest homes in the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park community, located in the Ridge Historic District. The original (rear) portion of the house dates to 1874 and was built for real estate tycoon John Ingersoll. The following decade, a Queen Anne-style addition was added for new owner Isaac Blackwelder, president of the then-independent Village of Morgan Park. His wife, Gertrude Blackwelder, was the first woman to vote in Cook County.

Koal Distillery – 4241 N. Ravenswood Ave., Lincoln Square/Ravenswood

The couple Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart founded KOVAL in 2008 as the first distillery to open in the Chicago metropolitan area since the mid-19th century. KOVAL aims to bring more creativity to the world of spirits by using unique, locally grown grains and a heart-pounding approach to distillation. This developed into a range of organic and kosher whiskies, gins and specialty spirits that have received more than 100 international awards.

Blackstone Branch Library – 4904 S. Lake Park Ave., Hyde Park/Woodlawn

The library, opened in 1906, was modeled on the Erechtheion Temple on the Athens Acropolis. It was gifted to the people of Chicago by Isabel Blackstone in memory of her late husband, Timothy Beach Blackstone, president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad.

Astor Club – 1340 N. Astor St., 24 E. Goethe St., Near North Side

The Astor Club opened in 2023 as a private members’ dinner club, capitalizing on the fascinating history of its location. Tucked away in the basement of Bertrand Goldberg’s modernist Astor Tower apartments, this space was originally home to Maxim’s, an opulent restaurant that attracted the likes of The Beatles, Muhammad Ali, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra on their swing tours of Chicago. Before it closed in 1982, the city’s first discotheque was located there, and since then it has only been open for regular special events.

Park Castle Condominiums – 2442 W. Greenleaf Ave., Apt. 2, Rogers Park/West Ridge

Architect James Denson designed this sprawling 1925 brick double-yard home to look like a castle, with battlements, turrets and turrets. Live swans once graced a moat-like pond. Although this feature has now disappeared, the bridges and some retaining walls remain. Inside the complex lies one of Chicago’s best-kept secrets: an extravagant indoor swimming pool that reflects the opulence of the Jazz Age.

Ramova Theater – 3520 S. Halsted St., Bridgeport

The Ramova Theater in Bridgeport reopened in 2023 as a live music venue, craft brewery, beer garden and grill. The project is the culmination of years of redevelopment efforts and multimillion-dollar public and private investments in the community. Since its opening in 1929, Ramova was the district’s main cinema until it closed its doors in 1985.

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum – 800 S. Halsted St., Near West Side

The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum is a dynamic destination for people interested in the history of social reform, offering exhibitions and programs designed to inspire action. The museum serves to educate a diverse audience, including young learners, the UIC community and civic-minded people in Chicago and beyond.

The museum is housed in two of the original settlement house buildings – the Hull Home, a National Historic Landmark, and the Residents’ Dining Hall, a beautiful arts and crafts building that has hosted some of the world’s most significant thinkers, artists and activists.

The Cliff Dwellers Club – 200 S. Michigan Ave., downtown

This private club was founded in 1907 as the Attic Club and was renamed Cliff Dwellers in 1909. In 1996, he moved to the 22nd floor of 200 South Michigan, offering some of the best views in the Loop, after living on the top floor of the neighboring Orchestra Hall for decades. It remains a private club and nonprofit organization for men and women who support the fine and performing arts. The club is a haven for artists, authors, musicians, painters, architects and sculptors. Notable members included Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Lorado Taft and Hamlin Garland.

Wild Mile – 905 W. Eastman St., Lincoln Park

The Wild Mile is the first floating ecopark of this type and size in the world. Comprised of floating docks that wind through lush gardens filled with native wetland species, it is accessible from the street and functions as a public park for city dwellers to enjoy.

Riviera Theater – 4746 N. Racine Ave., Uptown

The Riviera Theater was the largest and grandest movie theater in Uptown until the opening of the Uptown Theater nearly a decade later. This Rapp & Rapp-designed home opened in 1918 for more than half a million dollars and originally accommodated over 2,500 guests. The Riviera eventually became the second major theater in the Balaban & Katz chain, which then also included the Central Park Theater. Architecturally, it exudes grace and aristocracy and reflects the taste and style of Louis XIV. Silk panels covered the walls, ribbed with snow woodwork; Frescoes decorate the ceilings; and curved lines lead the eye to the stage. 8,000 electric lamps are scattered throughout the interior, yet not a single one is visible to the eye. Color effects emerge from the roof and walls in graduated, subtle effects. French windows from the passageways provide a view of the entire house.

The CAC recommends visitors use the CTA, Metra and Divvy bikes to navigate between the various locations.

The Chicago Architecture Center app, available here for iPhone and here for Android, allows you to create an itinerary, view the event schedule, navigate the map, and browse various points of interest. A complete list of Open House Chicago sites for 2024 can be found here.