Where to Go During Open House Chicago 2024

It’s that time of year, when you can explore spaces around the city that you’ve always wondered about, from skyscrapers to places of worship to industrial locations. Open House Chicago, hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), runs this year from October 19 to 20. More than 170 sites will open their doors to the public, so there’s plenty to see. (And photograph – the CAC is also hosting a photo competition, for which photos taken on the weekend of Open House must be submitted by October 27 and might appear in an exhibition at the CAC.)

If you need help narrowing things down, we’ve selected ten sites new to Open House this year, with a focus on places not generally open to the public or less likely to have drawn your attention. For more recommendations, check back on Geoffrey Baer’s selections from last year.

Be sure to check the Open House website or app for open times and accessibility of sites, not all of which are open the whole weekend.

Al-Sadiq Mosque

4448 S. Wabash Ave.

This sacred space in Bronzeville has a claim to being one of the oldest mosques still operating in the United States today. The original structure was completed in 1922, two years after an Ahmadi Muslim missionary visited Chicago and reached out to Black Americans. The current building dates to 1994.

Astor Club

24 E. Goethe St.

This private dining club brings back the setting of one of Chicago’s most iconic restaurants, Maxim’s de Paris, which existed from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Maxim’s was operated by Nancy Goldberg, the wife of architect Bertrand Goldberg, who designed not just the tower in which the restaurant is located but also the famous Marina City. Astor Club opened in 2023 and just hired a Michelin-starred chef but is open only to members; Open House is your chance to see the Art Nouveau space inspired by a legendary Paris institution.

Double Door

1050 W. Wilson Ave.

Opened as a vaudeville theater in 1909, the Wilson Avenue Theater was converted into a bank in 1919. Now it’s returning to its roots, as Double Door relocates from Wicker Park to Uptown. Construction is expected to begin this fall, so Open House is a chance to glimpse the space before it’s restored and renovated – a rare opportunity to get a before-and-after look at a historic building (as long as you go visit again for a show once construction is finished!).

Greater Tabernacle Cathedral

11300 S. Martin Luther King Dr.

Near the company town he drew up for the Pullman company, architect Solon S. Beman also designed a large church in keeping with the red brick of Pullman. A young Barack Obama had an office in the church’s refectory as a community organizer; the year he won the presidency for the first time – 2008 – the church held its last mass. Greater Tabernacle Cathedral moved into the building in 2016.

Ramova Theatre

3520 S. Halsted St.

When the Ramova reopened in Bridgeport in 2023 almost a century after its opening and decades after it closed its doors, it was a sign of major energy in the neighborhood. It is now a performance venue with an attached brewery and reimagined Ramova Grill, spearheaded by Bridgeport native son Kevin Hickey. Owner-developers Emily and Tyler Nevius will be on hand to talk about the building.

SCB

330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 2500

Located on the 25th floor of the AMA Plaza building designed by the influential Mies van der Rohe, this office offers not just a look inside an architectural practice and studio but also exceptional bird's-eye views of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Steppenwolf Theatre

1646 N. Halsted St.

The newest wing of one of Chicago’s most respected theaters opened in 2021 and was designed by the world-class, Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. While you can always see the space during a show, there will be guided tours of the impressive space during Open House.

The Roof Crop

1516 W. Carroll Ave.

An old manufacturing warehouse on the Near West Side has been transformed into a hub for urban agriculture that features a rooftop farm, greenhouses, an apothecary and design store, a food and beverage consultancy with a kitchen, and Maxwells Trading, a restaurant opened earlier this year by some pedigreed Chicago chefs.

University Club of Chicago

76 E. Monroe St.

Open House is your chance to experience the ornate Cathedral Hall of the University Club of Chicago, which is not typically open to the public. Located on the ninth floor of an opulent building by Martin Roche completed in 1909, it’s a Neo-Gothic dining space with stained glass windows and a soaring ceiling, right off Michigan Avenue.

Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation (Chess Records)

2120 S. Michigan Ave.

Chess Records is where some of the most famous blues and early rock ‘n’ roll recordings were made, by artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Chuck Berry; the Rolling Stones connected over these records, took their name from a Muddy Waters song, and eventually recorded at Chess Records themselves. Now the studio is home to a non-profit named after another blues legend, which offers tours of the building.