iChicago Architecture Center
The Chicago Architecture Center is the city's museum of the built environment, occupying two glass-walled floors of Mies van der Rohe's One Illinois Center at the corner of Michigan and Wacker. Its centrepiece is the Chicago City Model Experience, a scale model of more than 4,000 downtown buildings animated by film, light and touchscreens, set against floor-to-ceiling windows onto the real skyline. Upstairs, the Skyscraper Gallery and rotating exhibitions trace how tall buildings, ecology and design shape cities here and worldwide. Founded in 1966 as the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation, the organisation also runs the city's celebrated river and walking tours and moved into this building in 2018.
More in Chicago
What's On
Currents: 60 Years of the Chicago Architecture Center
Six decades of the CAC, from fighting to save historic buildings during urban renewal to shaping design education and advocacy across Chicago. In the Orientation Space.
Chicago's Living Habitat
Co-curated with Openlands in the Usher Lambe Gallery, tracing the regional landscapes that sustain life around Chicago and the decisions that protected, lost or restored them.
Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem
Designed and co-curated by Studio Gang, this show confronts the billion bird collisions with glass each year in the US and presents scalable bird-friendly design for cities.
Built on Belief: First Presbyterian Church
Off-site at the 1927 First Presbyterian Church in Woodlawn (6400 S Kimbark Ave): three artists' installations across its grounds and sanctuary, with Arts at First.
Permanent Collections
Chicago Gallery
The Center's ground-floor gallery, where rotating installations explore Chicago's built environment beneath floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Loop skyline.
The Legacy of Wrigley Field
A model and display tracing Wrigley Field from its 1914 opening through a century of renovations, and how the ballpark shaped the neighbourhood around it.
Icons of Chicago
A CAC-curated display of three large-scale models of modernist Chicago skyscrapers, installed off-site at O'Hare International Airport.
Chicago City Model Experience
The Center's star attraction: a scale model of more than 4,000 downtown buildings, brought to life by film, light shows and touchscreens that let you search by architect or style.
Chicago was Built for Flying
An exterior mural by artist Kate Lynn Lewis wrapping the Chicago Architecture Center, free to see from the street at Michigan and Wacker.
Plan Your Visit
Getting there
111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
Nearest station: State/Lake (CTA Loop 'L'), Lake (CTA Red Line) and Millennium Station (Metra Electric)
Show on mapHours
Thanksgiving Eve - early closing 25 November, 10:00–15:00
Closed 26 November
Closed for Thanksgiving
| Mon | 10:00–17:00 |
| Tue | 10:00–17:00 |
| Wed | 10:00–17:00 |
| Thu | 10:00–17:00 |
| Fri | 10:00–19:00 |
| SatToday | 10:00–19:00 |
| Sun | 10:00–17:00 |
Admission
From $15
Students with ID $10; children 5 and under and CAC members free
Last verified
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Visitor Information
- How much does Chicago Architecture Center cost?
- Standard adult admission to Chicago Architecture Center is $15. Students with ID $10; children 5 and under and CAC members free. Prices for special exhibitions and timed-entry slots may differ.
- What are the opening hours of Chicago Architecture Center?
- Chicago Architecture Center is open Sunday-Thursday 10:00-17:00, Friday-Saturday 10:00-19:00; last entry one hour before closing. Closes early at 15:00 on Thanksgiving Eve (25 Nov 2026), Christmas Eve (24 Dec 2026) and New Year's Eve (31 Dec 2026), and closed on Thanksgiving (26 Nov 2026), Christmas Day (25 Dec 2026) and New Year's Day (1 Jan 2027).. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
- Where is Chicago Architecture Center?
- Chicago Architecture Center is located at 111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601, United States, in the The Loop area of Chicago. The nearest stations are State/Lake (CTA Loop 'L'), Lake (CTA Red Line) and Millennium Station (Metra Electric).
- What can I see at Chicago Architecture Center?
- Riverside museum of Chicago architecture, home to a 4,000-building city model beneath a wall of Loop skyscraper views. Current highlights include Chicago Gallery, The Legacy of Wrigley Field and Built on Belief: First Presbyterian Church.
- Do I need to book Chicago Architecture Center in advance?
- Booking ahead is recommended, especially for weekends, school holidays, and special exhibitions. Tickets are normally on the museum's website, and a pre-booked timed slot helps you avoid queues at the entrance.
- When is the best time to visit Chicago Architecture Center?
- Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.
Image credits
12
- Chicago Architecture CenterAlanscottwalker / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chicago GalleryCourtesy of Chicago Architecture Center
- The Legacy of Wrigley FieldCourtesy of Chicago Architecture Center
- Icons of Chicago© City of Chicago
- Chicago's Living HabitatPhoto by Madison Smith
- Currents: 60 Years of the Chicago Architecture CenterCourtesy of Chicago Architecture Center
- Chicago City Model ExperiencePhoto by James Steinkamp
- Chicago was Built for FlyingPhoto by Sam Roth
- Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing EcosystemPhoto by Steve Hall, courtesy of Studio Gang.
- Richard H. Driehaus MuseumLmh9y6 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Art Institute of ChicagoDiego Delso, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museum of Contemporary Art ChicagoCéline from Paris, France, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0