Thompson Chicago

The Chicago History Museum stands at the crossroads of America’s past and its future. If you live in Chicago or visit here and are curious about the city’s past, present, and future, the Museum should be your first stop.

This design was the result of an international competition for "the most beautiful office building in the world," held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The various competition entries proved extremely influential for the development of skyscraper architecture in the 1920s. The winning entry, with a crowning tower with flying buttresses, is derived from the design of the French cathedral of Rouen and gives the building its striking silhouette. The base of the building is studded with over 120 stones from famed sites and structures in all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries. They range from the Parthenon (Greece) and Taj Mahal (India) to Bunker Hill (Massachusetts) and Mark Twain's "Injun Joe Cave" (Missouri).

The purposes for which the Art Institute of Chicago is formed are: to found, build, maintain, and operate museums, schools, libraries of art, and theaters; to provide support facilities in connection therewith; to conduct appropriate activities conducive to the artistic development of the region; and to conduct and participate in appropriate activities of national and international significance; To form, conserve, research, publish, and exhibit a permanent collection of objects of art of all kinds; to present temporary exhibitions that include loaned objects of art of all kinds; and to cultivate and extend the arts by appropriate means; To establish and conduct comprehensive programs of education, including presentation of visual artists, teachers of art, and designers; to provide educational services in written, spoken, and media formats; To provide lectures, instruction, and entertainment, including dramatic, film, and musical performances of all kinds, which complement and further the general purposes of the institute; To receive in trust property of all kinds and to exercise all necessary powers as trustee for such trust estates whose objects are related to the furtherance of the general purposes of the institute or for the establishment or maintenance of works of art.

Even though it stands in the shadows of the tall buildings surrounding it, when the historic Water Tower was first built in 1869, its 154 foot height was probably pretty impressive. The Water Tower was commissioned to house a 138 foot tall standpipe, which helped with water flow and pressure for the pumping station. But the Water Tower's main claim to fame is that it is one of only a very few structures that remained standing after the great Chicago Fire in 1871 and today is a monument to that event. While it has served in its original use since 1911, it is a popular tourist attraction. The Water Tower is home to the City Gallery, the "city's official photography gallery", which presents Chicago-themed photography exhibitions all by Chicago photographers. The pumping station (which is still operational) has a Visitor's Information Center which provides tons of free pamphlets and information about Chicago's large number of things to do. The Water Works building has been converted to a live theater space, and is currently the base for the well-known (thanks in part to the fame of one of its co-founders, David Schwimmer) Lookingglass Theatre Company.

The Field Museum was incorporated in the State of Illinois on September 16, 1893 as the Columbian Museum of Chicago with its purpose the "accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of objects illustrating art, archaeology, science and history." In 1905, the Museum's name was changed to Field Museum of Natural History to honor the Museum's first major benefactor, Marshall Field, and to better reflect its focus on the natural sciences. In 1921 the Museum moved from its original location in Jackson Park to its present site on Chicago Park District property near downtown where it is part of a lakefront Museum Campus that includes the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. These three institutions are regarded as among the finest of their kind in the world and together attract more visits annually than any comparable site in Chicago.

Lincoln Park Zoo is a world of wildlife in the shadow of skyscrapers. Located within a verdant park just minutes north of Chicago, the zoo has been a natural, free oasis for generations of animal lovers, who come to hear a lion’s roar echo off nearby apartment buildings, see gorillas climb trees as the Sears Tower looms in the distance, or forget where they are as they immerse themselves in tropical rainforests, dry-thorn forests or spacious savannas. We invite you to the wildest spot in Chicago, where each year millions of visitors marvel at wild wonders as they play and learn about the natural world in a living, breathing, roaring classroom. Entrance to the zoo is free.

Chicago Children's Museum's mission is to create a community where play and learning connect. The museum's primary audience is children up through the fifth grade including their families, along with the school and community groups that support and influence children's growth and development. The museum also offers a variety of volunteer opportunities and college internships. Fifteen permanent exhibits and programming spaces provide innovative learning experiences for children and their caregivers. The museum serves more than 500,000 visitors annually. CCM also reaches out beyond its walls by making a significant investment of resources in neighborhoods across Chicago, particularly to children who might not otherwise have access to the museum's rich array of resources. History Chicago Children's Museum was founded in 1982 by a coalition led by The Junior League of Chicago in response to program cutbacks in the Chicago Public Schools. The museum opened in two hallways of the Chicago Public Library. In response to capacity crowds on-site, CCM developed trunk shows and exhibits which traveled to schools, branch libraries, and neighborhood centers. The growing demand for CCM services led to its relocation in 1986 to a 7,000 s.f. Chicago Park District facility in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. In 1989, as part of a five-year plan, CCM moved to another interim site—a 21,000 square foot building as part of a mixed-use renovated warehouse. In that site, CCM built its audience, exhibits, programs, partnerships, and funding base while searching for a site for a permanent home. In October 1995, CCM opened as anchor tenant of Chicago's redeveloped Navy Pier on Lake Michigan. The 57,000 square foot facility has served as a springboard to propel CCM to make an important difference in the learning lives of kids. With three floors of engaging and educational exhibits, a full array of public programs and special events, CCM strives to effectively meet the needs of its diverse audience.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre Park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South. The Park is open daily from 6am - 11pm. Admission is free. Visitors are encouraged to make the Millennium Park Welcome Center their first stop at the Park where specialists are available to help plan their Park visit. The Welcome Center is located at 201 E. Randolph Street in the Northwest Exelon Pavilion.