CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— This weekend, Chicago is handing you the keys to the city. Literally.
The 16th annual Open House Chicago returned Saturday and runs through Sunday, October 18, and it’s one of the greatest weekends this city puts on. The Chicago Architecture Center has unlocked more than 200 buildings across 30-plus neighborhoods — and every single one is free.
“Chicago’s architecture tells the story of who we are as a city,” said Eleanor Gorski, the Center’s CEO and president. “We hope visitors check out a new neighborhood or finally step inside a place in their own neighborhood they’ve only walked by previously.”
The crown jewel: the Uptown Theatre at 4816 N. Broadway. The grand old movie palace — opened in 1925, dark since 1981 — is welcoming the public inside for the first time in decades, with guided tours of its 4,400-seat auditorium. Just don’t plan on snapping photos inside; photography isn’t allowed. (JAM Productions has a $200 million restoration on the drawing board.)
Elsewhere: the Art Deco lobby of the Chicago Board of Trade Building, plus its historic underground vault. The Cadillac Palace Theatre. The future Muddy Waters MOJO Museum in the blues legend’s old Kenwood home. The Stony Island Arts Bank. Twenty sites are brand new to the festival this year.
And downtown threw its own party Saturday — the first-ever Loop Arts Fest shut down State Street for the Chicago Loop Alliance.
Doors are open until 5 p.m. Sunday at most sites. First come, first served. Go see your city.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for the stories that move this city.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
