April “After Hours” at the Robie House
April is right around the corner and that means April After Hours at the Robie House. You can go the Robie House in Hyde Park any Friday in April to schmooze among other architecture lovers with a beer or wine in hand. Tunes from an acoustic jazz combo will add to the ambiance. You can […]
Chicago History, Architecture and a Walking Game of Telephone
I am very excited to share that on Friday, April 5, Chicago Detours will inaugurate our new quarterly, one-off “Detours” with a “Nonsensical Walk of Indoor Spaces.” These “Detours” will be a new approach to a tour, so that beyond a tour guide sharing stories, guests will have experiences designed around a particular theme and […]
Chicago Loves New Picasso Exhibit
You might think that we’ve had our fill of Picasso here at Chicago Detours with our discussion of the Chicago sculpture on our Loop Interior Architecture Tour. This is definitely not the case, even for a Paris-ophile like me. Paris is practically exploding with his work. When I was at grad school at the Sorbonne, aka […]
Chicago Irish for St. Pat’s Day: Three Influences on History
With the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebrations in Chicago coming up this weekend, I began to wonder about why a specifically Irish celebration is such a big deal here in Chicago. Do the Irish make up a large portion of the populace? What’s their history here and how have they contributed to Chicago’s history? […]
Exclusive Entrance to the Union League Club on March 18
Last June, I presented at the Union League Club about the architectural history of the building, including its cultural context in downtown Chicago business and life and the relevance of historic architecture over time. We had a great time, and they’ve invited me back, and you are invited as well! In addition to experiencing the discussion […]
Historic Bar Tour Makes for Good Times
Bar tours of any kind are an all-around fun experiences. You get to meet new people, see new things, and drink! When I started as Editorial Intern for Chicago Detours, I came on the Good Times Historic Bar Tour with my boyfriend and found that this walking tour of Chicago is all that and more. […]
Frederick Law Olmsted’s Riverside: the First Planned Suburb
When I think of “planned community,” pristine lawns, curving curbs, and happy little driveways come to mind. Maybe it’s even a “gated community” with three or four house designs repeated along the block. Interestingly the roots of the ‘burbs came from mastermind of landscape design Frederick Law Olmsted (think 1893 World’s Fair or NYC’s Central […]