SOLD OUT! The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition - the “White City” - was considered so important in the history of Chicago that a star on the city’s flag was designated in its honor. It was also of national significance in the development of what came to be known as the “American Renaissance.” 

This walking tour of Jackson Park, with architect and historian John Waters, will locate the sites of landmarks of the fair, explore the fascinating vestiges of the fair that still remain, and show how the fair influenced the design of Jackson Park as we know it today.  The tour will meet at the base of reproduction of sculptor Daniel Chester French’s golden Statue of the Republic on Hayes Drive, which marks the location of the fair’s central Administration Building.

This walking tour down South Michigan Avenue explores what is considered the largest intact early “automobile row” in the U.S.  At its peak in the early 20th century, more than 100 different makes of automobiles were being sold on Motor Row. 

Today, the revitalized stretch of street showcases more than sixty of the original showrooms in what is now considered the landmark Motor Row District, with stunning examples of elaborately molded terra cotta, ornate facades, and intricately scrolled ironwork designed by notable architects such as Holabird & Roche, Alfred Alschuler, Christian Eckstorm, Philip Maher, and Albert Kahn.

This very special tour provides attendees with the rare opportunity to visit the interiors of several landmarked homes in the Prairie Avenue Historic District. See beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, fireplaces in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble, and much more!

Sites tentatively included on the 2025 tour (list subject to change):
-Marshall Field Jr. house, 1919 S. Prairie Avenue (Solon S. Beman, architect; 1883;
remodeling by Daniel H. Burnham & Co., 1902)
-Charles Purdy house, 213 E. Cullerton Street, (Thomas & Rapp, architects; 1891)
-William Reid house, 2013 S. Prairie Avenue (Beers, Clay & Dutton, architects; 1894)
-Harriet Rees house, 2017 S. Prairie Avenue (Cobb & Frost, architects, 1888)
-Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan Avenue (James Renwick Jr., architect, 1874; remodeling by Howard Van Doren Shaw, 1901)
-The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, originally Engine Company 104, 1401 S. Michigan Avenue (Charles F. Hermann, 1905)
-Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue (historic studio of Chess Records)

An abbreviated tour of Glessner House including the main first floors rooms is also included.

Tour guides will also be stationed at various locations in the neighborhood to discuss and show photos of prominent lost houses including those of Marshall Field, George Pullman, Philip Armour, and others.

Did you know that every year about 300 kinds of birds can be seen in Chicago? Many of these are easy to observe if you know where, when, and how to look for them. Join us for a presentation that describes the bird life that can be experienced in our area and that discusses the basics of bird watching, or “birding.” The presentation will introduce you to the variety of birds that reside in, or visit, our region, some of the best places to go to see birds, and what you need to get started on your birding journey. After the presentation, we’ll step outside to see what migrants are visiting the Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens next door.

In the late nineteenth century, Prairie Avenue was the most exclusive street in Chicago. Nearly ninety mansions lined the six blocks from 16th to 22nd streets, including the homes of the city’s three wealthiest citizens - department store owner Marshall Field, meat packer Philip D. Armour, and sleeping car manufacturer George M. Pullman.

Explore over two centuries of history – from the Battle of Fort Dearborn in 1812 through the neighborhood’s recent transformation into what is once again one of the most fashionable and desirable neighborhoods in Chicago.