A couple weeks ago I took one of the many great tours the Chicago Architecture Foundation(CAF) offers throughout the year. This one was an hour long tour of Union Station.
First, if you’re not a member of the CAF and like architecture, you should look into it. Lots of free tours (as this was for members) throughout the year, plus access to some buildings during Open House Chicago(OHC) that are members only, and you get to skip the long lines. Yet another side note, if you’re not familiar with OHC, the public is allowed entrance into many Chicago buildings you wouldn’t normally have access to. One of my favorites in the past was the view from the Aon Center…check this post from the 2015 OHC event to get an idea of what it’s all about.
Okay, back to last Thursday’s Union Station tour…loved it and learned a few things. Daniel Burnham’s involvement in the 1909 city plan for Chicago, checking out the lounges that aren’t normally open to the public (including an area that used to be a barbershop in the original mens lounge), learning about the concourse that was part of the original design (though it’s since been destroyed) and many other details about the design.
I took a few photos of the interior as well as the pillars on the exterior but was there more for the tour and great information provided by the CAF docent. I’d recommend subscribing to their newsletter to stay up-to-date on future tours and other happenings around Chicago.
Here are a few shots (and the B&W and others from previous visits here)…