Browse Exhibits (12 total)
875 North to 2135 South: Highlights of the Mag Mile
The Magnificent Mile is world renowned for its art, culture, and posh lifestyle. "875 North to 2135 South: Highlights of the Mag Mile" showcases five destinations worth seeing along the infamous street.
Chicago Arts & Handicrafts in the 20th Century
During the 1930s the Works Progress Administration had an indelible impact on the arts and crafts scene of Chicago. Organizations like the Jane Adams Hull House held programs encouraging women to participate in creating art and making crafts paid for with federal funds. This exhibit tells a small part of that story.
Chicago at a Glance: Architectural Wonders
Chicago is known for its eclectic architectural designs. From the Willis Tower to the Marina Towers to the Aqua Building, Chicago's skyline has much to offer. Looking between 1890 - and present day creations, this exhibit will give a brief glimpse of when popular structures were constructed as well as some fun facts.
Chicago Girls: From Girls Next Door to Troublemakers
From Mrs. O'Leary to Sue the dinosaur, this exhibit traces the female experience in Chicago from a variety of female viewpoints.
Chicago's Creativity and Innovation in Printed Materials
As Chicago grew over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it pioneered certain aspects of culture and technology. To explore Chicago's adventures in originality, this exhibit showcases a variety of Chicago's printed materials between 1837 and 1987 that depict the city's creativity in food, technology, urban planning, and journalism.
Palaces of the Midwest: Chicago's Great Hotels
Determined to dispel East Coast notions of Chicago being a smelly, backwater town of the Midwest, certain wealthy Chicagoans set out to create lavish hotels that distinguished guests from around the world would flock to come marvel at the city's accomplishments. These palaces and the lifestyles they promoted sharply contrasted with the quotidien lives of the city's immigrant working classes. Nonetheless, their luxurious architecture and notoriety promoted Chicago as a worthy tourist destination, truly earning it the name "Paris of the Midwest."
Shopping in Chicago
Downtown Chicago has been well known as a shopping destination for decades; State Street and Michigan Avenue have housed some of the first and most famous department stores in the country. Chicago's stores, designers, and shoppers changed fashion and the way we shop, from demanding snacks while browsing, to supporting black-owned businesses.
Social Reform in Chicago
A brief history of social reform in Chicago, from Jane Addams and the professionalization of American social work, to the boundaries of Progressive Era reforms in different ethnic communities.