Chicago Architecture Foundation

Coordinates: 41°52′43″N 87°37′29″W / 41.878537°N 87.624845°W / 41.878537; -87.624845

Chicago Architecture Foundation headquarters at 224 S Michigan Avenue
Founded	1966 (1966)
Type	501(c)(3) charitable organization
Focus	Education, Architecture, Design
Location	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Members	11,000
Volunteers	1,000
Website	http://architecture.org/

Chicago Model

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit cultural organization based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, whose mission is to inspire people to discover why design matters. It is known for its public tours and programs, most notably the docent-led architecture cruise on the Chicago River, and other tours in the Chicago area. CAF is also known for its scale model of downtown Chicago.^[1] CAF's river cruise is ranked in the top ten tours in the U.S. by TripAdvisor users.^[2]

History

CAF was founded in 1966 as the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation to save H. H. Richardson's Glessner House, one of Chicago's oldest residences.^[3] In 1971, it began to offer lectures and volunteer-led tours of Chicago to the public. In 1979 it was renamed the Chicago Architecture Foundation. In 1992, CAF moved to its current location, the Railway Exchange Building. In 2009 CAF opened a new exhibition, Chicago Model, which includes a 3D-printed scale model of the central area of the city and is now on permanent display.^[4]

Tours

CAF offers approximately 85 different tours of the city. All tours are led by trained volunteer docents who go through a 14-week training course before being certified to lead CAF tours. Many tours in the Loop include historic buildings such as the Chicago Board of Trade, the Marquette Building, the Monadnock Building, and Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root's Rookery among many others. Some modern buildings that are explored include the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, Mies van der Rohe's Chicago Federal Center and the Trump Tower. CAF also offers tours of parks and public spaces such as Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park and the Chicago Pedway. During the summer months, CAF offers tours of various neighborhoods throughout Chicago in addition to downtown tours. CAF's most popular tour, the CAF River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises has departures April–November every year. CAF offers tours year-round.

Open House Chicago

CAF also hosts the largest annual architecture event in the city, Open House Chicago. This free, annual event gives the public access to buildings and spaces around the city that are typically closed to the public. Held over a weekend in October, OHC attracts tens of thousands of participants from across the country and around the world.^[5]

Education

CAF offers a robust architecture and design education program and has received several awards for their curricula and textbooks including Schoolyards to Skylines, the Architecture Handbook, and discoverdesign.org. In 2013, CAF opened the ArcelorMittal Design Studio, a studio space dedicated to introducing design concepts to individuals of all ages.^[6]

CAF Shop

CAF Shop

The CAF Shop, which offers Chicago and architecture-themed products, is located on the first floor of the Railway Exchange Building at 224 South Michigan Avenue.

References

↑ "CAF Tours". Retrieved 2010-09-07.
↑ Lazare, Lewis. "Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise soars to the top at TripAdvisor.com". Chicago Business Journal.
↑ Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (1984). H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works. MIT Press. p. 134.
↑ Blair Kamin (June 2, 2009). "A new model of Chicago's Loop, emerging next week in the CAF's "Chicago Model City" show". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
↑ http://wgntv.com/2015/10/15/open-house-chicago-step-inside-the-citys-architectural-wonders-for-free/
↑ "Inside the New Chicago Architecture Foundation Design Studio". Curbed Chicago.

External links

Chicago Architecture Foundation web site
Chicago Architecture Foundation YouTube Channel
Chicago Architecture Foundation Facebook
Chicago Architecture Foundation Twitter

Museums in Chicago

Art	Art Institute of Chicago Arts Club of Chicago Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art Intuit Loyola University Museum of Art Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Photography National Museum of Mexican Art National Veterans Art Museum Renaissance Society Smart Museum of Art Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art

Architecture	Charnley-Persky House Chicago Architecture Foundation Clarke House Driehaus Museum Glessner House Noble–Seymour–Crippen House Robie House

Children	Bronzeville Children's Museum Chicago Children's Museum StoryBus

Culture	Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture Museum of Broadcast Communications National Radio Hall of Fame Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Design Museum Chinese American Museum of Chicago DANK Haus German American Cultural Center Irish American Heritage Center Leather Archives and Museum Mitchell Museum of the American Indian National Hellenic Museum National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture Polish Museum of America Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership Swedish American Museum Ukrainian National Museum

History	Chicago History Museum DuSable Museum of African American History Hull House Money Museum Newberry Library Oriental Institute Pritzker Military Museum & Library Pullman National Monument

Science	Adler Planetarium Field Museum of Natural History International Museum of Surgical Science Museum of Science and Industry Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Planned	American Writers Museum Barack Obama Presidential Center Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Former	Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows

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