In the News
Media features and articles highlighting the Chicago Architecture Center.
Media features and articles highlighting the Chicago Architecture Center.
Chicago Architecture Center's river cruise showcases the city
We took a tour to check it out. Our docent was Steve Gersten, a retired trader and architecture buff. Here’s what we learned.
2025
The Chicago Architecture Center
- Bob Irving, docent who created beloved Chicago Architecture river cruise, dies at 93, Chicago Sun-Times
- Opinion: Stadium-seeking sports teams are thinking big. It's time to think even bigger, Crain's Chicago Business
- Famous Chicago Buildings Turned Into Hats At Chicago Architecture Center Exhibit, Block Club
- Architecture And Design Film Fest Bridges Chicago To World With 5 Days Of Film, Block Club
- What to see: Chicago Architecture Center Walking Tours, Canadian House & Home
CAC River Cruise Aboard First Lady
- CAC River Cruise aboard First Lady wins "Best Tourist Attraction (Outdoor)" and "Best Tour" in Chicago Reader Poll
- Youngest captain with Chicago’s First Lady Cruises is anchored by her love of the job, Chicago Tribune
2024
the Chicago architecture center
- CAC Awarded Grant by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Citizen Weekly
- “Framed Views” At Chicago Architecture Center, Newcity
- Weigh in on City Planning, Chicago Sun-Times
- Girls Build! at Chicago Architecture Center teaches hands on learning, Fox 32
- Opinion: A White Sox move to The 78 could benefit two neighborhoods, and all of Chicago, Crain's Chicago Business
- 'Loop as Lab' exhibit at Chicago Cultural Center lets public plan city's future, WGN9
- 'Loop as Lab': How is Chicago's CBD rebound becoming a model for other American metros?, Archinect
- Opinion: A White Sox move to The 78 could benefit two neighborhoods, and all of Chicago, Crain's Chicago Business
- Opinion: Saving a pair of State Street buildings would help revitalize downtown, Crain's Chicago Business
- Chicago Architecture Center Hosts Engineering Fest, Chicago Crusader
- The Architecture & Design Film Festival Builds a Bridge Between Chicago and the World, Chicago Reader
CAC RIVER CRUISE ABOARD CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY
2023
the chicago architecture center
- About the Town in December, Classic Chicago Magazine
- Chicago Architecture Center and City Colleges building a path for youths to find careers in architecture, Chicago Tribune
- 99% Conspicuous, The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong
- The Chicago Architecture Biennial debuts across the city ‘Systems’: new CAC exhibit explores urban renewal and sustainability, Modern Luxury
- Fifth edition of Chicago Architecture Biennial: This is a Rehearsal begins next fall, Chicago Loop Alliance
- REFRAMED: The Future of Cities in Wood, Architektur Ausstellungen International
- Mass-Timber exhibition in Chicago barks up the right tree, Architectural Record
- Chicago Architecture Center announces new members to Board of Trustees, Patch
- Girls Build! Day, Chicago Tribune
- Chicago architectural competition addresses “Missing Middle Density” infill housing, Forbes
OPEN HOUSE CHICAGO 2023
- Open House Chicago gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the city’s iconic landmarks, NBC Chicago
- It’s on! Chicago Architecture Center announces expanded Open House programming for Open House Chicago 2023, Building Up Chicago
- Open House Chicago 2023 offers access to more than 170 significant sites across the city, WBBM News Radio
CAC RIVER CRUISE ABOARD CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY
2022
THE CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER
- AIA Reveals 2022 Interior Architecture Award Winners, Architect Magazine
- Chicago Architecture Center announces Eleanor Esser Gorski as Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Sun Times
2021
CAC RIVER CRUISE ABOARD CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY
- Voted the #1 boat tour in North America by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
2020
CAC RIVER CRUISE ABOARD CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY
- Voted Best Tour by the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2020"
2019
THE CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER
- TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence
- "Top Five Best New Attractions" — USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice
- "Business Impact of the Year" — The Magnificent Mile Association
- "Best New Attraction" — Friends of Downtown
- "Special Achievement of the Year" — Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards
TOURS
- Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady and other CAC tours — “Best Tour,” Chicago Reader
- Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age tour — GetYourGuide award
2018
- AIA Illinois Richard Nickel Award for (non-architect) citizens who lift up architecture and the profession awarded to Lynn Osmond, Hon AIA, CAC President and CEO
- Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise listed under Illinois in Money magazine's "This Is the Most Popular Tourist Attraction in Every State" article
2017
- River Cruise named "Best Tour" in Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2017" issue
- "#1 Chicago Boat Tour" dubbed by Time Out Chicago in July 2017
- U.S. News & World Report named the Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises as one of the top six tours in Chicago for first-time visitors
- No Small Plans made Curbed.com's list of "101 Books About Where and How We Live." It ranked at #74, alongside impressive works by authors like Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, W.E.B. Dubois and Studs Terkel.
- @chiarchitecture named "Best Instagram Account to Follow" in Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2017" issue
2016
- Open House Chicago is one of the "reasons to love Chicago" in the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago"
2015
- Based on TripAdvisor user reviews, the "official" Chicago Architecture Foundation [Center] River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises is the #1 ranked tour in Chicago and a top 10 tour in the U.S. in 2015
2014
- Keystone Award, American Architectural Foundation
2013
- Congress for the New Urbanism
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement for DiscoverDesign.org
