Tours

Love Architecture? Join us for a tour! 2022 Tours Coming Soon

WALF members organize tours designed to deepen appreciation for both historic and contemporary Chicago architecture. Tours frequently feature buildings under construction or recently completed, led by architects involved in the project.

Tours cost $35 for non-members, $25 for members, and $15 for students.

Photography © Eric Laignel, Design by Gensler

Previous Tour – Oct 2021

Old Post Office (433 W. Van Buren Street, Chicago)

After sitting vacant for nearly two decades, The Old Post Office has just completed an $800 million renovation, the largest historic redevelopment in the country! Tour lead by Grant C. Uhlir, Regional Managing Principal for Gensler, and senior manager for the Old Post Office project.

A bit more about this historic restoration: Today, the property boasts over 2.5 million square feet of stunning multi-use office and event space, and is poised to once again become the central hub of Chicago’s business community. The historically minded restoration and repositioning, including restoration of the building’s facade, windows, main lobby, Postmaster-General’s suite, and historic corridors. This project was as much about transformation as it was about the research of what once was. Gensler has created detailed documentation of existing equipment including scales, mail chutes, conveyors, historic corridors, original mosaic tile floors, and plaster ceilings. Preservation of these elements is paired with graphic stories and displays of postal relics to capture a unique brand experience that speaks to the building’s history and its purpose moving forward. The development is LEED certified.