When Chicago was founded in 1833 it was a raw frontier town on the prairies of the Midwest. Within a few decades it was the hub of westward expansion, a sprawl of stockyards, meat packing plants, steel mills, railroads and commercial buildings. East coast ‘old money’ disparaged them but Chicago’s industrialists were the most enterprising in America. Their energy and determination drove the rebuilding of the city after it was destroyed in the disastrous fire of 1871. 22 years later it was hosting a World’s Fair and had been re-created by the visionary architects, engineers and designers whose work redefined urban America. In the 21st century the city remains extraordinary with a vibrant culture and Chicago is home to some of the best architecture of the last 150 years and to fine museums and galleries.     

This tour will include the architectural highlights of Chicago, iconic works by William le Baron Jenney, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright including Oak Park. We will also visit the Arts and Crafts Glessner House Museum and the world-class collections of the Art Institute of Chicago with its new Modern Wing designed by Renzo Piano. The Institute holds a superb collection of 19th and 20th century European and American art and photography including “Paris, a Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte, “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat, Marc Chagall’s “America Windows” and “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.