Marquette Building Tours and Activities

See the overlooked highlights of Chicago’s Loop district with a 2-hour walking tour that takes in the best of the bustling, vibrant neighborhood’s inside spaces. Get behind the façades to explore stunningly designed interiors as you follow a specially-designed route with an experienced guide. Learn about the city’s architecture, art and history while visitng a side of Chicago that’s beyond the tourist trail, and experience the Windy City with a local perspective.

We start our tour at one of the most interesting buildings in the Loop — the Fine Arts Building.  Built in 1884 as a showroom and office complex, the building was converted twelve years later into its present-day use — a haven for businesses and individuals associated with the arts. We then venture a few blocks to tour the Harold Washington Chicago Public Library, the design of which was the winner of a competition to design a new library for the City of Chicago.  Leaving the library, we'll view three Chicago landmarks built in the late 1800s, then we visit the beautiful Marquette Building, the Field Building (built on the site of the world's first modern skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building) and then see the amazing atrium lobby of the world-renowned Rookery Building. Next, we're off to the beautifully-restored Quincy L stop (authentic 1897 design) where we'll take the train to our last stop.  We conclude our tour at Macy's, with a sweet surprise and the beautiful Tiffany mosaic.

Discover Chicago's bold character through its beautiful landmarks and fascinating backstories on this thoughtfully designed tour of history, contemporary life and world-famous architecture. Guests will see iconic downtown buildings, hear lesser-known stories from the past, and step inside gorgeous interior spaces.