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. 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) and take the train to our last stops.  We visit the iconic Macy's to see the beautiful Tiffany mosaic then we wrap up the tour at the Cultural Center to experience the world's largest Tiffany dome.

Explore the Loop's famous architecture during this 2-hour walking tour with an expert guide from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Discover the beginnings of the Chicago School of Architecture through visits to some of the city's oldest skyscrapers, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This sophisticated, informative tour is a must-do for history and architecture buffs.

Go inside more iconic buildings than any other Chicago architecture tour. The Loop is not just famous for the L train circling downtown Chicago, it’s an iconic, vibrant neighborhood, steeped in history. Prepare to be awed at the towering Art Deco architecture that Chicago is most famous for but take it one step further and go inside the most inspired buildings. Discover the historical stories of Marshall Field, Potter Palmer, and Frank Lloyd Wright while you get an insider's look at the history and architecture of Loop.

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.