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Lakeshore Living: Steel and Stone

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See the evolution of deluxe residential buildings in and around Streeterville, from stately stone mansions to sleek glass high-rises.

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This walking tour peels back the layers of luxury residential architecture that shape this neighborhood along the lakefront near Chicago's Magnificent Mile retail district, from Revival-style mansions to bold Art Deco apartments and supertall Modernist towers.

Duration
1.5 hours
Site Type
Neighborhoods
Location
Downtown
Architects and Styles
Meet

SouthEast Corner of East Pearson and North Dewitt Place, near the northwest entrance to Lake Shore Park.

This tour explores the architectural evolution of the Streeterville neighborhood and the stories behind its most notable buildings. Along East Lake Shore Drive, see how gilded apartments by Marshall and Fox reflect turn-of-the-century grandeur and how high-end residential design evolved through the streamlined geometry of Art Deco to the structurally-innovative 875 North Michigan (formerly Hancock Center). Learn how architects including Fugard & Knapp, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill contributed to a changing skyline and how their work mirrors broader cultural and aesthetic shifts.

Know before you go:

This is an accessible tour, mostly on sidewalks with limited street crossings through the neighborhood. All walking is done on flat surfaces.


Accessibility

  • wheelchair

    Terrain

    Fully accessible and the majority is even flat surfaces, no alternate routes required.

  • wheelchair

    Noise level

    Somewhat noisy but listening devices offered

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Accessibility

See all the options for accesibility here

FAQ

Tour reviews

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  • Close up image of the top of a tall building with a sign on top in white letters that reads "The Drake"

    The Drake Hotel.

  • Image from below looking up at a tall rectangular modern black steel building.
  • Image of a tall black building with a spiral tructure in the foreground.

    875 N. Michigan Ave.

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