Certainly there's many historic sites in Chicago. Fort Dearborn was located here and was an…read moreimportant site in the War Of 1812. It had a very strategic location along the river. Has a monument next to the Michigan Avenue bridge. The fort no longer exists, but there's information to read about it though. A long history of this fort. It was first built in 1803 and named after General and Secretary Of War Henry Dearborn, who was in command for Thomas Jefferson. This fort was destroyed in the War Of 1812, but was rebuilt after a few years. Basically nothing happened here after. The fort was decommissioned in 1837 and the troops left. Parts were lost in 1855 because of widening the river, and a couple years later there was a fire. There was later another one, The Great Chicago Fire Of 1871, which destroyed the rest of this. On the south end of the Michigan Avenue bridge are a couple murals. This is the former location of the fort, and you can read a few plaques. For those interested, they can find out more about it. If wanting to look at actual pieces of the fort, a few boards are in the Chicago History Museum. There was a replica made in 1899, in 1839 the Chicago City Council added another star to the city flag to represent the fort, and in 1971 the site was made a landmark where it can be read about at Michigan and Wacker.

Very cool and iconic monument on a very cool and iconic bridge. Right on Michigan and a great view…read moreonto the river.

The Marquette Building is a beautiful example of the Chicago School of architecture. The early…read moresteel framed sixteen story skyscraper was built in 1895. The steel frame is what allowed long "Chicago windows" due to less pressure of the masonry. It was designed by Holabird and Roche. The skyscraper was named for Father Jacques Marquette, the first European settler who explored Chicago in 1674-1675. Mosaics, sculptures and bronzes honor this expedition in the Marquette's entry and lobby. The bronzes and sculptures show the trip and important historic figures that were met along the journey. The railing around the atrium features beautiful Tiffany designed mosaics. Louis Comfort Tiffany was commissioned to create a mosaic frieze to detail the story of Marquette's life, the exploration of Chicago and the Native Americans that he met. Art panels are made of lustered Tiffany glass, mother-of-Pearl and semi-precious stones. It is stunning! The building is free and open to explore. Ask the security guard for a brochure or if you are lucky, he may even share some history about the building. There is also a small exhibit behind the lobby that discusses Chicago skyscrapers and architecture.

Chicago September 2019…read more Walked into the Marquette Building in downtown Chicago to view the beautiful artwork in the lobby. No admission fee. Just walk in and enjoy the view. The lobby is not too big but filled with stain glass art work that is eye catching. One can view the art from the first or second floor. Many Yelpers have already posted photos with great historical commentary. I'll just add a #metoo. No where to park around here unless you want to spend $30.00 ... I just jump on the CTA and pay $2.50 one way (or $5.00 round trip). Many of the buildings in downtown Chicago have fantastic art work in their lobbies. Most are free to explore. Welcome to Chicago !

Today you can get chef Luchiano's Kitchen and Chicken (since 1991) from one of the original White…read moreCaste locations- which is located at Wabash and Cermack - if you want White Castle then you just look kitty-corner and there you have it! According to the Chicago landmark plaque, "this tiny white glazed brick building is the best surviving example in Chicago of the buildings built by the White Castle system of eating houses." It is technically Whitecastle number 16.

Robert Morris was born in England and became an American businessman. He was one of the men who…read moresigned the Declaration of Independence. Hyam Salomon was born in Poland and moved to New York where he became a businessman and joined the Anti-British Sons of Liberty. So why does this memorial show George Washington in his Revolutionary War uniform shaking hands with Morris and Salomon? Well, those two men were considered to be the major financiers of the Revolutionary War. It was dedicated on the 150th Anniversary of the Ratification of the American Bill of Rights on December 15, 1941. A plaque on the base is inscribed with these words: Symbol of American Tolerance and Unity and of the Cooperation of People of All Races and Creeds in the Upbuilding of the United States. This monument designed by Lorado Taft and completed/by Leonard Crunelle was presented to the city of Chicago by the Patriotic Foundation of Chicago The main inscription reads: Robert Morris . George Washington . Haym Salomon "The government of the United States which gives to bigotry no sanction - to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support" President George Washington 1790. Unfortunately the plaque and inscription are in poor shape and are difficult to read. The back of the monument has a very cool bronze image of Lady Liberty embracing a huge crowd of people that are obviously of different origins.

You will find this sculpture along Michigan Avenue, near the Chicago River bridge, in a place area…read morebetween the Apple Store and the Chicago Tribune. Brickhouse was a Hall of Fame announcer, known for announcing Chicago sports, most notably Cub games. He also announced White Sox games as well. Brickhouse was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998. Brickhouse passed away from complications from a brain tumor in 1998. The statue shows Brickhouse from the waist up, sitting behind a desk with a microphone on it, reading from some papers. It is the work of Jerry McKenna, who made the piece in 2000. The sculpture was renovated in 2009. You will find inscriptions wrapped around all four sides of the bronze podium that Brickhouse sits behind. On the front is his name, above a motif of Wrigley Field, Soldier Field and Comiskey Park, With Brichouse's catch phrase "Hey, Hey" under it. The left side list some of Brickhouse's major accomplishments, while the back chronicles Brickhouse's Broadcasting career. The right side continues with the chronical of his broadcasting career. It is a very nice tribute to Brickhouse and is featured in the plaza that it is located. Parking to get a closer look at this sculpture is difficult to do. This sculpture is not a destination piece and most of its viewers will be passerbys such as myself. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. Also, be very careful if you are going to get a closer look, as i previously mentioned, this is located at a busy roundabout. With that being said, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

He was recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame for his major contributions to the sport…read more He was a Chicago legend - he broadcast Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Bears games for over 40 years. This memorial recognizes Brickhouse for his contribution to American sports, pop culture, and entertainment. It's a very cool statue of him sitting at an announcer's desk. There is a microphone on the desk in front of his face, and he is holding a notebook or a set of papers. The statue was dedicated in 2000 and his famous catch phrase "Hey-Hey" is inscribed on the front plaque. The full inscription reads: Jack Brickhouse, Hall of Fame Broadcaster 1917-1988 Hey-Hey Inducted into Media Wing of Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1983 and 13 other Halls of Fame throughout the nation. Broadcaster for Chicago Cubs - 40 years, Chicago White Sox - 27 years, Chicago Bears - 24 years, 1st TV voice for Chicago Bulls. 1962 - play-by-play announcer for 1st satellite telecast. Recipient of Local and International awards for Pope Paul VI papal audience. EXCLUSIVE Broadcast interviews - 6 Presidents. 4 Honorary Doctorates. 2 Autobiographical Bestsellers: "Thank You for Listening" and "A Man for All Seasons". 1934 - Entered broadcasting profession in hometown of Peoria - age 18, becoming youngest sports announcer in the nation. 1946 - Broadcaster for New York Giants - one season. 1948 - 1st voice on WGN-TV. 1979 - Reached milestone of 5,000 broadcasts for WGN Radio and TV. No baseball broadcaster WILL EVER televise as many games as Brickhouse. Continued broadcasting until his retirement from the booth - 1981. Brain tumors do not discriminate. Jack Brickhouse was one of the thousands who battled a brain tumor. The disease is complex, effective treatment is challenging. The American Brain Tumor Association exists to eliminate brain tumors through research and education..

Often volunteer for a lot of different events, both work related and other. When I received an…read moreemail to sign up for the Pullman Railroad Days, I did not hesitate. The forecast said rain and it was cloudy for all of forty-two minutes . When the sun appeared it was blazing. I had to wrap my jacket around my waist. My job was both a greeter at the gate and a ticket checker for the walking tours. If there were more than eight in a group, I was able to tag along. Seeing the old Pullman cars at the 111th Street platform was a special treat. Being able to walk through, tour, sit in the seats and hear a bit of the history behind the creation was priceless. True luxury and comfort for overnight traveling. By the way, we are allowed to charter a car through Amtrak. Call for pricing. Hotel Florence was beautiful, so many original structures still in place. Each step of the walking tour was a rich piece of history. We even spoke with one of the home owners sitting on their porch. Even the information center was like a museum. Beautiful memoirs of the past strategically placed through out. I will definitely do it again next year. I had so much fun.

Great site as a history buff while visiting Chicago the history of the Pullman porter that allowed…read moreblack men and women travel cross country as domestic

This used to be my favorite store in the late '60's and early '70's. While working downtown, and…read moregoing to college downtown, i used to eat my lunch almost every day. They had the absolute best cream of mushroom soup. Tons of mushrooms in a delightful cream sauce. And those desserts!!! I can still taste that wonderful cake slice with a thick layer of butter cream frosting. And people were all dressed up so nicely to go shopping in those days. I remember how well trained staff were. So polite and knowledgeable about what they were selling. And just the feeling of shopping in such a magnificent building. And such an enormous building. Such great memories.

Another free treasure. This historical building used to be Marshal fields and now is the Macys on…read moreState street. It's a beautiful building ... took some inside pics from different angle and perspectives. It's famous for the mosaic ceiling which is a work of art that pics can't capture ... but i tried. It's beautiful. The dome ceiling was designed by renowned glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (it's the largest Tiffany mosaic in existence) and crafted by a group of 50 artisans who worked atop scaffolds for over 18 months to complete the project. This work of art shimmering vaulted ceiling that covers 6,000 square feet and comprises 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass. If you like it and are looking for more free art treasure check out the ceiling in the chicago cultural center for another gorgeous Tiffany ceiling. Love that Chicago offers so much to see and do free or for little cost. I also like looking and and looking down at the different floors. afraid of heights but it was still worth a glimpse over the railings. Also check out the restaurant .. very elegant .. i think it's the walnut room.

There was a time the United States allowed slavery, or at least parts of it did. We're here in…read moreIllinois which was not a slave state. And this marker points to the history where a number of slaves from the south came on their journey to freedom. Slaves fleeing the South before the Civil War followed the Des Plaines River north to Maywood, where abolitionists aided them. The journey was called the "Underground Railroad" and it is believed this was one of those stops. According to historians, the Underground Railroad consisted of "stations," or stopping points, where slaves escaping to free states or Canada hid and rested before returning to the treacherous route. Taking over a small corner of this McDonald's parking lot, you would otherwise miss it. There is a plaque, some benches and a small piece of railroad though no, the railroad is a metaphor for the escaping slaves who would not have traveled on such a mainstream route. [Review 20626 overall - 173 in Illinois - 1607 of 2023.]