Historic Sites, Areas, and Towns in Illinois

The Art Institute of Chicago, first established in 1879, is a significant part of Chicago's cultural history. Its Beaux-Arts building dates back to the 1893 World's Fair, and houses historic masterpieces like Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Wood's American Gothic.

Tribune Tower is a Chicago landmark known for its Neo-Gothic design, selected from a global competition in 1922. It features striking buttresses and incorporates stones from famous sites worldwide. As the home of the Chicago Tribune, it's also an important landmark of Chicago's journalistic history.

Built in 1885, Dearborn Station is Chicago’s oldest remaining railroad terminal, and a National Historic Landmark. Its striking Romanesque architecture with iconic clock tower once welcomed trains from across the country. Today, it serves as a bustling shopping and business hub.

The Chicago Water Tower, constructed in 1869, is one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its limestone edifice on North Michigan Avenue became a symbol of the city’s resilience and rebirth.

The Chicago Board of Trade Building anchors the city's iconic financial district. Its Art Deco design rises majestically at the end of a striking canyon of buildings along LaSalle Street, capturing Chicago’s architectural grandeur and economic heritage in one impressive facade.

The Bronzeville Walk of Fame celebrates more than 100 African Americans who shaped the cultural and social fabric of this community and beyond. Honorees like Ida B. Wells and Gwendolyn Brooks are commemorated with plaques along Martin Luther King Drive, showcasing the area’s enduring legacy.

Navy Pier was part of architect Daniel Burnham's grand vision for Chicago's waterfront. Opened in 1916 as a multi-use pier for shipping, recreation, and public events, it reflected Burnham's belief in creating beautiful, functional civic spaces. It stays true to this legacy more than a century on.

Merchandise Mart was the world's largest building by floor area when it opened in 1930, spanning more than four million square feet and two city blocks. This Art Deco landmark, once the hub for over 1,800 showrooms, today houses around 350 showrooms along with offices and tech firms.

The Biograph Theater has been a landmark of Chicago’s cultural history since it opened in 1914. It gained notoriety as the site where John Dillinger was captured, and today hosts Victory Gardens Theater, offering a unique blend of history and contemporary arts.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, built in 1889, showcases Wright's innovative design principles and marks the birthplace of the Prairie School movement. Here you can explore where Wright developed ideas that transformed modern architecture.

The Rookery features one of Illinois' most impressive interiors, with an intricate lobby and light court renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. It was listed to the National Register in 1970, and named a Chicago Landmark in 1972 and a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

When it opened in 1897, the Chicago Cultural Center served as the city's first public library. It remains an important cultural hub, where you can connect with Chicago's artistic and civic events through free public events. Its stunning architecture includes the world's largest Tiffany glass dome.

When it was established in 1930, The Adler Planetarium became the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. A gateway to the stars for nearly a century, its astronomical artifacts and exhibits represent an important part of Chicago's scientific legacy.

The Lincoln Park Conservatory gives you a tangible glimpse of Chicago's botanical heritage. Built in the late 1800s, this glass house reflects that era's passion for horticulture and remains a living museum of plant life.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial in Marquette Park was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s 1966 march for fair housing. It features sculptures and plaques that celebrate his enduring legacy and the Chicago Freedom Movement.

The Ernest Hemingway Birthplace is a beautifully-preserved Victorian-era Oak Park home. It witnessed the birth of the acclaimed writer in 1899, and is now a museum offering a glimpse into Hemingway's early life and the foundations of his literary career.

The Douglas Tomb State Historic Site honors U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas, known for his 1858 debates with Abraham Lincoln. This 96-foot granite and marble monument commemorates Douglas’s influence on American politics and history.

Pleasant Home is a stunning example of Prairie School architecture. Designed by George W. Maher and built in 1897, this National Historic Landmark and museum showcases intricate woodwork and stained glass. It's the only Maher building open to the public as a museum.

The Chicago Portage National Historic Site marks the place where early explorers and settlers navigated the water route linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Today you can walk the same paths that served such a crucial role in the city's founding.