Free Chicago Birthday Celebration. Celebrate Chicago’s 180th Birthday.
When: March 4, 2017 10AM-2PM
Where: Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark St., 312-642-4600
Free. No reservations needed.
Join the Chicago History Museum and celebrate the city’s 180th birthday. Festivities include music, special remarks, and family-friendly storytelling and crafts. Following a commemorative ceremony, cake will be served and special certificates will be available for individuals born on March 4 (while supplies last).
Special family-friendly activities and performances are designed to honor and celebrate significant moments and figures in history.
Chicago was incorporated as a city on March 4, 1837. Guide to Chicago History Museum
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About the Chicago History Museum
Founded in 1856 and incorporated in 1857 the Chicago Historical Society opened its first building at the corner of Dearborn and Ontario Streets.
Original Museum after the 1871 fire. Photo Chicago History Museum
Location Dearborn and Ontario 1896-1932. Photo Chicago History Museum
That building and the most of the collection, however, burned during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. After three years and a second fire that destroyed most of the remaining collection, the Society renewed its operations. Occupying temporary buildings on the same site until 1896, the organization built a massive stone edifice designed by Henry Ives Cobb, which housed the Gilpin Library and exhibition spaces.
In 1920, the Society purchased thousands of manuscripts and hundreds of paintings and historical artifacts from the estate of Charles F. Gunther, including the bed on which Abraham Lincoln died and George Washington’s compass. In the late 1920s, the trustees began planning a new $1 million museum to house its growing collection and to celebrate the city’s centennial. Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the Georgian colonial building opened in 1932 in Lincoln Park at Clark Street at North Avenue. That building, with various additions, renovations, and improvements, has served as the organization’s home ever since.
Location 1932-present
In 1972, the Society unveiled a modern limestone addition by Alfred Shaw and Associates. In 1988, Holabird and Root “wrapped” the limestone addition in a red brick modern adaptation of the 1932 building and added underground storage and new gallery spaces.
Addition 1972 and 1988.
In February 2006, the Chicago Historical Society announced its new name: The Chicago History Museum. Later that year, the Museum celebrated a grand re-opening, unveiling a dramatic new lobby and redesigned exhibition spaces. Signature exhibitions such as Chicago: Crossroads of America and Sensing Chicago debuted, while an old favorite, Imagining Chicago: The Dioramas, was restored and updated.
The Museum continues to share the stories of the city and its people through exhibitions, programs, publications, and a website. Thousands of school groups from Chicago and the surrounding area visit annually. The Research Center serves thousands each year, from schoolchildren working on History Fair projects to PhD students writing dissertations to filmmakers researching documentaries.
The Chicago History Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.
