Guide to Chicago History Museum.
Illinois residents free days Despite what the website says Free days are cancelled until January 2021 Go here for more info about new admission details. Chicago History Museum is closed on Mondays.
The Museum is free to Illinois residents every Tuesday from 12:30 to 9:00p.m. with valid I.D. *Excluding: January 2 January 9 December 18 December 25 The Museum is also free to Illinois residents on Commemorative Days: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, March 4, City of Chicago’s Birthday, July 4.
Regular General Admission: Adults: $19, Seniors (65+): $17, Students (13–22 with ID): $17, Illinois Resident Children under 18 are FREE. Non-Illinois Resident Children 12 and under are FREE. City of Chicago residents receive a $2 discount (with valid I.D.). General admission includes the whole museum.
Where: 1601 N Clark St., 312-642-4600 Download your Museum map in advance of your visit.
Public Tours Cancelled
Public exhibition tours are free with Museum admission and occur nearly each day of the week. Tours include gallery overviews and highlights and last less than an hour. Tour topics vary. Contact 312-642-4600 to confirm the time and topic for the day of your visit. Virtual tours $5 and free for members.
Audio Tours Cancelled
Enhance your visit with an audio experience. The Chicago History Museum app includes five tours, two of which are available in Spanish, as well as rotating selections for temporary exhibitions. iPods preloaded with all of the tours are included with general admission. A new tour app is under development.
The Great Chicago Adventure
A new film presentation that transports visitors through major events and sites in Chicago’s history including the Great Chicago Fire, World’s Columbian Exposition, Maxwell Street in the 1950s, a view from an I-beam of the Sears Tower in the 1970s.
Relive Chicago sports victories, President Obama’s Grant Park victory speech. The film runs 27 minutes; free with Museum admission. Please note: Screening times may be limited due to private events.
Current exhibits
Encyclopedia of Chicago and The Great Chicago Fire & The Web of Memory
The Chicago History Museum’s website is home to the fabulous Encyclopedia of Chicago which this website uses frequently when researching background info for posts.
Equally fascinating is the Chicago History Museums website The Great Chicago Fire. This website contains photos and images from before, during and after the fire.
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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. That building and the most of the collection, however, burned during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Original Museum after the 1871 fire. Photo Chicago History Museum
Location Dearborn and Ontario 1896-1932. Photo Chicago History Museum
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.
The Chicago History Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.
