Chicago Art Deco Skyscrapers: Walking Tour

Immerse yourself in the elegance and grandeur of Chicago’s Art Deco skyscrapers. Explore the origins and iconic motifs of this architectural style while marveling at historic landmarks like the Chicago Board of Trade and One LaSalle Street.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • The Rookery Building - Explore the Art Deco-inspired lobby of the Rookery, crafted by William Drummond.
  • 135 South LaSalle Street - Admire the architecture of the 135 S LaSalle St building.
  • 1 N La Salle St - Engage in a discussion about the 1 N LaSalle St building.
  • Chicago Board of Trade Building - The tour will conclude at…
What's Included
  • Admission to the Galleries of the Chicago Architecture Center
  • Narration by a professional and certified Guide
  • Walking tour of Downtown Chicago Art Deco architecture
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pick up and drop off
  • Storage for luggage or strollers
  • Coat check
Additional Information

Explore the heart of Chicago’s financial district where Art Deco architectural wonders built during the vibrant ‘20s stand tall. Understand how Art Deco encapsulated the period’s spirited positivity with sumptuous materials and geometric embellishments.
Dive into the roots of Art Deco along with its quintessential features as you examine structures like…

Location
30 N LaSalle St
North LaSalle Street
Meet in front of 30 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL, USA.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(164 Ratings)
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Judith
Jun 30, 2025
Informative and very interesting tour, highly recommended. - A keen and enthusiastic volunteer, Bob Coffin lead our tour. It was very interesting and informative. It was a Sunday afternoon and lasted around an hour and a half. The city was quiet so it was easy to get around. We covered five main art deco buildings in the Loop and went inside four of them to see fabulously rich and opulent interior lobbies. If you are interested in Art Deco then this is the tour for you. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy
Jun 30, 2025
Art Deco Skyscrapers - Tremendous tour! Our guide Barry is very knowledgeable and is truly an educator. The group was great, so interested and friendly. Makes Chicago really stand out as an art deco center, especially the symbolism centered around agriculture and commerce. Many thanks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debrabd4025gz
Jun 24, 2025
Amazing sights, all within a few city blocks. - We took this tour of downtown buildings built in the Art Deco style. Our humorous guide Charles was knowledgeable about not only the architecture, but also the history of the city and region. We saw 5 buildings inside and out and heard about several others along the way. Great stories! Great tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angiegf9170ww
Jun 10, 2025
30 YO’s Friend Trip Experience - I went to Chicago for a girls trip, and was recommended to take a walking tour with Chicago Architecture Center. I was not disappointed. We had the lovely opportunity to have Mitch as our tour guide. He was very thoughtful and considerate, of our walking speed during rush hour traffic. He was a wealth of knowledge, and you could tell he was passionate about the intricacies of each specific building’s architecture. We were incredibly impressed by Mitch’s presentation and professionalism. He also has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend this tour, and hope you are lucky enough to get Mitch as your tour guide. I am eager to come back for the Bridges of Chicago tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H7533uhinesm
Jun 8, 2025
Deco walking tour - A must for all lovers of architecture. We did the walking tour with Ron Roman who was so knowledgeable that it’s hard to believe that he’s not a retired architect. Who else would know so much about chamfered corners. 😉
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travel25346533585
May 26, 2025
We Love Art Deco - This is a great Walking Tour.. We absolutely Love Art Deco Buildings, The Chrysler Building is the Gold Standard of Art Deco. Chicago has it's own Top Shelf Buildings
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Loricm5978ss
May 23, 2025
Wealth of information from Ron our tour guide - The tour stops were amazing! I have lived in the Chicago area all my life and I learned so many new things on the tour. Ron our guide was kind, passionate and very informative. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frank_p
Jun 23, 2025
Fine examples of the style for those with interest or just curious. - Barry our guide was full of facts and information as we visited 5 outstanding Deco examples. Being a Sunday we were given exclusive access to otherwise working buildings entering the impressive lobbies and able to take pictures, this would have been impossible with other workers coming and going. Fhe tour is flat easily navigated znd covers a small area if the city where such buildings are situated. Barry provided some excellent insight into the history function znd potential future of such buildings.
Review provided by Viator
Voyage01037493916
Jun 19, 2025
So many art deco buildings all in one place! - The information was really good. We have been to many CAC tours, but this one had some new buildings to visit. Sometimes, our docent didn't speak loud enough to carry over the road noise.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frank
Jun 17, 2025
Unique access makes this different. - Barry was a great wealth of knowledge and as we were a small group 6 all were well able to hear, even though the emergency services sirens conspired to defeat him. We got a chance to enter the lobby of 4 superb deco buildings that we would never have been able to without his guidance and contacts. Learned a lot and had some excellent photo opportunities that will prove unique. Well done Barry and thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $35
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).