Walk down Chicago's Cultural Mile, saved by Montgomery Ward

Join me on a two-hour walking tour of the original Michigan Boulevard from the Chicago River south to the Auditorium Building. Learn why there are no buildings east of Michigan from Randolph south to Monroe (thank mail order magnate Montgomery Ward for that), and who built the first building higher than 260 ft once zoning was changed. The Cultural Mile is home to Millennium Park and its wonderful architecture (Frank Gehry's Pavilion and Kapoor's Cloud Gate), Grant Park, our original park for the people, and the Art Institute, built in 1893. And the buildings lining the west side of the avenue all have a wonderful history! The Chicago Symphony Orchestra also calls this stretch of Michigan Ave home, as well as the Cultural Center. So much to see!

Our tour will start on the former site of Fort Dearborn, at Michigan and Wacker. On the way south, we will admire the London House, the art deco Union Carbide and Carbon building, the Old Republic Building, before stepping inside the Cultural Center and taking in the Tiffany Dome, as well as the Rushmore mural, a celebration of 20 Chicago women. We will then stop by Cloud Gate and the Fountain, while learning about the history and architecture of the buildings across, including the Montgomery Ward and Straus buildings. As we continue south, we will stop in the gardens of the Art Institute to visit Lorado Taft's Fountain of the Great Lakes, before marveling at the Railway Exchange building, the Fine Arts building, and the Auditorium. So much to see!