About this Event
🎩🏛️ Step Into Chicago’s Gilded Age: A Prairie Avenue Fall Walk! 🍂
🍁This Sunday: Explore Chicago’s Historic Prairie Avenue!🏛️✨
Apparently, one tour wasn't enough, so we're doing it again! 😄🙌
Join me this Sunday for a leisurely fall stroll through one of Chicago’s most fascinating historic neighborhoods. Once known as “the sunny street that held the sifted few,” Prairie Avenue was home to some of Chicago’s wealthiest and most influential families during the Gilded Age.
🏛️ Imagine a time when industrial titans built magnificent mansions, fortunes were made, and Prairie Avenue was Chicago’s original Millionaire’s Row!
We’ll explore surviving mansions, landmark churches, architectural treasures, and hidden gems while hearing stories about the people who helped shape Chicago. From George Pullman and Marshall Field to Philip Armour and John Glessner, these were the movers and shakers who left their mark on the city! 🎩💰
🍂 Enjoy a fall walk filled with historic architecture, beautiful streetscapes, fascinating stories, and great company!
🎤 Led by your passionate, ever-curious guide—that’s me! 😊
Perfect for architecture lovers, history buffs, photographers, and anyone who enjoys being a tourist in their own city!
👥 Multi-group event! Expect a great crowd!
📍 TOUR DETAILS
🗓️ Sunday, November 1, 2026
⏰ 10:30 AM–12:45 PM
🚶 Approximately 1.5 miles at a casual pace
☕ START: RR Donnelley & Sons Plant, 350 E. Cermak Rd.
🏁 END: Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan Ave.
💥 To join this engaging experience, purchase a ticket on Eventbrite or pay in person
Prefer to Pay In Person? Don’t want to deal with credit cards or online payments? No problem! If you’d rather pay in cash on the day of the tour, just contact me in advance to reserve your spot: 📱Call or Text: 312-835-4259
🌦️ Outdoors, casual pace, rain or shine! Dress for Chicago’s fall weather.
⚠️ PARKING TIP: The walk ends approximately four blocks from the starting point. If you're driving, consider parking somewhere along the route for an easier return to your car. 🚗
🏛️ WHAT WILL WE SEE?
✨ Gilded Age mansions and surviving historic architecture
🎩 Stories of Pullman, Field, Armour, and Chicago’s industrial titans
⛪ Landmark churches and beautifully preserved streetscapes
🌆 Chicago’s transformation from frontier outpost to world-class city
💎 Hidden architectural gems you may have passed without ever noticing!
📍 ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS (stops subject to change)
🏭 RR Donnelley & Sons Plant
📚 American Book Company
🎵 Chess Lofts
🏠 Wheeler Mansion
🏡 Dr. Charles W. Purdy House
🏠 Harriet F. Rees House
🏠 William H. Reid House
🏛️ Marshall Field Jr. Mansion
🏛️ Marshall Field Mansion
🏠 Keith House
⚔️ Battle of Fort Dearborn Park
🏠 George Pullman House
🏠 Coleman-Ames House
🎹 William W. Kimball House
🏛️ Glessner House
🌳 Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens
🏠 Henry B. Clarke House
🚗 B.F. Goodrich Co. Building
⛪ Second Presbyterian Church (tour ends here!)
📸 Bring your camera! This isn't a dedicated photo walk, but there will be plenty worth photographing!
📜 A LITTLE PRAIRIE AVENUE HISTORY
In the late 19th century, Prairie Avenue was Chicago’s most prestigious address. After the Great Fire of 1871, wealthy Chicagoans built grand homes south of downtown, creating the city’s original Millionaire’s Row.
Industrial leaders including George Pullman, Marshall Field, Philip Armour, and John Glessner called the neighborhood home. Renowned architects such as Henry Hobson Richardson, Solon Beman, and Cobb & Frost contributed to its impressive collection of residences.
As industry expanded and wealthy families moved elsewhere, many mansions disappeared. But several remarkable buildings survived, offering a glimpse into the wealth, ambition, and architectural splendor of Chicago’s Gilded Age. 🏛️✨
🎒 WHAT TO BRING
👟 Comfortable walking shoes
💧 Water bottle
🍂 Weather-appropriate clothing for a Chicago fall day
📸 Camera or phone
💵 Your $20 tour fee
🚇 PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
🚇 Green Line: Cermak-McCormick Place
🚇 Red Line: Cermak-Chinatown
🚗 Street parking may be available on Calumet, Cermak, Indiana, and nearby side streets. Read the signs carefully for parking restrictions!
⚠️ Remember, we finish approximately four blocks from where we start, so plan your parking accordingly.
🍕 WANT TO KEEP THE FUN GOING?
Want to grab a bite or a drink after our walk? Here are a few nearby options:
🍺 Fat Pour Tapworks
🍝 Il Culaccino
🍕 Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar
Post-walk dining is optional. Please note that some restaurants may not split checks.
📱 RUNNING LATE OR LOST?
Call or text 312-835-4259, and I'll point you in the right direction!
👋 Please check in with me when you arrive, and keep your RSVP updated if your plans change.
🚫 PLEASE DON'T BE A NO-SHOW!
🏛️🎩 Come explore Prairie Avenue this Sunday! Discover the mansions, moguls, architecture, and fascinating stories behind Chicago’s Gilded Age—all while enjoying a beautiful fall walk through one of the city’s most remarkable historic districts. 🍂🌆
🍁 History, architecture, fresh air, and great company. What better way to spend a Sunday morning? 😍👣
📍 How to Find Us – Meet OUTSIDE of the former RR Donnelley & Sons Plant 350 E. Cermak Rd - look for the large group gathered. Do not block entrance to the building as active office space.. Look for the large group gathered - we are hard to miss!
🛑 Note: This is an outdoor walk. Remember walk ends about 4 blocks from where we start so plan your parking or transit accordingly.
📞 Lost or running late? Call or text me at (312) 835-4259.
Want to Learn More About the Group? Check out our Meetup page here:🔗 1001 Things to See in Chicago Before You Die https://www.meetup.com/1001-things-to-see-in-chicago-before-you-die/
Event venue & nearby stays
Digital Realty Chicago ORD10, 350 East Cermak Road, Chicago, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.